Lesson by Sheri Rose Shepherd
One of the greatest battles we may fight is the one in our mind. Our flesh tells us to quit trying to live for God. It screams the message that we will never be good enough, and that is a lie. Too many times we allow our failures to define us.
So let me take the pressure off you. Absolutely no one in the Bible or in history who did something great to further God’s Kingdom lived a perfect life. Each hero of the faith loved the Lord and, despite their failures, never quit. This is the key to their success in serving the Lord. They answered His call on their lives despite their failures, despite difficult circumstances, and despite people who hurt them or discouraged them. Our King loves us no matter how many times we fall. In fact, He is always there to pick us up, heal our hearts, and help us start walking again.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE
A righteous man or woman may fall seven times, but they will get back up again. ~Proverbs 24:16
TODAY'S FREEDOM CHOICES
1. Run to God When You Fall
The truth inside the heart of every man and woman screams, “I want to
win.” No one wants to lose in life. We just don’t know how to recover
from the fall. Sometimes we hide like Eve in the Garden, sometimes we
run away like Jonah, and others time we hide like Gideon. But God is so
faithful and so there for us that He will find us in our weakest moment
when we want to quit and lovingly lift us back up again.
2. Decide to "Not Quit"
2. Decide to "Not Quit"
Just because you feel like quitting does not mean life is over. Failure
is never final with God. Sometimes a fall gives us an encounter with
grace as we allow the Lord to lift us up from our painful place of
humiliation.
3. Don't let others Keep you Down
Don’t let anyone tell you God cannot redeem whatever you have done. You were born again to win victory in every area of your life! Ask the Lord to help you get up, and let Him handle whomever and whatever is keeping you down—and you’ll win.
TODAY'S TREASURE OF TRUTH
3. Don't let others Keep you Down
Don’t let anyone tell you God cannot redeem whatever you have done. You were born again to win victory in every area of your life! Ask the Lord to help you get up, and let Him handle whomever and whatever is keeping you down—and you’ll win.
TODAY'S TREASURE OF TRUTH
God is not looking for perfection when you do His work on earth. Instead, He is looking for your heart-commitment to Him.
Oftentimes, we are so busy trying to reach for "Christian perfection" that we become as the old saying goes "humans doing, instead of human beings". Even when we "know" that we are saved by God's grace through faith, we still find ourselves working to earn God's favor. In reality this does not please God and it only keeps us from being more Christ-like. It doesn't heal our past hurts. It doesn't squelch those voices in our head that tell us we can never amount to much for God. It only magnifies them and seems to give us proof of what we believe about ourselves.
There will ALWAYS be someone who seems to do it better than us...or so we think. Just like Sheri Sheppard mentioned above...there was not one single person in God's Word who was perfect or sinless. We get so caught up in the great things they did for God that we forget to look at the person. Abraham was a liar, Noah got drunk, David committed adultery, Moses disobeyed God and didn't make it to the promised land. But, these men of God, did not let their failure get in the way. When they were knocked down, they got back up.
That's why I love to read the Psalms. David wrote many of them. If you will notice, David was no stranger to distress. You could see his depression and anxiety in his writings. Because of the jealousy of king Saul, David had to leave his family and run for his life and this went on for years. But, every time David got downcast in spirit, he got back up and ran to the Lord. He knew that in God, he could find the strength to go on. In God, he found a safe dwelling place. In God he found peace and rest. He confessed his failures, asked forgiveness, turned from those failures, took God's hand, and moved forward.
Dear Friend, we will never reach perfection in this life. If we could, Christ would never have had to die for our sins. He could have saved Himself the pain and humiliation.
However, we are complete in Christ and must realize that when we have Him we don't need anything else. Even if we are unmarried, we are complete in Christ. Even if we can't have children, we are complete in Christ. Even if we lack certain abilities that others seem to possess, we are still complete in Christ. He is all we will ever need.
And, we can mature in Christ. This doesn't happen by trying to live a perfect, sinless life. It happens by setting our sights on the great calling of God and no matter how many times we stumble and fall we get right back up, dust ourselves off, and keep going. Nothing can deter us from building our relationship with the Father. Nothing can deter us from moving one step closer to being like His precious Son. We run the race He has set before us.
I'm sure you have noticed that once a healthy child starts trying to walk, nothing can stop them from reaching their goal. They want to be upright and moving faster toward that shiny bright object ahead. For my daughter, it was a cactus plant. Lol!
No matter how many times a child falls flat on it's bottom, they do not stay there for long. They get right back up after every fall. And what happens when they do this day in and day out? Their little legs get stronger and stronger. Soon they are walking and before you know it they are running. Not, one, single, healthy child has ever fallen and not gotten back up.
And what's so beautiful about their drive to grow and learn and be is that no one can stop their determination. Of course, the parent could set them in a playpen and try to keep them from walking, BUT that child will still try to pull up and stand and maybe even walk around in the crib. But, what parent would do that? What parent would try to stop their child from walking and one day running? Haven't you seen the happy faces of parents, family, and friends when they see a little one taking even a step or two? It's exciting! We reach out our arms and say, "Come to me, baby!" And, without a doubt, we know where they are going -- straight to mama or daddy.
Our Father in heaven is no different. When we are born into His family, we are not born mature. We are babes in Christ, but He does not want us to remain babes. Babies are cute and sweet, but they are also a lot of work. They must be fed, clothed, and diapered, but most of all they must be watched constantly. They can't do much on their own and even though the Father loves them, it is His desire that they grow and become a integral part of His plan -- to be valuable assets in building His kingdom.
We are the instruments that God has chosen to send forth the gospel and be an example to a lost and dying world. But, we must grow up to be capable of handling this monumental task. We must learn to walk, to talk, to reason, and to understand God's purpose for us. And when we are born into His family, just like an earthly parent, He stretches out His arms and says, "Come to Father little one!" And when we fall, He is there again saying, "Get up! Come to Me my precious child! Don't give up! Keep moving forward! I love you and I will protect you, but I must let you fall, so that you can build strength in those legs each time you push back up! We've got much to do...together!"
So, precious friend, if you belong to God, and you have fallen and you are still sitting on your bottom; stop looking at the failure of falling, but instead look outward and upward to the Father who is holding out His arms saying, "Come! You are MY child! I offer you forgiveness, love, grace, and mercy. You are precious to ME and I want us to do great things together. I promise that one day it will be worth it all!"
Hallelujah, as a believer, what a loving Father we have! May God bless you today over and above what you are able to receive!
For His Glory,
There will ALWAYS be someone who seems to do it better than us...or so we think. Just like Sheri Sheppard mentioned above...there was not one single person in God's Word who was perfect or sinless. We get so caught up in the great things they did for God that we forget to look at the person. Abraham was a liar, Noah got drunk, David committed adultery, Moses disobeyed God and didn't make it to the promised land. But, these men of God, did not let their failure get in the way. When they were knocked down, they got back up.
That's why I love to read the Psalms. David wrote many of them. If you will notice, David was no stranger to distress. You could see his depression and anxiety in his writings. Because of the jealousy of king Saul, David had to leave his family and run for his life and this went on for years. But, every time David got downcast in spirit, he got back up and ran to the Lord. He knew that in God, he could find the strength to go on. In God, he found a safe dwelling place. In God he found peace and rest. He confessed his failures, asked forgiveness, turned from those failures, took God's hand, and moved forward.
Dear Friend, we will never reach perfection in this life. If we could, Christ would never have had to die for our sins. He could have saved Himself the pain and humiliation.
However, we are complete in Christ and must realize that when we have Him we don't need anything else. Even if we are unmarried, we are complete in Christ. Even if we can't have children, we are complete in Christ. Even if we lack certain abilities that others seem to possess, we are still complete in Christ. He is all we will ever need.
And, we can mature in Christ. This doesn't happen by trying to live a perfect, sinless life. It happens by setting our sights on the great calling of God and no matter how many times we stumble and fall we get right back up, dust ourselves off, and keep going. Nothing can deter us from building our relationship with the Father. Nothing can deter us from moving one step closer to being like His precious Son. We run the race He has set before us.
I'm sure you have noticed that once a healthy child starts trying to walk, nothing can stop them from reaching their goal. They want to be upright and moving faster toward that shiny bright object ahead. For my daughter, it was a cactus plant. Lol!
No matter how many times a child falls flat on it's bottom, they do not stay there for long. They get right back up after every fall. And what happens when they do this day in and day out? Their little legs get stronger and stronger. Soon they are walking and before you know it they are running. Not, one, single, healthy child has ever fallen and not gotten back up.
And what's so beautiful about their drive to grow and learn and be is that no one can stop their determination. Of course, the parent could set them in a playpen and try to keep them from walking, BUT that child will still try to pull up and stand and maybe even walk around in the crib. But, what parent would do that? What parent would try to stop their child from walking and one day running? Haven't you seen the happy faces of parents, family, and friends when they see a little one taking even a step or two? It's exciting! We reach out our arms and say, "Come to me, baby!" And, without a doubt, we know where they are going -- straight to mama or daddy.
Our Father in heaven is no different. When we are born into His family, we are not born mature. We are babes in Christ, but He does not want us to remain babes. Babies are cute and sweet, but they are also a lot of work. They must be fed, clothed, and diapered, but most of all they must be watched constantly. They can't do much on their own and even though the Father loves them, it is His desire that they grow and become a integral part of His plan -- to be valuable assets in building His kingdom.
We are the instruments that God has chosen to send forth the gospel and be an example to a lost and dying world. But, we must grow up to be capable of handling this monumental task. We must learn to walk, to talk, to reason, and to understand God's purpose for us. And when we are born into His family, just like an earthly parent, He stretches out His arms and says, "Come to Father little one!" And when we fall, He is there again saying, "Get up! Come to Me my precious child! Don't give up! Keep moving forward! I love you and I will protect you, but I must let you fall, so that you can build strength in those legs each time you push back up! We've got much to do...together!"
So, precious friend, if you belong to God, and you have fallen and you are still sitting on your bottom; stop looking at the failure of falling, but instead look outward and upward to the Father who is holding out His arms saying, "Come! You are MY child! I offer you forgiveness, love, grace, and mercy. You are precious to ME and I want us to do great things together. I promise that one day it will be worth it all!"
Hallelujah, as a believer, what a loving Father we have! May God bless you today over and above what you are able to receive!
For His Glory,
The Princess Warrior
Copyright Information Copyright © 2009 The Princess Warrior Ministries. All articles are copyrighted on the date they are posted, unless otherwise indicated. All rights reserved. Permission granted for not-for-sale reproduction in exact form including copyright and web address. Other uses require written permission. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are taken from the King James Bible.
I read this on my phone when I got in bed and had to leave a comment. So I got back up. You bless me 24/7. Thank you for providing encouragement to us!
ReplyDeleteLove you!
Diane McGahee
Diane, I am so glad you found encouragement in this post and I needed it too. I only remind others of what I first remind myself of. =)
ReplyDeleteI know I may have told you this before, but I thank God that our paths have crossed and it blesses me to no end that God did it through this ministry. You have been such a blessing and encouragement to me as well. It takes one Princess Warrior to know a Princess Warrior. =)
God bless you girl! Love you!