10/31/2019
Have you strayed from God, and Jesus? Do you think your wandering is irreversible? Well it is not! There is no place too dark, that God will lose sight of you, and no wallow so disgusting that He will abandon you there. Do not give in to the lies of Satan when he tells you that there is no hope, and that God has turned his back on you. Remember always that Jesus took on the sins of the world, and many of those were far greater than yours.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
Psalms 51:10 ESV
David spoke these words, even though he did some terrible things in his life. He was consumed by lust, participated in adultery, and even arranged the murder of Bathsheba’s husband... yet he repented, called on God in absolute contrition, asked for forgiveness, and was announced by the Lord to be a man after His own heart.
“And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, 'I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.'”
Acts 13:22 ESV
So where are we in our lives, and how far have we strayed? Do we think we have gone too far, or are we just too embarrassed to present ourselves to God with all the slime and stench of sin that covers us? Well, John says that there is no sin that we will not be forgiven of if we are truly repentant...
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9 ESV
The dark one will take certain scripture out of context and try to fool us with it. He takes one verse quite frequently, and uses it to trap many, and this is in regards to backsliding. Here is that verse...
“For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,”
Hebrews 10:26 ESV
Satan quotes this scripture often in an attempt to steal our hope of redemption by using it in conjunction with a lie. The lie is that we are lost forever. He never mentions verses such as two wonderful ones we find in Jeremiah. We read in the first verse that God calls us to return...
“Return, O faithless children, declares the Lord; for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.”
Jeremiah 3:14 ESV
And in the second verse He not only calls us to return, but tells us He will heal our faithlessness. All we need to do is to be contrite, and come back to Him while asking for His forgiveness... calling on Him as our God. How merciful is our God!
“A voice on the bare heights is heard, the weeping and pleading of Israel's sons because they have perverted their way; they have forgotten the Lord their God. "Return, O faithless sons; I will heal your faithlessness." "Behold, we come to you, for you are the Lord our God.”
Jeremiah 3:21-22 ESV
So are you trapped in Satan’s lie that God has irreversibly written you off, and removed you from the book of life? Are you convinced that you are so lost that the Lord will not accept you back? Do you think the parable of the prodigal son was for someone else, and not you? Well take heart, because our Heavenly Father is watching the road day and night as He awaits your return. Are you on the way home?
“It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'"”
Luke 15:32 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your mercy and grace which patiently waits for the return of those who have wandered away from you. Thank you for your Son Jesus who prays for our faith, and for your grace that He delivers to our thirsty souls. Help those who feel lost as they search for their way home, and encourage their spirits to open themselves once again to your love and goodness. You are faithful Lord, and never abandon, or turn your back on those who search for you! Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who stands by the way and watches for the arrival of His children. Great are you who answers our prayerful calls for redemption and forgiveness, and mighty are you in our defense against all evil. Praised be your name which you have placed on each of us as we called you Lord. All glory is yours Father through the grace that flows through Jesus.
Rich Forbes