Perfect Candidate

In the movie Gridiron gang, Sean Porter (The Rock) leads a group of juvenile prisoners to football championship finals. They lose the match but are not called losers.  Porter started this football program after realizing that a huge percentage of the young men who were released from prison would end up in prison again within a few months.  He is awfully criticized for wanting to rehabilitate “rejects” who contribute no good to society except harm.  I love this movie because it not only illustrates what people can achieve when someone believes in them; but also how the small and insignificant are perfect candidates for God to illustrate his power.  In the first practice session, Sean Porter says this to the Mustangs (as they were named); “You do it my way, not your way. Your way got you here and you’re here because you lost.  Right now you are all losers, but if you accept the challenge and stick with the program, you are all going to be winners in the end”.  I believe that’s where I was. I might not have been in prison and I wasn’t all that bad; but I was a loser before Christ.  I might not have heard Jesus say those words to me, but I think he was saying it to me to show me where he took me.  I don’t know where you are, but if you’re a loser, then you are the perfect candidate for success.

When we look at great people in history, we find that most of them came from humble, insignificant families, were not of noble birth, were unskilled, despised and we can fill the list with many negative descriptions.  Even Jesus’ disciples were not people of high positions in society, nor possessed high degrees in education.  Having healed a lame man, Peter and John are before the council of scribes, rulers and elders and explain that Jesus, whom they had crucified, healed the man.  “Now when they (rulers) saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus” Acts 4:13.  They were little people in the eyes of man, but the Lord chose to use them instead of the well-learned scribes whom the people held in high esteem.  So we look at Abraham who is too old to have children, but is chosen to be the Father of nations.  Its not that there weren’t other men across the face of the earth who could have children and in the absence of one God chose Abraham. God chose Abraham nonetheless. Moses gives a lot of reasons why he isn’t the one to save the Israelites in Egypt.  He can’t speak, he killed one of them a while back, he isn’t a king, he isn’t a warrior, etc. And the response from God is a resounding: “You are exactly what I am looking for!”  When God is about to destroy the Midianites who are describes to be “like locusts in number, both they and their camels could not be counted” he uses Gideon, who is the from the weakest clan and the least in his family – as if that is not enough he uses 300 men who didn’t need to know how to fight, but to blow horns.  When God wants to destroy Goliath, a great warrior he uses a teenager who is the youngest of his brothers and isn’t even supposed to be at the war.  All of this is to display his power, so that no man may boast. 

So are you unskilled, from a poor family, not a great speaker, not popular, not extremely pretty or handsome (in the eyes of man), uneducated, or any other thing that you think disqualifies you to be used by God for his glory? If yes, then you are the perfect candidate to be used by God. You are exactly what He is looking for.  I am by no means saying that God does not use those with doctorates, are of noble birth, etc; or that people should not aspire to be educated and of high esteem in their fields.  But there is always someone better than yourself, and even when you are a scholar and you’re given a task by God that you think is beyond you and should be given to someone of higher prestige, God wants you!  Because “little is much, when God is in it”.   God seems to look for the smallest tool to bring about his purpose and will in the world.  He takes the small tool, and gives it tremendous ability to do the task given.  He makes the jawbone of a donkey to be strong enough to kill 1000 men.  I don’t mind being a jawbone in the hands of God. 

Stay humble in the eyes of God, but do not look down on yourself, as one who is despised and he will surely lift you up. He will continue to take you higher and higher.  When He says GO, know that he has deemed you the perfect candidate and will give you the skills required to complete the given task.  My pastor said it is this way: “ do not compare how you feel on the inside, with how someone or something looks like on the outside”

God Bless you all. Much Love!

Active Workers

 “Opportunity is missed by most people because it s dressed in overalls and looks like work” Thomas Edison

I recently found out that the microwave was an accidental invention.  Mr. Percy Spencer, a radar tube design expert; noticed that the candy bar in his pocket had melted while he was working on building magnetrons standing in front of an active radar set.  Although he was not the first person to notice this with radars, he became the first to investigate it.  He and some of his colleagues then intentionally heated popcorn kernels and had the first microwaved popcorn. The first commercially microwave was about 1.8 meters tall and cost about $5000.  The microwave as we know it today is almost a necessity, most homes have one.  As for Mr. Spencer, he didn’t just wake up one morning and decide I want to make an electrical appliance that will heat food; but he stumbled upon it while busy with something else. 

It is important to note that Mr. Spencer was WORKING when he stumbled upon this groundbreaking invention.  He was actively involved in something that led to his invention.  Beyond being actively involved in work of sorts, he saw an opportunity and grabbed it with both hands. It is said that he wasn’t the first person to notice that active radar sets had a melting or hearing effect on foods.  I reckon we can learn a few things from Mr. Spencer and his inadvertent invention. When preparation and opportunity collide, we see an explosion that sets one on a path to success. Opportunities are out there waiting to be seized, but often we aren’t prepared for it. 

When Jesus called the twelve men who later change history, as we know it, he didn’t call “uzo’ithola kanajni uhlel’ekoneni” kinda’ guys.  He calls young men who were busy with something already.  Most of them were fishermen and were learning the family trade. These were not guys sitting by the corner asking everybody for R5 as they passed by or some were waiting on the government to give them a living.  I am by no means saying that the Lord does not help people who are formally employed or that opportunity favours those who are formally employed. It favours those who are actively involved in something.  This could be volunteer work, being in the school’s leadership team, being a part of a musical group, playing sports, etc.  These could be places where you get to be set on a path to success.  I have had opportunities to travel at no expense to places where I learned some important lessons because I was actively involved in doing something that was for social change.  I wouldn’t have had those opportunities if I wasn’t involved in projects and organizations that were for social change and if whatever company formally employed me, the opportunities would certainly be of a different nature. I have learned that being actively involved in something that interests you is a good seedbed for growth and multiple opportunities.  You might not travel as I have, but the opportunities will edify your life in unimaginable ways. 

This is what Philemon says in verse 6 of the only chapter in his little book; “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ” (NIV).  So there are good things that are in Christ that we ought to have a full understanding of, and these can be unlocked by being active sharers of our faith in Jesus. The love that Christ so illustriously displayed by dying on the cross demands a bigger response than just “thanks”. It is a beautiful story that ought to be shared.

“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.” Mark Twain

Lets get to work friends ... Opportunities Await your arrival!!!

Shovel and Sword kinda' Dude

For most of us, life is much more interesting and worth living when there is forward movement.  People’s speech attests to this when we hear them say things such as; “I feel like my life is stuck”.  So we all love progress and want to experience growth of sort in the different areas of our lives. Often when we think of growth and the things that we want to achieve, we seldom think of the challenges that will come with it.  We end up with an idealistic idea of where we would like to see ourselves in a certain time frame.  For some people, even when the dream is clear and they know what they want to achieve, discouragement won’t let them start.  They feel inadequate and don’t even attempt to achieve their dreams because the voice that says, “You’re not good enough” is louder than the one that says, “You can do it”. If we make it past the first stage and believe that we can, we thus start projects with optimism until challenges rudely interrupt our course and discourage us. It is always harder at the beginning and I suspect that the enemy of progress knows that once you start, the chances of stopping you are slimmer. 

There’s a story in the bible that perfectly illustrates how we ought to approach life if we are to keep moving.  A man by the name of Nehemiah rebuilds the walls of Jerusalem following their return from exile.  The lack of fortified walls meant that they were left defenseless against enemies.  As he inspects the walls, Sanballat and his buddies (enemies) were very displeased and set out to discourage from starting (chapter 2 v 10, 19).  Nehemiah jumps over the first hurdle with powerful words that show great faith in God (2 v20).  He then sets the plan in motion and the people work to rebuild the wall and make good progress.  In chapter 4, we see Sanballat and buddies coming much stronger in opposition.  Having failed to stop them by mocking them with words, they plot to fight against Jerusalem and cause confusion in it.  As a response to this, Nehemiah tells that they “prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night”.  To keep good progress, Nehemiah tells us “16 So it was, from that time on, that half of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the shields, the bows, and wore armor; and the leaders were behind all the house of Judah. 17 Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon.”  

I came across this text about 4 years ago and it taught me a pivotal lesson that I think all of us should have to succeed.  When God gives us a dream, it is not void of struggles and opposition.  This is a lesson we get from many biblical characters; all of them victoriously get to the other side and attest that it was a bumpy ride.  Nehemiah tells us that his workers had a SHOVEL in one hand to BUILD and a SWORD in the other to FIGHT off the enemy.  Through the years I have learned that this kind of readiness for opportunity/progress and opposition/discouragement was necessary for me to move forward.  The workers not only had a tool for forward movement, they had a tool to prevent them from regressing.  Most of us only have shovels in our hands, but we are left totally vulnerable to attack from the enemy that often comes unexpectedly.  I imagine that it must have been really hard, but necessary. We must guard against discouragement at all costs. I am by no means suggesting that you go get yourself a sword and wield it as you walk the streets. Your weapon is the word of God. The same weapon that Jesus used when the enemy tried to deceive him into worshiping him. So even when it seems that things are not working out, you can draw your sword that says, “ when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him”. When you feel attacked in every area of your life you know that “No weapon that is formed (specifically designed) for you shall prosper”. 

“We are more than conquerors through him who loved us” Romans 8:37

May you be a shovel and sword kinda’ WoMan!!

No life of my own ...

There is a powerful song by William McDowell titled; I give myself away.  It is a probably the most recent song that expresses a surrender to God. This is not a new notion to the Christian faith. We have always loved songs that speak about surrendering to God, especially when we think of the great work he did on the cross.  I will go as far as saying that surrender is a minimum requirement if we are to experience God the way he promised in the bible.  Follow me, was the words Jesus used to call his disciples.  They all left what they were doing and submitted their lives to living for God.  In fact, the common thing we say in attempt to explain what we did when we accepted Christ is; “I gave my life to the Lord”.  Now the word “gave” means that we have no control over it anymore.  We do not have rights anymore; we have given over our rights to God.  The only way we can have rights is if we lend it to God. I mean, If I lend you my car, I have all the right to tell you how and how not to use it because I am going to use it again for my own reasons. God did not ask for us to borrow Him our lives for a moment with a promise to give it back, but He asked us to lay it down for His own use.  So the next time you utter the words “I surrender”, whether in song or prayer; make sure you mean it. Often we pray for the Lord to take over our lives, but when he does we complain.  Some of us still have not given it over to the Lord because like the rich young man in Mark 10, He asked us to let go of something that is valuable to us.  I believe that amongst many other reasons, we gave our lives over to God because we realized that we could not be trusted with ourselves. Before you continue reading this post, ask yourself the following words; did you give or lend your life to God?

 

Because I know that your mind is seeking to understand why you should give your life to God, we will go through a few scriptures that give us the reasons why. 2 Corinthians 5:1, a well quoted scripture by Christians. Often to emphasize the newness of life that comes with being in Christ, I love it. If we just backtrack a few scriptures from there and read verse 15; “... and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” The bible gives us the reason for the newness of life that is spoken about in verse 17. You will realise that verse 17 starts with the word “therefore”, meaning as a consequence of the death of Jesus on the cross, we have a newness of life.  This newness of life comes with an understanding of what life is all about, that it is about living for the One who died for us. The apostle Paul is not talking about something he does not know.  He speaks as one who has experienced the extremes of what it is to live for Christ. Having being flogged, thrown in jail more than he could remember, stoned and left for dead ... yet he could say “to live is Christ and to die is gain”.  This man had totally surrendered his life to Christ, not only for the good things that come with being God’s child, but also the hardships that come with it. It was no longer him who lived, but Christ who lived in Him. It was no longer about personal gain, but the Kingdom. Let’s look at another notion which I know is not new to you. The bible says that by the blood of Christ we were bought FOR God (Rev 5:9). This means that you do not have ownership over your life anymore, but God. Ever heard in soccer about a player being bought from one club from another? That means that he will no longer play for the old club, he is now under new management.  So it is with us, we were bought with the blood of Christ, an unmatched price to live our lives for God (1 Cor 7:23). If I was to rephrase it in modern terms; “stop living for evil when nobody is looking, but instead live for God because he bought you with a high price”. 

 

Just before I conclude, let me share with you a part of my life that is relevant to this topic. After matric, I decided that I wanted to be an accountant and went to study Business Management (Financial Accounting) at an FET college. I had hoped to apply to do a B.Com in Accounting after that and maybe even go all the way to be a CA. After my diploma, I felt a strong call of God to join the Foxfire ministry for a year before I study. I applied and was accepted and joined the team in 2010. Now this was a year’s program and from there, you to move on to whatever God calls you to.  I was actually asked to stay on as a Coordinator and give leadership to one of the teams. I thought that this would be a great learning experience for me and I grabbed it with both hands.  I stayed here for 2 more years, learning.  In those 2 years, Accounting was no longer a satisfying idea.  It would give me a lot of money, then what? I decided that I would balance it by studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics. In that way, I can do apologetics for ministry and have economics as a career, fair isn’t it?   This felt like a good idea for a while, but it also died out.  I asked God what it was He wanted me to do, and when He told me; I wanted to bargain with Him.  I asked Him to delay it, give it to someone else, or just kill it within me. Well it didn’t happen. Tell you what did happen though ... I realized that as much as I was singing songs of surrender and praying “Lord I give you my heart”, it was all lip service. I did not mean any of those words and it was tested when God asked me to let go of the very things that I thought I had to hold on to for my success.  All these years that I wanted to study, I was praying for financial provision so that I can study. Guess what, no response at all. When I finally listened to God, took Him at His word and applied for a degree in Theology, I was credited with 4 modules for experience in youth ministry and someone offered to pay for my tuition fees.  My application with the other university is still pending, from 2010. I am still struggling to get my application approved. When I finally decided to do what HE wants me to do for HIM, the doors opened. I realized that I had been living for me, planning with my own mind and trying to find funding by myself, to fulfil my plans. But when I started living for HIM, fulfilling HIS plans, with HIS guidance, HE sent someone to pay for my fees when I hadn’t even asked. So yeah, I am leaving a position with a salary (financial security) for volunteer and studies and I have no worries at all.  The God who has bought me, called me to live for Him and predestined me knows what he is up to. And because I now live for him, I now understand what Paul was saying in Romans 12. He says that we should be living sacrifices, not to conform to the world that lives for themselves, but to live for God, renew our minds everyday and in that way we will be able discern his good and perfect will for our lives. Now that I tell you, is sacrificial living!! (Read 1 Peter 1:18-19).

 

Thanx for reading and your kind responses it is encouraging to hear that these lessons I learn are helpful for all of you that read and respond.

God Bless you with Stax of blessings!!!!

 

Sorry Lord I did it ... AGAIN!

Just the other day, I was sharing my personal testimony with people at a furniture and home appliance store in Pietermaritzburg. Later that day, I was just reflecting on the grace of God in my life over the years. What stood out for me as I reflected were the different victories I had won under the guidance of the Lord. Among those victories was a victory over a habitual sin which had become a part of me for a long time. This sin kept me bondage and I prayed the same prayer over and over again; Sorry Lord I did it again. I felt so guilty that sometimes when I had not done it, I would say the same prayer. I mentioned in a previous post (Godly Sorrows) about a sin that was holding me back from doing the will of God.  This particular habitual sin was masturbation. I struggled for years with it, praying to God to get rid of it (sometimes in tears); yet it remained. I was genuine, but was using the wrong key to open lock for my freedom from the chains of slavery. As I reflected on this the other day, I heard the Lord say: "you are not the only one". Now this was not a statement to comfort me or give me permission to start doing it again, I do not need that because I have conquered this struggle. God was challenging me to share something with the body which has been disregarded and sometimes incorrectly addressed. This is not about masturbation, this is about habitual sins. That sin that you just can’t seem to get rid of. The one you have not told anyone about, you wonder what people will think of you if they knew. We do not all struggle with the same sins, but they all have the same remedy... God! In this short blog post, I hope to share my experience with you, so that you may be inspired to fight and win this battle. As I mentioned, the sin you struggle with might not be the one I struggled with; but I want you to read the following words with an open heart in regards to that particular sin.

 I was genuine in my prayers to God to get rid of the sin. I didn't want to live with guilt and shame anymore. I would feel terrible every time I did it, so much that I would not be able to talk to God. The problem with this was that I prayed and after praying wanted to overcome the sin with my own strength. I would go for a while without doing it, but after 2 weeks I would slip and fall. I would try again, harder this time; and make it for a few months but I would fall again. This was a cycle that led me to either: justify why the sin is not so bad after all or give up on ever being able to resist it. Let’s say you had a tree that was bearing bad fruit and you wanted to solve this problem, you have 2 options; you can pick all the fruits on the tree and wait for the next ones to grow in the next season or you can cut the tree right down to the roots and plant another one. Most of us use the first option, and it solve temporarily. The tree will produce the same fruits the next season. I would propose that we take the second option, this permanently solves the problem. Picking the fruit brings no change; it’s only a matter of time until the fruits (behaviour) grow again. Cutting the roots deals with the roots (heart). Good intentions are not enough; you need the power of God to change you from the inside out. The truth is, the closer we are to God, the more we are like Him. Ultimately He has the power to deal with sin, not us. If it were so, then Jesus wouldn’t have had to die on the cross. The key is to maintain a consistent relationship with God. As you draw near to Him, the scripture that says:"for God is working in you, giving you the power and desire to do what pleases Him" comes to pass. Notice that it does not say that it is "Sello" working in you, because he can't.  God is doing the work, you do not have to toil. It also says that He gives us the desire and power to do what pleases Him. As you stay close to God, the more you want to please Him and do all that He commands.

 As I conclude, two precautions: call it what it is ... SIN! Not; "oh it's just my weakness". Do not hide behind the statement: "It's a process". Although this might be true, a process is something that you actively work towards. If you believe that it is process, do your part by drawing closer to God. The same way a driver’s license will not magically appear in your wallet/purse because you simply prayed and never started the process by getting your learners license. The power of sin is in its secrecy. Before David's sin was exposed, he says his sin was "ever before him"; he had not repented and therefore could not be helped. The moment I told someone about it; I knew was headed towards the right direction. I am free now, no more shame and guilt. Talk to someone who will pray with you and keep you accountable to the process of freedom from this habitual sin. I am only a phone call, whattsapp message, email, fb inbox away. God has the power to break bondages and when he said "it is finished", he meant it!

 

God bless all of you. Hope this was helpful...

Stax of love packed in my heart for all of you!

Sello Mmane

 

Godly Sorrows Part II

Known as the man after God's own heart, David.  His amazing story so well documented in the 1st and 2nd book of Samuel, has many lessons for the 21st century Christians.  One of them is recorded in the 2nd book of Samuel 11. You may ask; of all the things that one can say or highlight about David's life, why choose to speak of his sin? well ... here is why: This story profoundly illustrates the  understanding of worldly and Godly sorrows.

 For the benefit of those that have not read the story, here's a summary: so David is king of Israel. One evening he finds himself walking on the roof of the palace and sees a married woman (Bathsheba) bathing.  He sends for her and sleeps with her. The woman conceives and sends a message to David about her pregnancy. Now Davids first response to the news is to hide/cover the sin. This is not a new thing, the common man's first instinct is to cover the sin so that nobody finds out about it. We can wrap it up as a mentality that says; "how can I can sin, get away with it and still be 'saved'". Its a mentality that is more worried about what the people will say and seemingly forgets that the Father in heaven sees all things. More worried about the consequence of the sin than the sin itself.  Any person who thinks like that does not truly repent but makes him/herself feel better by making a "1John 1:9" prayer. Don't get me wrong, there is power in the word of God and yes He forgives us, but wouldn't it be better if you meant it and was not just saying it to make yourself feel better. I think God honors that. Story continues ... David sends for the woman's husband Uriah who is fighting in battle with the Ammonites. David's plan was to get him to sleep with his wife so that it can look like he impregnated her, but Uriah being a noble man did not sleep with his wife.  This left David with one option ... to kill him. So he sends him back to the battle with a letter that commands Joab to put him at the heat of the battle so that he can be struck dead and so it happens, just as he had planned.  Now, our current generation of people have the kind of mindset that suggest that "the end justifies the means". This kind of thought says that it doesn't matter how you get what you want, as long as you get it.  So whether you sell drugs to get rich, sleep with the boss to get a job, pay a bribe to get a job, etc. it doesn't matte because you got what you wanted and nobody will know or can tell what you did to get what you have.  We see in this story that this was the same mindset of David, his need to satisfy the flesh made him to disregard the importance of obeying God's commands and value human life. So for as long as one can sin, get away with and still call themselves a Christian in the name of "we all sin", there will never be true repentance.

I am happy that the story does not end there, because what happens afterwards is what God is seeking from us.  After all this has happened, God sends Nathan to David to rebuke him of his sin. David then fasts and lies on the ground in repentance.  Psalm 51 is said to be the words of David to God after being confronted by Nathan. And although it is not recorded in the book of Samuel; I suspect that he said the words in that psalm during the time of prayer and fasting. In verse 4, David says: "Against You - You alone have I sinned" and I reckon if he had known that before, he wouldn't have had to cover his sin because he would have understood that it's no secret to the One who matters most. God.

So as we wrap up this 2 part series on Godly sorrows, let us walk by faith with the knowledge that worldly sorrow lead to death, death of the conscience because there is no repentance. Godly sorrows leads to repentance and life, because a total turn around from what is evil brings us closer to God, and the closer you are to God, the more you are like Him. (2 Corinthians 7:10)

God Bless you all and thanks for reading. 
Sorry to all the regular readers the delay, hope I'm forgiven and that we will continue to grow as I seek to share my lessons from God's word wit you.
Got stax of love for all of you ... Peace!

Godly Sorrows ...

“Repentance is not so much remorse for what we have done as the fear of the consequence”

Francios de la Rochefocauld

As one who just got a driver’s license very recently, I make sure that I always have my seatbelt on at all times.  I do this to avoid the consequence of being fined by a traffic officer. I have observed some drivers who drive without their seatbelts on. And soon as they see a traffic officer, they quickly “buckle up”, but as soon as they pass the traffic officer, they take off the seatbelt again. Now to get to the point I need to make, there are also drivers who disobey the rules of the road and when a traffic officer pulls them up, they act sorry and promise not to do it again; yet do the very same thing again, on the very same day.  Showing remorse for wrongdoing is only natural for every human being. That is the reason for psychological exams done on people who commit serious crimes and yet show no remorse. It’s not normal not to feel sorry for wrongdoing. But sometimes we can get so used to doing something wrong that we do not feel guilty or sorry about it anymore.  I guess that is why we pretend as if we are sorry so that at least we don't look too bad in the eyes of those around us. But the other reason why we pretend to be sorry (and this is my main point), is because we just want to be exempt from the consequence of the sin.  I want drive above the speed limit; because I have developed a mechanism that will allow me to get away with it so that I can do it over and over again. 

Ted Bundy, a man who killed at least about 30 women in the 70’s; pleaded not guilty to all his crimes. There are numerous biographies of this guy on the internet, but there was one in particular that caught my attention and this is what it said about his remorse for his sins: “Ted never felt sorry for what he did; the only thing that he might have been sorry about was being caught”. Now that pierced my heart because I then realized that I was like that too and sometimes I still am. And Paul in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians simply put it like this; “For the kind of sorrow that God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There is not regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death”. How many times have you gone forward for prayer in tears after a sermon touched your heart and you felt convicted to stop your habitual sin, only to find yourself doing it again? I struggled with masturbation as a teenager and even after I gave my heart to God it just would not go away.  I pleaded with God to take it away countless times, yet it remained. I used to cry in prayer to God, promising never to do it again; yet I went back. It was like taking 2 steps forward and then 10 steps backwards. After numerous failed attempts, I started owning it as my little secret. Looking back at those days, I realize that I had worldly sorrows which led me to not even feeling guilty about the sin (spiritual death). I thought that I would evade the consequences of masturbation by crying, but I needed to take another step further. I needed to take steps towards God in repentance, and when I did that I was able to break free, because now I was no longer scared of my mom walking in on me masturbating, I knew that my heavenly father saw me and as much as I can cry and pretend that I want to stop; He knew my heart.  I now understood that he was not fooled by my fake remorse, he wanted a genuine turning from the sin and a commitment of a day to day relationship with God.  So when a couple have pre-marital sex and the girl is pregnant, the sin is not the pregnancy; it is adultery. What they should feel sorry for is not that they will have a child that they did not plan, but that they have sinned against God. I learned that the hard way after years of struggling with the same sin; I learned that the only way was to view sin from God’s point of view.  

As a kid, when I knew that I did something wrong and that I was going to get a hiding. I would cry as soon as my mother pulled out the belt and that was my escape from the consequence of my wrongdoing, because my mother would feel sorry for me and let me off the hook.  From then on, I developed a habit of doing things and making sure that I get away with it so that I do not have to live with the consequence. I am all grown up now, I had to grow up and live with the consequences and make sure that I never have to live with having to sin habitually and recite my favourite “feel good scripture” just to ease my conscience for a little while only to do it again. I am through with that, and I encourage all of you with habitual sins to do the same.  It might not be such a “BIG” issue as mine, but nevertheless it must be dealt with. Mignon Mclaughlin says: “True remorse is never regret over consequences; it is regret over the motive.” Let this be true for you so that you may live freely ... without the burden of guilty weighing you down heavily. You do not have to carry that load, repent and let your heart be renewed. 

In the next blog post we will look at some examples of Godly and worldly sorrow in the bible.

God Bless you all

Love you all in staxxxxx.