“Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.” (James 3:1-2 NLT)
It’s amazing how many lives are ruined by saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. How many inappropriate relationships are started either online or in person by responding positively to an invitation we should clearly delete, avoid, or reject? The course of countless husbands’ and wives’ lives are changed forever because of falling prey to invitations that led to tragic results.
Thinking “no one will ever know,” quickly becomes, “how could I have ever done that?” While the event may last only a brief time, the consequences hang on, sometimes, for a lifetime. Of course, God will forgive quickly and completely, but our spouse’s and others’ forgiveness may not come so quickly, causing us heartache and pain for many years.
These types of circumstances can be overwhelming, leaving us lost, lonely, and feeling forgotten. Francis Chan’s words help us when he writes: “Don’t get overwhelmed by how much time you have already wasted, and don’t dwell too long on past mistakes. Just take the next step. And keep the end in view.”
In my own life it’s taken a long time to begin to allow the Spirt to shift my thinking from condemnation to forgiveness, from punishment to promise, and from despair to hope and expectation. When we fail it seems on some levels our life, at least the life we’d hoped for, has ended. The future is gray at best and filled with pain and heartache. How can ANYTHING EVER BE THE SAME? And the truth is, it won’t be, but in some ways it can actually be better.
Part of the healing process begins when we realize that time doesn’t heal, Jesus does. Time can pass without any significant changes for years, but finding forgiveness from the Lord and allowing Him to begin the healing process speeds up the process exponentially.
The woman at the well (John 4) was caught in a spiral of debilitating defeat until she met Jesus in an unexpected place, in an unexpected way. Overwhelmed would have put it mildly when trying to describe the deep hole she’d dug with her life. She saw no way out and certainly no happy ending. Yet, Jesus set her on a new course that changed everything for her and can change everything for you.
Perhaps you profess faith in Christ, but your faith has left you empty, spent, and in great need of a touch from God. The woman at the well had faith in God, but it paled in comparison to what Jesus was offering – a new, revitalized, energized, and refreshing life of hope.
Will you allow the living “water” of the Holy Spirit to fill, empower, and enable you to begin again to walk in newness of life you’ve never imagined. It’s a faith adventure that begins the moment you say “yes” to the Lord. Open your heart to Jesus and invite Him to reign and rule in your life, opening opportunity for you to experience a new beginning, free from the shackles of past mistakes and regrets.
Build a new life with the Lord that will give you revitalized faith, not only in Him, but in yourself. The Lord is not finished with you, just as He wasn’t finished with me and millions more like us, He wants to take you by the hand and walk with you every step of the way. Go to The Bridge to God by clicking the link and let Ron Hutchcraft walk you through how to begin your new journey of hope and new life in Jesus.
Please don’t ignore this opportunity for a new, fresh start.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 