But God...

You may find yourself dwelling on past mistakes, wishing if you only knew what you know now then you could have done something different to change the outcome. But guess what? God isn't surprised by your mistakes. And He does not disown you or leave you because of your shortcomings. He is a God who forgives and repairs. There is hope in Him. Consider this verse:

"My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." -Psalm 73:26

Truth is, we will make mistakes. It is human nature. But don't stay stuck dwelling on what you did wrong. Learn from it. Ask for God's grace. His strength will carry you on. He will never leave you, nor forsake you. Knowing that alone can give us peace.

Part of the road to healing is focusing on good things and true things. It is true that we will make mistakes, and that is okay -- accept it! It is true that God is with us. It is true that He will never leave us. It is true that He loves us and has a plan for our lives. It is true and good that He created you the way you are for a reason. Can you see yourself the way God sees you? Can you recognize the blessings and gifts He has given you?

Ask God to help you see things in a new light. Ask Him to help you move past your mistakes so you won't stay stuck in the mud. Ask Him to lead and guide you into His perfect plan -- yielding to Him every step of the way, depending on His grace and strength, listening to His infinite wisdom. When we get cocky and try doing things our own ways instead of His, that is when we fail. We need to truly humble ourselves like children, lean against Him and learn from Him. No confidence in the flesh. True confidence comes from knowing Jesus and relying on Him to meet your needs and depending on Him to strengthen you in due time. Can you trust that He will pull you through?

Victory through defeat

This phrase is odd, right? How can one possibly be victorious after defeat? The answer -- Jesus. Many things seems paradoxical and simply impossible in the scriptures. Consider this verse: “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:25). There are several instances where this is shown in the gospels. Look at this other verse: “Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honor is humility.” (Proverbs 18:12). Humility before honor? Really? Look at one more: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” (James 1:2-3). Joy in trials? What?!

Okay, I’m noticing a trend here. Something undesirable, uncomfortable, and unappealing somehow becomes exactly what was needed in the end. Through many trials and defeats we may ask the question, “why?”. Truth is, we may never know why. But, the better question to ask is, “who?”. Who is with you in the storm? Who stands with you through the trial? Who walks alongside you and empathizes with you? Jesus. He knows what it’s like to be in pain. He knows how it looks to see defeat and rejection. He knows how it feels when the world is filled with pain and hopelessness. And guess what? That didn’t stop Him. He chose to have faith in what God had coming. He chose to hope in God’s promises and provision. Although He faced death on the cross, He rose again and ultimately defeated death itself.

Jesus is the reason we can have hope. Although our world may look bleak and hopeless, there is a God above watching over us, looking out after us. Although we may face pain and defeat, we will not stay in that place. God brings us to victory.

All about asking God…

Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

V. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

V. 9-11 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Psalm 145:16 You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

V. 19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them.

Psalm 34:10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.

Psalm 84:11 … no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

James 1:6-8 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

There are probably more verses that show our asking and His supplying! If you can notice a few things…

1. God is good. He wants to supply your needs. He wants to take care of you. He is a Father.
2. Let’s talk about needs… Notice in Matthew 7 when Jesus asks about us giving to our children, notice that the examples show the children asking for very real needs, i.e. food! These examples do not show children asking for crazy outlandish things like a million dollars or a bunch of candy! He is assuming that parents know best how to give to their children. In the same way, He knows what is best to give to us. We ought to trust Him.
3. On top of the needs, there are desires. And yes, God does satisfy our desires, too! But again, there are a few things to point out. There are godly desires and there are ungodly desires. Guess which ones He pays attention to? God is good and He is also a just and righteous God. He wants to sanctify us, make us holy, make us into His image. He is not going to satisfy every single desire that comes up. There are some He has to chisel out of us. And there are some He needs to purify, perfect. Sooner or later we will be wanting the same thing that God wants for us! This is a good place to be. We can ask, and we can receive, knowing that He is going to take care of us, knowing that He is working for our good.
4. In the end, it’s all about trust. Do you trust God? He is a Father, He is Creator. He knows what is best for us, even if we do not see it clearly. On this side of heaven, nothing is going to be perfect. Things may not go our way. We ought to trust Him that things work out for the good of those who love God.