Regrets

Just some scattered thoughts about regrets.

I started researching verses for this blog entry because some feelings of regrets have crept into my mind. I was going to find verses similar to "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil" under the concept that regrets occur when we aren't conscientious about our surrenders and say/do things, or don't say/don't do things.

Just to touch on that... We need to live without any blinders on. We need to be fully aware of what is going on. Sometimes we miss opportunities to allow God to encourage someone through us, or we might be ignorant of facts and assume the worst(Either for someone else, or assume you are responsible--[pride?]), or we do or say something because we are "in the moment."

Be careful with your words and actions. You don't get a redo. What you say and do will remain etched in history.


But, going beyond that, I found a verse written by Paul: Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, (Phil. 3:13)


I also came upon a blog that states how regretful thinking produces depressive thinking.

So that's where I'll place the main focus on this entry. Regret begets depression. And depression saps us of our energy--rendering us, eventually, useless for God. (Is that not Satan's foundational tactic--to cause us to not be able to serve God?)

Regret is when we look behind us(Sometimes with fresh eyes and new knowledge) and kick ourselves for not seeing such and such, for doing such and such, for saying such and such. Then we begin to feel bad about it. Wishing we would've been more observant, more knowledgeable.

At least in my situation, I begin to connect dots to the present. "What if because I did this or that...what if so/so is treating me this way, or thinks of me this way?" And obviously that is when regret produces depression and produces sin.

What is past is past. We can't change it. We can only learn and adapt from it.

When we give into regret we put on the same blinders that blocked our view in the first place when this all began. And when that happens, we are susceptible to overlooking things, saying or doing things that will cause us regret in the future.

Regret has its place--but only for momentary review. In order to grow, we must acknowledge our shortfalls. But we won't grow if we remain down. We have to stand up and live with an adapted knowledge and perspective.

So, if you are regretting a decision, look to that for a moment, learn, adapt, then forget it and look to the future--look to adaption. If you sinned, then get it right(Note: Sin against man requires getting it right with God and man. Sin against God only requires getting it right with God).

-Kevin

Wherefore let him that Thinketh he Standeth...

For years I've been struggling with a certain sin. Recently, however, God has placed tons of stuff in my life that has driven me before His throne. Friends, family, life decisions, etc. And because of that(perhaps), I have seen in my life a decrease in committing that sin. Occasionally, I would think "Perhaps I have come to wear this won't be as big of a problem."

But then Satan hid behind a corner, then WHAM! smacked me with a rod. He successfully got me to sin, and since then has successfully grabbed my thoughts, thinking about the sin. (Even numbed me occasionally to where I would walk along the line of the sin. [Praise God I didn't slip off the line into sin those times...]).

With those incidents, God has placed on my heart the verse "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."

I wanted to just admonish you, the Reader, to take heed, lest you fall, too. You may miraculously be standing tall of a sin that has long ensnared you. You may think you finally got the victory--but take heed. Satan will never stop trying to devour you--even if that means holding off for a little while.

Satan is a lion, seeking those he can devour. If you are not vigilant and sober, he will pounce and devour you.

That doesn't sound very helpful, does it? "Satan will never stop trying to devour you."
It should, though, discourage you in this sense. You can't do it. You cannot withstand the Devil for every time he attacks you. You may be able to the first couple of times around, but eventually you will be so weak you can't stand.

But take heart! God is with you. Avoid that initial "Of course He is" that probably just entered your mind. That is one of Satan's tactics. To numb you to the truths of God's word. To numb you to the power of God. To numb you to the power you have(but can only be obtained through Christ).

When you are numb to the facts of Scripture, when they become "of course" to you, then you will begin to lose the wonder and awe behind them. God is with you! Is that not comforting? The one who created everything with just His voice. The one who defeated death through His son. The one who sealed Satan's finality through His son's death(and resurrection). That God...that God is with you. That God is by your side regardless of what's going on. That God is there, offering His hand to lift you to your feet. That God is there giving you strength the moment you ask for it.

So, sure, Satan will consistently fight you. He doesn't want you to further the kingdom of God. He hates God and will do anything to end His effectiveness. He wants to dishonor God's name. So he seeks those He loves. Satan seeks you.

But don't let that render you hopeless. God will give you strength.


Wow, interesting. I was looking for the verse:
"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]. "

I have "committed" that to memory, and God laid it on my heart to put in this post. But what is interesting is that this verse immediately follows the initial verse.

So, 'Wherefore, let him that thinketh he standeth take heed, lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]. "

We need to take heed so we don't fall, but God is faithful. He won't allow us to be tempted above our capacity to handle. He will make a way of escape so we can bear the temptation.

-Kevin

"Behold, thou art there"

"Wither shall I go from thy spirit, or wither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into the heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover, even the night is light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee, but the night shineth as the day. The darkness and the light are both alike to thee."
--Psalm 139:7-12

Where can we go that is away from God's spirit and presence? This passage talks about the omnipresence of God. And it is beginning to become one of my favorite passages.

Because...if I am on the mountaintop, having a blessed time, God is with me. But, that isn't where God only is at. When we come off the mountain, and we experience hard things, God is there also.

If suddenly we find ourselves all alone, with no one in sight, just a vast land of waves crashing into us all the time--God is still with us! How great is that thought? When we are all alone with no one else to help us, guide us, strengthen us...God is still there!

If we are going through a dark time in our lives when even we can't see where to go(Referencing my blog post below) God is still there. You aren't hidden by the darkness, God can see you as if he is looking at you while you're standing under the sun! Because the darkness and light are both alike to him. He can see perfectly in both. He knows where you are when you are walking in the darkness, He sees you. He is right there with you.

You are not alone. Even when you are out there on the ocean, floating in the darkness, going through turmoil--God is there.

Once you realize this, you need to hold out your hand and let him guide you and hold you. God doesn't want you to remain in the dark, He wants you to be in the light.


Isaiah 58:11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

2 Corinthians 4

I try to incorporate verses in my posts, to give substance to my posts about different issues--after all, who knows more? God or me?

But, today I want this post to be entirely God. I'll embolden verses here and there to stick out from the rest of the passage, but please read it all. May God bless and speak to you through His word.


-2 Cor. 4:1-18

Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;

But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

[We are] troubled on every side, yet not distressed; [we are] perplexed, but not in despair;

Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present [us] with you.

For all things [are] for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward [man] is renewed day by day.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding [and] eternal weight of glory;

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen [are] temporal; but the things which are not seen [are] eternal.

A Light in the Darkness

Sometimes God causes you to wander through the darkness so the light inside your soul will shine brighter, drawing the attention of others who blindly wander in the dark without a light.

 

Sometimes, God causes you to wander through the darkness so the light inside your soul will shine brighter, drawing your attention to God—the light of the world.

Sometimes we are blinded or distracted by the lights around us that we don’t truly see the light of Jesus. Those other lights may be artificial, Satan-manufactured lights like disguised tragedies. Or they can be well-meaning things that have taken on an artificial light—stuff like going into slumps of going-through-the-motions.

Sometimes, perhaps, God allows Satan to test our desire for going to church, for singing, for serving in different ministries. Satan places circumstances around us like a person who makes us feel worthless, or a system that pressures us in doing things just to be able to say “I did x-amount of such-such, I’ve done enough to keep people off my back.” When that continues, our desires for those things dwindle. Why go to church if you are made to feel worthless? Why serve if you’re forced into thinking you have to do such-such just to keep people off your back?

 

Thus begins our journey in the darkness. We no longer have the lights of ministry, church, or motions around us. The only lights in sight are the lights in the distance(who knows where they lead?) and the light in our souls. However, right now that light isn’t shining too brightly.

 

Suddenly, there a flash of light emits from our souls, illuminating a pathway in front of us—away from the other lights. But as quickly as the light shone brightly, the light dimmed back to its previous luster.

 

We have a choice: Stand here, doing nothing, blinded by the darkness created by circumstances; Step toward the pathway that just was lit up by the light in our souls; or Walk toward the lights in the distance.

 

God’s will in all of this is for us to choose the path(Not the tragedies in the distance, disguising themselves as lights), and follow the path until the light in our souls shines as bright as the sun. And once that light shines as bright as the sun, we are no longer in darkness. And the circumstances that darkened the skies previously can now be resolved. The person who made you feel worthless can be confronted. Confrontation doesn’t guarantee resolution. Confrontation guarantees a clear conscience on your part. 

The system that pressured you to do things just to please man now encourages you to do things to please God and deepen your relationship with him—to grow.

 

Because you are dwelling in the light, you can see you are not worthless. Because you are in the light, you can see that the pressure in the system was a pressure to please God all along(or at least its purest intentions are such).

 

That is God’s will for darkness. He didn’t create it, but he allows it. When it is allowed, the light we took for granted before becomes much more valuable to us.

 

Don’t pile on the blankets on the light in our souls when darkness shrouds us. Don’t close your eyes to the small bursts of light that radiates from our souls, directing us to the brighter day. God wants you to cling to the light in our souls—to cling to Jesus. When we abide in Him, his light grows. Not because it was insufficient to begin with, but as the window of our soul is washed clean, the light is more brightly seen.

 

-Kevin

Worthlessness.

One of the easiest thing to trigger an avalanche of pride. It doesn’t help to solve things like this with saying their sin, but the truth of the matter is that they are sin. When you are constantly thinking you are worthless(whether circumstances in life genuinely feel that way, or you are blowing things out of proportion), you are constantly putting yourself in the center of your focus. And that is pride. God should have the center of your focus.

 

But, forgetting for just a second the fact of the present sin worthlessness causes, I want to point out some future scenarios God has placed on my heart that comes from a worthless feeling.

 

When you give in to the feeling of worthlessness, when you trust Satan’s word over God’s, you will naturally begin to seek ways to show yourself you are not worthless—or show others you are not worthless.

I remember in my own life, I felt worthless so I would instigate petty arguments with people, trying to show my “knowledge” or come out on top. (That just got me into problems senseless to delve into here).

 

Since arguing wasn’t going for me and only got me in trouble, I went out to, tactlessly, other people asking them flat out if I was worthless to them. Or I would make a comment that would force them into an uncomfortable corner that produced a testimony that I wasn’t worthless.

 

But, I soon saw the error of that, and switched tactics. I’m not sure if I wanted to add sin to sin by finding sinful ways to satisfy my longing of worth, but I desperately wanted to feel needed, wanted, accepted. So, I went on to pointing out the good qualities I had to offer to others. (I remember one time where I blatantly stood up and proclaimed to a group of teens the first time we got together that I could do such-n’-such for the group.)

Even now I find myself sneaking into the spotlight with comments and actions to make myself look worthy of care and acceptance.

 

But now I look to you, Reader. Do you feel worthless? Do you feel hardly anyone cares for you? Do you feel like you can never do what people want from you?

 

Don’t pursue paths mentioned above. Don’t stumble into the trap of “I must be in the spotlight so people notice I’m not worthless.” It won’t take you anywhere good in the end. (Perhaps it will satisfy your temporary longing for worth, but hardly ever anything more for too long).

 

I want to help you, Reader. You are worthless of anything to make you deserve God’s love. But that shouldn’t bring you down. Because, despite the fact of your worthlessness to earn God’s love, he loves and cares for you.

Psalm 3:3 But Thou O lord, art a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.

Psalm 30:11 Thou has turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou has loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness.

Psalm 34:18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

II Corinthians 1:4 Who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

 

Matt. 10:29-30  Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

 

Jer. 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

 

And as a closing thought, we shouldn’t do things in life to please men. That obviously would include trying to prove to others you matter.

Eph 6:6-8
Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:

Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether [he be] bond or free.

 

God cares for you. Consume your thoughts on that truth. God loves you, envelop your thinking around that.