So you think you blew it! You failed so badly that there is no point of return. You know in retrospect that you should have been heading north when you ended up WAY south of the destiny He had for you! Now you hang your head in shame just wondering how He will get you back on track.
But then you awake one morning and realize that He did something amazing. He took your epic fail and turned it into something for His Glory. He turned the shame into something that you cannot take credit for. The hard work that you did or thought you should do were all just distractions and things to take your eyes off from your relationship with your Heavenly Father. When you fell flat on your face in the mud with piggies eating around you, that's when you cried out and really NEEDED HIS GRACE! And that's when you got it.
When I got saved, I knew it was by grace but somehow when I was growing in the Lord, I got the idea that the process of maturing (called sanctification) was from my own hard work. And if I failed it was because I was out of His will or disobeying. It's true that not following what you know to be from Him can result in sorrow....but many young Christians are just convinced that anything that seems like sorrow is due to them not playing by the rules.
Here are the rules:
1) Your Heavenly Father loves you and knows you are really fragile. He sent Jesus knowing exactly how messed up you would be at this moment of your life.
2) You mess up and cry out for His GRACE and it flows to you....you didn't deserve it. But that's the game. You need GRACE and He gladly, freely gives it.
3) You continue to work for God's favor and good pleasure and you will be spinning your wheels for a very long time...trust me! Grace is undeserved....take advantage of it!
In my favorite Psalm 16 in verse 5 it states:
The Lord is my chosen and assigned portion, my cup; You hold and maintain my lot.
Remember from a previous post I explain about this word lot meaning like in a game of chance. The game has been rigged in your favor!!! You are just getting a taste of Grace and you realize it is so much bigger and better than you have given Him credit for.
God Has Rigged the Game in Your Favor
You bogeyed....you REALLY messed up! I dare you to ask the Father to reveal to you how He has planned to make this situation a neon sign for His glory and grace. The games not over and He has already made you victorious!
Psalms 16:11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
