Repentance and Running After God Again

Repentance and Running After God Again

In the previous post, we addressed brokenness as a means to chasing God’s heart and in this post we will look at the heart of repentance.

God loves the heart that is quick to repent when it messes up.

God loves the heart that is quick to repent and runs after Him everytime it messes up.

Brokenness brings repentance, weeping, humility and sensitivity to the things of the Spirit.

David, tagged as the man after God’s heart fell terribly in his life. But everytime he broke God’s heart, he was always quick to repent and weep, almost shamelessly and publicly at times.

As soon as Nathan confronted David after he committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered Uriah, David didn’t try and give excuses about his act, but in the immediate next verse we read, he repented (2 Samuel 12: 13). In another instance when he counted the fighting men in Israel against the will of God, soon the Bible says that he was conscience stricken and said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done.”

Every time David messed up, his heart wept in repentance unlike his predecessor Saul who was quick to give excuses.

But I did obey the Lord (1 Samuel 15:20)…..was Saul’s song.

And David was worried about pleasing the Lord in situations when no one saw, nor no one knew (1 Samuel 26:12).

David knew how to weep

When I was reading the account of David, I was amazed at how many times David wept. If fact no other Bible hero’s account has so many scriptures on weeping like him.

David wept the most…( 1 Samuel 20: 41); David wept aloud ( 1 Samuel 30:4); Mourned and wept (1 Samuel 1: 12); wept aloud ( 2 Samuel 3:32); David wept ( 2 Samuel 12:22); wept very bitterly ( 2 Samuel 13: 36); He went weeping ( 2 Samuel 15: 30); he went over the gateway and wept ( 2 Samuel 18:33); cried out aloud ( 2 Samuel 19:4).

Of course, he wept for different reasons and in different situations but his heart was always sensitive to the convictions of God.

Untiring Pursuit

I was talking to a man of God and he had this to say, “David actually messed up more than any average man. So then it was not his acts that made him a man after God’s own heart. It should certainly be his desire to please God even after messing up. After God’s own heart surely then refers to the untiring pursuit after His heart.”

A broken heart and a contrite spirit are the key attributes of a God chaser, and he doesn’t get bogged down by his folly in seeking God’s heart but chooses to run after Him no matter what.

In the concluding post of this – After Your Heart series, I will share with you a vision that God showed me, which I am sure will encourage you.

Meanwhile you can share your views on my above post on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

 

Drawing Near to God With Brokenness

Drawing Near to God With Brokenness

In the previous post we learned about God’s desperate desire to reveal His heart to His children. Now the question is how do we on our part seek after Him? How do we become a man (or woman) after God’s heart?

image

Your brokenness is precious to God

I don’t have a long list of dos and don’ts for this, but here is what David, a man after God’s own heart, had to say in Psalms 51:17

The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

God is yet to deny a broken and repentant heart! In other words, if you want to draw near to God’s heart, know that your brokenness and repentance will hold the key.

Isn’t it interesting? The biggest love story – between God and man – at one point ended up with brokenness and regret in Genesis 6:6, and that’s exactly where we find the Spirit of God leading us to.

Mind you, this brokenness and repentance is not to be thought of in the ways of the world – in fact it is something that the world may never understand.

Brokenness

Exodus 20:25 gives God’s clear instructions about making the altar of sacrifice for Him:

If you use stones to build my altar, use only natural, uncut stones. Do not shape the stones with a tool, for that would make the altar unfit for holy use.

Our heart is the altar of God. Sadly in pursuing God somewhere down the line we have allowed the world to chisel our altars. We have lived lives of compromise trying to ‘fit in’ our society, friends circle, and church setting.

“If I don’t lower God’s standards, I will not fit in the world.”

We are not content with the way our hearts have been created and all the time we are trying to show the world that we are similar to you. We have even abused the grace of God to please our flesh.

And then, we wonder why the fire of God is not falling on our sacrifices; Why signs and wonders stand so aloof from us; Why the Kingdom of God is all about talk and no power.

Beloved, you and I are not called to conform to the world but to be set apart for His glory.

I believe the pursuit of God’s heart begins with brokenness. Brokenness to realise how messed up we are, how adulterated our motives are.

Can you hear God’s heart as you read this : “Child, I don’t need you to chisel yourself. That will all be works. I need you to fall into my hands of grace, that I may shape you and break you so your heart becomes a reflection of mine.”

Oh, how we need brokenness!

Contemplating Marriage? Here’s the First Step! (Video)

Contemplating Marriage? Here’s the First Step! (Video)

How do I know God’s plan concerning my marriage?  How do I know that the partner I selected is from Jesus? In this below video Derrick will encourage you to put first things first in seeking a partner for your life.

Mind you, this is not an elaborate teaching on the subject, but will definitely give you, as a believer, the primary and most important step you need to take when seeking for a marriage partner.

Any questions?

If you have any questions on the topic, please write to us at [email protected] and we would love to address those.

4 Ways Mothers Can Bring Up Their Children

4 Ways Mothers Can Bring Up Their Children

SKSK0SKThis guest post is by my friend Suzanne Karkada. A software engineer by profession she recently got married and resigned from her job in order to devote her full time towards her family. Suzanne loves singing and her deepest desire is to use her voice for God’s glory. She also has a powerful calling to minister to children and young mothers. You can follow her on Twitter here  


The Bible says in Luke 15:7 that there is rejoicing in heaven over one lost soul who returns to Christ.  As a mother, you are already entrusted with that one soul (more than one to others) and that is your very own child! In this post I want to share with you (this applies to fathers as well) four ways in which you can equip yourselves to bring up your children in a godly way:

Mother's role in bringing up godly children.

Mother’s role in bringing up godly children.

1. Don’t neglect your preparation

Samson’s mother is a fine example of how a mother needs to prepare for her child. The angel of the Lord appeared to her and told her that she would give birth to a son who was to be a Nazarite (set apart for God) from the womb (Judges 13:5). As a Nazarite, he had to strictly follow the rules of the Jewish law. But interestingly as a mother she had to take equal efforts in abiding by the rules (Judges 13:4, 13), which she did.

Listen dear sister, you may not have an angel coming to tell you that your child is to be set apart for God’s service, rather it should be your desire that your children may be used for God’s glory. And for that, as a mother you need to set an example before your child!

Pray, intercede and fill yourself with God’s Word daily. Even for those who are pregnant, remember  the child inside you breathes what you breathe and feeds on whatever you feed both physically and spiritually. So make sure your child gets the right food!

2. Satan doesn’t wait, then why must you?

You noticed how Satan does not wait till your child is older or of age to start tempting him to do the wrong things? Then why should you wait till our child gets older to teach God’s Word?

The earlier we start inculcating Godly habits into them, the better. Just as we teach our children to brush their teeth which is an essential part of our daily living, reading the Word, praying, praising, thanksgiving must also become a part of their daily routine.

I suggest read the Bible to them daily or as often as you can right from day one (& not just Psalm 23). Your child might not understand a single word of it, but by doing so you are imparting life into him.

3. Do the right things yourself

Children learn or pick up things very fast. But although they are in the learning stage, they are not in a position to tell the right from the wrong. And the best way to teach them do the right things is not by yelling at them or beating them, but by doing the right things yourself.

Remember children see, children do.  See this powerful video below:

If your children see you shouting, fighting or arguing, they will soon grow with these habits. But if they see you loving, patient and self-controlled, they will also adopt these qualities. We cannot teach our children something that we are not and we cannot instill into them the things that we ourselves do not practice.

A clay pot, while moulding needs the right amount of pressure and water to turn into a beautiful and useful pot. If either of the two factors goes amiss, the pot does not come to a proper shape. Isn’t it better to do it right from the start than to reach halfway and realise that it does not have the desired shape and then break it to start all over again. And so is the case with our children- they need to be given the right training from day one.

4. Let them live in the fear of the known God

It’s a common practice especially in a country like India — we usually scare our children by making up some imaginary evil character that will come and harm them if they don’t obey. This may give you a temporary relief, but I feel it is not a right thing to do. Rather than fearing the unknown evil character, we should teach our children to fear the one true, living and Almighty God. Proverbs 1:7 says: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

We should teach our children to talk to God as they would to a friend. And when they mess up, they shouldn’t be scared of the unknown evil character that you made up, but rather they should be able to look to their God who loves and forgives.

Parents, what has God taught you in raising up your children? Anything you want to add?

Anger in Marriage: When Demons Party!

Anger in Marriage: When Demons Party!

Last week Derrick and I had an argument. While my husband, I feel, is the right candidate to win the ‘Most Patient Man’ tag, it doesn’t take much time for my temper to flare up. In the end, a trivial issue just got the better of us and got blown out of proportion.

Dealing with anger in married couples

When married couples fight, demons party!

At the end of the day, the Holy Spirit taught us some practical lessons on dealing with anger and it’s after effects especially in the context of marriage:

1. Short tempered? You are a fool

I find it amusing that lot of people, especially men take pride in accepting that they are short tempered. But the Bible clearly tags them as fools. A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control (Proverbs 29:11). Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools (Ecclesiastes 7:9). Why are you a fool? Because by giving room for anger you are giving the devil an inroad to attack your marriage – Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret–it leads only to evil (Psalms 37:8, Eph 4:31).

2. You are fighting yourself!

In a marriage God has made both husband and wife ONE, never forget that! Ephesians 5:31 says “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”. Earlier in the chapter Paul says in Ephesians 5:28 – He who loves his own wife loves himself.

Have you ever seen a person fight himself? We call that person insane, mad or demonized in today’s time. You get the picture? When couples fight this is the picture all heaven and angels see, not two people but one person hurting himself and finding all the ways to justify it. Believe me every demon comes to watch this crazy show.

No matter how right you or your partner feels he/she is, keeping anger and not talking is only going to suck you of your anointing and cause pain to both of you. There is no winner here only one big loser and that is you. The devil will take full advantage of this situation as he sees an open invitation to attack the believers’ mind and will bring up every possible wrong imagination, thought, occurrence of past fights to make it even more impossible to forgive.

But if you seek the Lord in this situation you will hear a still small voice saying “forgive seventy times seven” and once the act of forgiveness is initiated, you will find the peace of God surround you and angels and the Holy Spirit will once again minister to you.

3. Know when to keep quiet

As my mother-in-law always says, “When one is angry, the other should learn to keep quiet.” I buy this advice because it is coming from a woman who in her 50 years of marriage has never seen a SINGLE fight in her marriage. Sounds unbelievable, right? But her testimony has proved that it is not impossible! I think this should encourage all married couples to raise their standards in love.

A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel (Proverbs 15:18). We are often quick to justify our point, but it is more wise to keep quiet when the other is angry. Never provoke one another or back answer harshly.

4. Guard your mouth

Guard your mouth. In your anger do not pass hurtful remarks. Stick Ephesians 4:29-32 on the walls of your heart: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger and be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Also never wash your dirty linen in public. Social media has now become a platform to share everything we do or say, but never use it to belittle your spouse or share sarcastic comments or status updates. What you may do in a fit of rage, may leave deep scars on your spouse. That’s clearly not the way to deal with the situation no matter how justified you are.

5. Finally, don’t sleep without patching up

No matter how hard it may seem, do not let the day end without patching up. It is better to close the chapter that day itself than to allow your midnight to run wild meditating on what has happened or has been said. Ephesians 4:26-31 says: “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,  and do not give the devil a foothold.

Let love lead. And love is patient, kind and not easily angered (1 Corinthians 13). Your love for each other should always be above your self ego.

As someone has rightly put: A marriage is a union of two great forgivers. Be the first to forgive. Be the first to apologize instead of giving excuses. Nothing melts an angry heart faster like a sincere apology.

 

How do you deal with anger in your marriage? Anything you want to add? Share with us below.