No More Excuses!

Scripture: Psalm 51:3, 10 HCSB - For I am conscious of my rebellion, and my sin is always before me. God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit in me.

Repentance can be defined as “the action of repenting; sincere regret or remorse”. (Oxford Dictionary) I would describe it as admitting you are wrong and feeling very, very sorry about it or being sincerely apologetic for your actions. Either way you look at it, it requires action on your part. When we sin (think, say or do something that disobeys God), we spiritually separate ourselves from an intimate relationship that the Father wants to have with us. That relationship is what helps us on this journey called life. Even though God knows how sinful we have been / we are / we will be, He still desires to have an individual, intimate relationship with each one of us. He desires to be with us every second of the day! Imagine that – someone that WANTS to spend time with us all the time!! I don’t know anybody else that desires that … all the time! No matter how much we love one another, sometimes just getting away to have time to ourselves is what we need.

Sometimes we make excuses for our actions instead of owning up to what we have done. God wants us to come to Him, admit we are wrong, ask Him for His forgiveness, and ask Him to help us not to do it again. He is ready, willing and able to forgive us and encourage us to go on, knowing that He is right there with us every step of the way. He is able to cleanse us and make our hearts right again according to His standards.

Though we may not willfully betray God, we may persist in some sinful patterns or habitually sin. We sin, we transgress, we operate as if we don’t know what God requires of us. He has given us everything we need pertaining to life the way He intended it. That’s why it’s so important for us to acknowledge our sin issues and confess them to God so that our fellowship with Him isn’t broken. Our relationship with God is the most important relationship we will ever have! We can tell when we have drifted away from Him. We can feel it. Yet even when we stray away from Him or distance ourselves from Him, He is still standing there with His arms wide open to welcome us “home”. Remember the parable about the prodigal son? Yep, that’s us on any given day … doesn’t have to be a special occasion.

So if you find yourself drifting from the Father, take a minute to examine yourself and your motives. Make an effort to spend time with Him so that you can talk to Him and He can speak to you. He wants to hear from you, no matter what’s going on in and around you. He desires a heart that is pliable, broken and contrite. God wants to fix your heart, mold it into a heart that desires to please Him first and Him most! He can change any heart … if we let Him!
Prayer: Lord, my heart is so deceitful and desperately wicked … only You can know it! Thank You for knowing me better than I know myself. Thank You that You see the depths of my heart and yet You love me the same … You are AMAZING God!! No matter what’s going on in my heart, help me to rest assured that You know about it. Remind me that You allow things in my life for a purpose! Help me to surrender my heart to You daily, knowing that there is nothing too hard for You! I am trusting that You know exactly what’s best for me, and that when I can’t see Your hand, I can trust Your heart! Thank You for choosing me to be Yours. In Jesus’ Name we always pray …  Amen!

(by Cassaundra Turner)