DEALING WITH REGRET!

 

Tuesday, August 4, 2026

 

DEALING WITH REGRET!

 

Rom 6:20-22

20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.

21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.

22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

 

          Our King James Bible does not use the word “regret” even once, but the word “shame” can be found 122 times in 111 verses! Everyone experiences shame or regret for bad decisions or outright sins. There are many examples of this.

 

          Adam and Eve immediately regretted their decision to eat fruit that was forbidden. They were naked and ashamed. Esau bitterly regretted selling his birthright for a bowl of spicy beans and he sought some remedy for it but “he found it not though he sought it with tears.” (See Hebrews 12:16 & 17)

 

          Romans 8:1 is a wonderful comfort to any believer who experiences regret and shame. It speaks loudly of forgiveness, freedom, and restoration. Our decisions may force us to live with damage, but we need not live with damnation.

 

Ps 130:3-4

3 If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?

4 But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

 

I am thankful, Dear Lord, that there is forgiveness with Thee. Erase my regret with redemption and restoration. AMEN

 

SOMEONE ELSE’S PRAYER!

 

Monday, August 3, 2026

 

SOMEONE ELSE’S PRAYER!

 

Acts 9:10-11

10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. 11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,

 

          How much of what God is doing TO and THROUGH me is a result of the prayers of someone else? If every action has a re-action, then every prayer stirs the cosmos! Paul prayed and Ananias was the answer.

 

          How much of my loss is part of someone else’s gain? If I am a child of God, how is God going to answer two opposing prayers at the same time? Well, God is an expert at multi-tasking. He doesn’t sweat the details.

 

          God’s actions may seem confusing, but His character and nature are firmly fixed. All things “work together for good” for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. (see Romans 8:28).

 

Ps 4:8

8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.

 

Lord, when my plans are frustrated, I may be the answer to someone else’s prayer. Yet I know that all things will work out for good because you love me. AMEN

 

THESE TANTRUM TIMES!

 

Sunday, August 2, 2026

 

THESE TANTRUM TIMES!

 

2 Tim 3:1-2

1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves…

 

          Have you ever witnessed a child throwing a tantrum in a grocery store? Mother has brought him or her along to buy necessities, and the child sees only toys and candy. Peace is possible only when every whim is immediately satisfied. Throwing themselves to the floor they begin to kick and scream because of the insufferable injustice they feel. As a witness, you want to intervene with swift and thorough retribution. Perhaps this is how God feels when we act like spoiled children. Many are “gonna get it when we get home!”

 

          In second Peter chapter two, Peter refers to those who enjoy rioting. He says they have “eyes full of idolatry” and they cannot cease from sin. They beguile unstable souls. Their hearts are well trained to sin, and their mouths are full of cursing. This reads like the morning news!

 

          God invites us to “reason together” (Isaiah 1:18) and promises us rewards for reasonable thinking and wise action.

 

Isa 1:18

18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

 

Dear Lord, let not my requests become demands. Let me approach you with a clear understanding of who you are and who I am not. AMEN