Slippin’ ‘n Slidin’
I’ve been slippin’ ‘n slidin’ lately. Nope… there has not been one bit of ice or snow near or around me. I’ve just slipped a bit. I don’t suppose anyone else has slipped? You have? Welcome to the club! It happens. Want to know a secret? God isn’t the least surprised, either!
One thing I’ve learned about slippin’ up, is that it is easier to get back on track than what we make ourselves believe. Oh yeah, it is! You see, always before when I messed up, I found myself running even farther away from God. Why? Because I thought He would be so mad at me that I would be extremely punished for messing up. I thought I would have to “do” tons of make-up work to gain His love, understanding, and trust once again. Oh, how WRONG I was!
God doesn’t have a “To-Do” list that He brings out when we finally come to Him, head down, tail between our legs, sniffling and whining, begging for forgiveness. It’s not like He says, “Alrighty then, you did what? Oh, THAT! Okay, let’s take a look at what the penalty is and what you’ll have to DO to make up for it.” Uh… no. There is no “To-Do” list. The only thing we are asked to do is ASK. Once we do that, He forgives.
Don’t believe me? It says so right here, out of my Bible:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ~1 John 1:9
Let me tell you something; God is NOT surprised by anything you have done or anything that has happened to you. You CAN go to Him. He is the only One who understands, who will accept you, and never ask you questions. He will take you AS IS. Trust me.
In light of the things that have been happening around us, in Connecticut, in the movie theater, at the grocery store, wherever…our country is in a Slippin’ ‘n Slidin’ state. But the GOOD NEWS about it is this: God wants to restore our land…but there’s a few things we need to know first…
If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and heal their land. ~2 Chronicles 7:14
We want America to change? If we’ll humble ourselves, pray, and seek God’s face…and turn from our wicked ways…THEN He will hear from heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our land. We can’t go to God for forgiveness if we aren’t humble. You don’t stand in front of someone and in a condescending attitude say, “Okay, I’m sorry!” No. You walk up, take a deep breath, and in a soft spoken voice, with a sincere heart, apologize. It’s the same with God. He’s here. He’s waiting. Our slippin’ ‘n slidin’ can stop any time. He’s ready to catch us and turn us
“Upside Right” (as my pastor says).
The night I went to Him with years of pent-up mental and emotional scars that no one knew about, He knew. He took care of them even when I didn’t even know HOW to ask Him to. But He knew why I was there. And here’s the really cool part… I knew I needed healing, but I didn’t know from what. I just knew that something needed to change. God knew. I was willing. I was ready. And I asked for healing and forgiveness. God took care of the rest.
Instead of slippin’ ‘n slidin’ ourselves right into more trouble, how about if we slip ‘n slide ourselves back into the arms of God…where we should be in the first place.
