"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth."
Colossians 3:2
There are times that I wake up in the morning and feel like a wreck. My body hurts and my emotions are out of control. This is something that I thought was unique to me, but I was wrong. I am not the only one that goes through these moments of frustration and hopelessness.
Why do I know this? Because in the Psalms, David talks about how depressed and hopeless he feels. When I realized that David went through the same problems as me, I felt comfort and knew that I needed to see how David handled the situation.
1" Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
2 Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope."
Psalm 130:1-5
How did David handle the situation? He refocused his eyes. When David got lost, he went back to God every time. Even when he had arranged for a man to be killed, he turned back to God and accepted God's comfort.
This is what I struggle to do when things go wrong in my life. When I have sinned or feel down, it is hard to refocus my eyes on God. He is perfect, and I forget that He understands my sin and sorrow. There are times when it is hard to feel God's presence, because I feel so bad about my life.
"For we do not have a high Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liabilities to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been temped in every respect as we are, yet without sinning."
Hebrews 4:15
There are things that I do to refocus my eyes and once again enjoy God's presence. These steps to refocusing are drawing near to God with confidence, visualizing Him standing in front of me, Praying and reading His Word whether I feel like it or not, asking for forgiveness, and forgiving myself. At first, I feel empty and unable to connect with God. There are times that I don't want to connect with God, because of how sinful and wretched I feel. After awhile, though, God is faithful to change my situation and even my feelings. Remember, we do not walk by feelings but by faith.
Drawing near to God with confidence.
"Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners) that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]."
Hebrews 4:16
There are times when I feel like a little miserable soul, but God doesn't see me the way I see myself. He sees what He created me to be and not what I am now. This is why I can confidently approach the throne of God. Even when my life seems out of control and I have sinned, I know that God understands and welcomes me into His presence with open arms.
Have I always understood this concept? No! There was a time that I could barely pray or worship if I didn't feel spiritual or good about myself. Now, I understand that I have to draw near to God no matter how I feel. In fact, it is in these times of pure frustration and stress that I need to dwell in His presence the most.
Visualizing Him standing in front of me.
"[Micaiah] said, Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing at His hand and His left."
II Chronicles 18:18
One way I visualize God standing in front of me is by worship. When I worship, I can see God standing in front of me receiving all my praise and worship. Praise and worship becomes my love song to God, so I know He is there listening and dwelling in the midst of my praise and worship.
The reason we can visual Him standing in front of us is due to our imaginations. God created imaginations for this exact purpose. They were not designed for ungodly or earthy reasons. The imagination is a tool that can be used to help us draw closer to God.
Praying and reading His Word whether I feel like it or not.
"Trouble and anguish have found and taken hold on me, yet Your commandments are my delight."
Psalm 119:143
Truthfully, there are times that I do not feel like praying and reading His Word. These are times that I have to start praying and reading God's Word even though I don't feel good. Even though I may not feel good when I start praying and reading, by the end I feel stronger and better about my situation. Every day, I need to pray and read the Word, because it renews my strength and gives me the answers I need to my problems.
When I do not pray and read God's Word, I struggle through my day. This doesn't mean that my day is perfect when I do pray and read God's Word, but, through prayer and His Word, I am able to find peace with the troubles that have come my way. God's Word encourages me and allows me to not only learn about God, but about imperfect people who received the forgiveness and help that I am seeking.
Asking for forgiveness.
"If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land."
II Chronicles 7:14
We all know that we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We do not have to stay there, though. God has given us redemption for our sins through Jesus Christ. When we ask for forgiveness and truly believe in God, He forgives us and wipes away any sins.
When I know I have an area of weakness or have made a mistake, I know that I need to turn to God and ask for his forgiveness. Once we ask for forgiveness, we are immediately forgiven. God wipes our slate clean, so that we can draw near to Him. It is an awesome feeling to know that we are forgiven.
Forgiving myself.
"Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look [after one another], to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God's grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual blessings), in order that no root of resentment (rancor, bitterness, or hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment, and the many become contaminated and defiled by it-"
Hebrews 12:15
One area that I continually have to work on is forgiving myself. When I make a mistake, it is easier to go to God and ask for forgiveness than to actually forgive myself. Every day, I have to forgive myself and understand that God has forgiven me, too. Now, that I have come to this realization, my life has dramatically changed.
What I have discovered since I started forgiving myself is that there is less anxiety in my life. It also has cut down on the amount of fear and depression, because I am not worrying about making a mistake every time I do something new or serve God in any way. Now, I am able to take risks and trust God will help me and forgive me if I make a mistake. In addition, I forgive myself as soon as I make a mistake.
Challenge for the Week
This week I encourage all of us to examine our lives. Do we need to get refocused? Is there anything coming between us and God? Are there any of the steps or all the steps that we need to take to get closer to God?
Unfortunately, many Christians believe in God, but get distracted by everyday life and are afraid to return to God. God is loving and wants all of His children to return no matter what has occurred. He wants you to continue the relationship that you previously began. This week lets' draw near to God with confidence, visualize Him standing in front of us, pray and read the word whether we feel like it or not, asking for forgiveness, and forgiving ourselves.