Friends Don't let Friends Feel Regret

Satan is real good at reminding us of our past, isn't he? He doesn't let us forget anything we have ever done that we regret. I heard a quote today that went something like: "If I could kick the person responsible for about 99% of all my problems, I wouldn't be able to sit down for a week". This leads me to picture how one would kick oneself in the rear end, but I digress. Have you ever asked God to forgive those things in your past that you regret? Well if you have, then they are gone, did you know that, gone? Satan will bring them up, BUT God won't, God has forgotten them, purposely. Our pastor mentioned a "Fresh Start" with God, this morning. He asked all of us who wanted a "Fresh Start" to respond, which I did. I am tired of feeling down, burdened, worthless, ...........because of who I WAS, and not for who I AM with God. Yes I have made some very seriously bad decisions in my life, decisions that, if I dwelled on, would kill me. But, I MUST make a conscience decision DAILY, to accept God's forgiveness, forgive myself, and go own. I believe this is what Paul meant when he wrote to "Press On" "Aim for the Prize" "Philippians 3:14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." Paul was comparing life to a race, if you fall down while running a race, or in life, get up, dust yourself off, and press on to the prize that waits before us. Have you ever seen that video of a race, in the Olympics, I believe, were a runner was in first place, and all of a sudden tore his ACL. He went down to the ground in pain, but then got up and started limping toward the finish line. His father came out of the stands and helped him finish the last 100 yards or so of the race. It is an amazing show of love, the power to finish something, and loyalty. To me the father, is like THE FATHER, when WE stumble,He does not throw His hands up in the air and say: "Why? Weren't you looking were you were going? What is wrong with you, it's all for nothing, all the training all the early mornings all the money to get you where you are today, and look what happens." No, God runs to where we have stumbled, and helps us to our feet, and carries us if He has to toward the finish line. We all can play the part of the father here. When we see someone who is feeling the guilt of past mistakes, we can encourage them. "Who among us is perfect? Go ahead, if you have never made a mistake, cast the first stone" Are we better then anyone? NO, we have failed, and we have had people in our lives to help us get back up, and "Press On" , so why would we let someone else fall and lay there in the dirt feeling sorry for themselves? Sin is one thing that we all have done, and will do. I believe the number one reason people don't feel loved today, is not sin, but the feeling that because of the sin, we cannot have a relationship with God. I have heard guys talk that if they ever prayed, "God would never listen when He saw who was doing the praying". You see, they just excepted the fact that because of their lifestyle, God does not want a thing to do with them. But the fact is God became man, to live among SINNERS so we could not be sinners anymore. My daughter is a high school algebra teacher, (yeah,I know, right?) She kids around sometimes saying: "If it weren't for the students, teaching would be a great job". Do you think God ever thinks that "if it weren't for the sinners, humans would all be a better people"? No, God knows where we are, He knows what temptation is, He knows what being human is like. He knows that we CAN be triumphant over the enemy, but it is not easy. Let's go back to that race analogy for a minute. Say your running a race, you slip and fall, then like a good athlete, you get up and start "Pressing On' While your trying to make up ground do you look back at where you slipped and try and see what you tripped or slipped on? No, your trying to run as fast as you can to catch up with the other runners, and finish as high as possible. Yes, you fell down, but what good does it do to turn around and think about why, how, when, did I fall down? The only thing you should be thinking about is run,run, run and try not to fall down again. In this race, it doesn't matter what place you finish, it only matters THAT you finish. There is a prize for ALL that finish. Did you know that you could fall down in your christian walk 100 million times, and get up and continue and God would help you 100 million times? Whatever number you can think of, God will forgive you and help you "Press On" to the prize. Matthew 18:22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!"-------This was Jesus' response to Peter's question about how often to forgive someone. Jesus' answer could just as easily been 100 million, it is not the number, it is the fact that when someone asks for forgiveness, we give it to them. So then why would God NOT forgive us 70 times 7 or 100 million? He would, and He does. If there is one major thing that can keep us from God's will in our life, it is regret. I have heard and I believe that if Hitler had asked God for forgiveness for all he had done, God would have forgiven him. He still would have been held responsible for his actions, but God would have forgiven him. Do you think Hitler had regrets? Regrets, they can and do kill. Why can't we accept and believe that the Maker of Everything in the Universe, forgives and forgets all we ask Him to? What does it say about our relationship with Him? Yes I believe you forgave me of that thing I asked you to, BUT remember when I did that other dumb thing? You know, God, that thing I did before that other one, you know , I told you all about it, and asked for forgiveness for it to, wasn't that awful of me. God does remember what your talking about, (because of who He is) BUT HE does NOT hold it against you, He has gone on as if it never happened, why can't we? Is God a liar, not doing something He told us He WOULD do? No, but that is how we sometimes treat HIM> Let us all make a fresh start this Christmas Season. Christmas is all about celebration of a way of escape, that God provided, so that we could live. Merry Christmas.