Category: Forgiveness

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What Troubles You?

(Excerpt from the movie “David and Goliath : Battle of Faith” — Samuel in bold type, David in normal type)

“What troubles you?”

“What troubles me is God chose me for a greater purpose. Why did God choose me?”

“God teaches us not to judge a man by his height or his appearance. Man looks at these external qualities, but…God judges man by that which cannot be seen. The truth within his heart.“

“How am I to measure up to God’s standard if I am not the best?”

“A warrior is not a sword, nor a shield. Nor is he the sum of his strength or training. You want to be perfect. But you never will be. Every warrior inevitably faces defeat. You will fight and you will lose. It’s what’s inside a warrior’s heart that makes him fierce and makes him powerful. While God desires us to be perfect…He does not expect it. All He asks is that we keep on trying…to always keep going, to be strong…to be forged like iron. We are meant for so much more than this existence. What He has promised is glory beyond imagination. Even though we are not perfect, even though we are undeserving of His grace. So what does God want for you? He wants you to answer those questions that burn inside of you. Am I prepared for the next battle? Do I have what it will take? When the answer to those questions is yes, and you have faith in your heart, then it’s time to boldly face the enemy. And life will be filled with dangers. At times it will seem like you’re alone in a field of lions, all hungry to spot your weakness, prowling, waiting to attack. At that moment, when all is against you and you begin to doubt yourself and you fear that you are not ready, that you’re not prepared, listen for that voice inside of you, inside your heart, the voice that says you are ready, you are prepared, you have given everything…for that is the voice of God. Abandon your…your fears and doubts, for when God is with you, no one can stand against you.”

Inspirations and signs come in many forms. Today, for me, it came while watching the movie above. Maybe it started the night before while watching the movie “Samson” which ended leading up to David facing Goliath. It actually may have started the night before while watching “Jesus:His Life”. The past 2 months have been very busy for me. I was making excuses about not having time to write. In actuality, I was starting to feel that I had taken on too great a task by trying to handle this blog and being caught up in my own selfishness. This excerpt from the movie was the kick that I needed to get myself back on track again, to have faith that God is with me and will give me the strength and provide me with the words to share. He let me know that even when I stumble, for I am nowhere near perfect, He still loves me and forgives me. He wants me to continue to strive toward that ultimate goal.

Forgive me for being away for the past couple of months, and pray for me that I may continue to push away those doubts and fears, and keep my trust in Him.

Let us pray. Father, You are our rock and our salvation. In times of weakness, it is Your strength that carries us. It is through you that all we seek can be found. You are the answer to all of our questions, as we seek to do your will and live our lives for Your greater glory. In Your Name we pray. AMEN.

God Bless You All,

You Are in My Prayers,

Scott

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Second Chances

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” — C. S. Lewis

Everyday is a new beginning, a chance for us to make amends for our past transgressions and start down the true path of the Lord.  As much as we would like to, we cannot go back in time to change what has already happened due to decisions that we have made.  We can, however, use the knowledge we have gained through our experiences to learn how we should be living, and by the power of our free will, make sure we don’t make the same mistakes twice.  God granted us the gift of free will so that we may freely chose to follow Him.  He does not force us into following, but He does give us more than enough chances to make that decision on our own.   

Let’s take Saul of Tarsus (later to become known as Paul), as an example of this.  Saul was a major advocate of the persecution of the early followers of Christ.  He was the only person from the mob that stoned St. Stephen who was named in Acts.  From that point on, Saul became dead set on the mission to eradicate those who spread the news or followed the teachings of Christ.  His name struck fear in those who remained loyal to Jesus, as he went house to house in search of the early Christians, dragging them into the streets and putting them in prison.  His life took a turn while on the road to Damascus.  He was given a second chance, when Christ confronted him.  This became his chance to start over, repenting his ways and beginning a life spreading the Word of God throughout the land.  He could not change the decisions of his past, but this was his opportunity to change the ending of his story.  From that point on, he became one of the strongest followers of Christ and leaders of His early Church.

We also have the same opportunity as Saul.  There is no time like the present to take the step that he took.  We do not know how much time we have left before we are called home or when Christ will return.  The choice remains with us and that is why we are granted with free will.  God may give us signs or instructions, a little push here and there, but it is still ultimately left up to us.  It is our choice to decide how our ending plays out.  To quote St. Pope John Paul II, “The future starts today, not tomorrow.”  Don’t miss out on the chance to start anew.  The past is just that, the past.  It cannot be changed or altered no matter how hard we wish or want it to be.  All we have left is the time from this point moving forward. The challenge for us lies in our free will to make the decision to start fresh and change the ending of our own stories.  

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” — J. R. R. Tolkien

Let us pray.  Lord, we ask that You help us today in making the changes that we need to in order to start our new life with You, thus enabling us to change the ending of our story.  Help us to see the things that we must change and grant us the strength to make those changes and the perseverance to stick with those changes.  We do this for Your Greater Glory.  In Your Name we pray. AMEN.

God Bless You All

You Are in My Prayers

Scott