Seek God – Accept Boundaries

A crisis has the potential for securing change that previously seemed impossible. While a crisis can produce positive results, sadness and grief most often follow in its wake. Samson’s relationship with Delilah produced a devastating crisis for his life because he refused to accept that she was untrustworthy and would betray him.

Her betrayal resulted in Samson’s capture by an enemy who gouged out his eyes. He would labor for the rest of his life as a blind slave chained to a grinding wheel. Samson betrayed himself by believing he could survive and thrive living on the edge without boundaries, while minimizing his commitment to God.

As a Christian it is incredibly important to believe God will never betray or forsake you, even if you have turned your back on him. If this is your story, repent and seek God’s forgiveness. Ask him to renew your faith. If  you are sincere, he will receive you back into fellowship. Seek God now while he can be found. 

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If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

~Psalm 66:18-20 New International Version

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Confronting Unhealthy Pressure

Proverbs 22 challenges parents to “teach their children to choose the right path because when they are older they will remain upon it.” What did Rebekah teach Jacob as a child and adolescent that allowed him to defraud his brother Esau of their father’s blessing? Fear of discovery was overwhelmed by Rebekah’s convincing words of deception.

What prevented Jacob from standing up to the pressure his mother was putting on him to commit this heinous sin? His mother’s values prevented her from teaching him appropriate boundaries and God’s rules for living. Little did he know this act of deception and fraud would permanently separate him from his mother.

Rebekah apparently felt it’s okay to be deceitful provided you don’t get caught. Jacob must have been driven by greed and lust for power and prestige. He would have to learn time and again that God neither sleeps nor slumbers. God knows our deeds and our heart, yet consistently desires to create in us a clean heart through our repentance if we will but seek it.

Positive Change: Resist It or Embrace It? - Part 2

The whole world seems to be in a state of flux or change. When it seems too much to take in, we tend to chose our eyes and pretend everything remains the same. The most difficult change to accept is what has changed within ourselves. A significant developmental task is understanding what God is creating in you at every stage of your life.

If you think too little of yourself, you may never live up to what God called  you to be and do. If you think too highly of yourself, that perception may prevent you from carrying out God's purpose for you. The capacity to change and make mature judgments comes from the willingness to overcome invalid perceptions and boundaries.

The good news is, God doesn't require perfection, but a commitment to set true boundaries on anything that would weaken your walk with Christ Jesus. He implores you to "ask and it shall be given, seek and you will find, knock and the door shall be opened for you." Try to imagine how your life will be changed as you lay claim to this promise.