Living Beyond the Darkness

Devotionals — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 08:03:43 +0000

“Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did — with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength…” 2 Kings 23:25a

Have you ever met someone that amazed you?

Josiah was someone who has amazed me. He lived in dark days. His evil father was assassinated, so Josiah was made king when idolatry was prominent throughout the land. He didn’t have a godly example to follow, and the world around him was facing judgment. He relied on God to direct him.

During his reign, Josiah got rid of idols. He implemented a Passover Celebration to honor God. He was a whole-hearted follower of God who made a difference.

We all have a choice at how we view life. Focusing on all that is going wrong in our world can be defeating. Sometimes in the darkness, it can be difficult to see what God is doing. Things can look bleak with the pandemic and the disunity currently existing throughout our world.

When we feel disheartened, do we look inward or upward? We can choose to be like Josiah, who decided to turn to the Lord. If we truly believe in the Lord with all of our heart and all of our soul and all of our strength, then we can choose to change our focus from the day’s troubles and instead remember the blessings. God is doing a work in these dark times, and he is looking for men and women who will follow him.

Lord God, help me to trust in you with all of my heart, soul, and strength. When the world around seems full of evil, help me to remember the blessings that you have given. Amen.

By Jan Stewart
Used by Permission

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Regrets

Thoughts_About_God — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 09:01:13 +0000

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

We’ve all had them and the older we get, the more they pile up. They are the regrets for the wrong decisions we have made. Often, they have brought lasting and painful consequences. Some were recent and some from a long time ago. Some may be family and social, some relationships and some financial. Some bring shame and guilt.

But remember, you are not alone. We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We all have made decisions we wish we had never made. Remember that God has a plan for forgiveness and restoration. Often the consequences of our wrong decisions will linger, maybe for a lifetime. But forgiveness and restoration is now.

Talk to God openly about your weaknesses, failures and mistakes. Repent of any wrongdoing. Repentance means you’re sincerely sorry and you want to make a change.

Overcoming shame and guilt is possible with Christ’s help. He has paid the price for our sins, even the worst sins that cause us to feel guilt and shame. 1 John 1:9 says when we confess our sins, he forgives us and purifies us. This means we do not need to let shame and guilt control us. Shame and guilt are tools of Satan!

Finding compassion and contentment in life is an inside job. No one else can give these things to you. Worrying is like paying interest on a debt that never comes due. It is never too late to be all that we can be. We can live in the darkness or fight our way into the light.

We have all traded what really matters for something that doesn’t really matter. We are defined by our choices.

Regret can draw us to salvation. Paul tells us that “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10) and that it is God’s kindness that brings us to repentance (Romans 2:4).

Regret is sorrow or remorse over something that has happened or that we have done. Regret can also be a sense of disappointment over what has not happened, such as regretting wasted years. To be human is to have regrets because making mistakes is a universal experience.

The Bible gives much instruction that, if followed, will result in fewer regrets. God’s commands and boundaries are written down for us in His Word, and the more we adhere to them, the less we have to regret. However, in God’s grace and mercy, He has also provided a way to deal with regrets when we have not lived as wisely as He wants us to.

Bring your regrets to God and He will lead you to a path of joy.

by John Grant
used by permission