The enemy wants you to keep your head down. The enemy wants you silent about the Lord. The enemy wants you to sit down on your calling, anointing and purpose. He does this is by manipulating you to FOCUS ON YOUR FAILURES AND FLAWS. He wants you to feel unworthy to speak up or ‘live out loud’ for Christ. You may have made huge mistakes, FINANCIALLY, IN RELATIONSHIPS, even MORALLY…you know what haunts you.

Please notice that God continued to use David as a psalmist and leader, even after he had a man killed to take his wife, God didn’t tell him that he couldn’t continue to serve as King (2 Samuel 12:1-13).

---

In fact, some of David’s most powerful psalms came AFTER his greatest sin.

---

God already knew the sin that David would commit even when He initially anointed him. Because of his repentant heart, his sin didn’t disqualify his anointing.

Psalm 51 (NKJV)

Have mercy upon me, O God,

According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
⁴ Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just when You speak,^[a]
And blameless when You judge.

Our greatest challenge sometimes is walking with spiritual confidence, walking with our heads up, speaking in God’s authority when people KNOW HOW WE HAVE MESSED UP. God is raising us up to walk boldly for Him even in the midst of our humanity.

Paul spoke boldly even though he persecuted the church and consented to the death of Christians, such as Stephen (Acts 7:1-60, 8:-1).

Peter stood strong for Christ even though he openly denied Him during the darkest hour (John 18:13-27).

---

So, if people tell you, “You can’t tell me anything based on what you’ve done!” You tell them, “God has given me grace and mercy, and allowed me to still be here to tell you DON’T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES THAT I’VE MADE”.

---

So even if you’re working through the consequences of your mistakes, God expects you to KEEP YOUR HEAD UP and SPEAK BOLDLY IN LOVE FOR HIM. Sometimes it takes years to work through the process of restoration and recovery, but that doesn’t mean you are to be silent in the meantime, BE ENCOURAGED!…KEEP YOUR HEAD UP, STAND UP AND SPEAK UP FOR THE LORD!

Your failures don’t have to disqualify your calling!

BE BLESSTIFIED!

So many jobs are based on meeting deadlines. From projects in business, standardizes tests in education to playoffs in sports…When you’re working towards a deadline, you sometimes don’t notice the days between that deadline When the project is completed, You can find yourself  saying, “Wow, this week went by fast!”

Even on a personal level, setting goals and giving oneself deadlines is important to being what many call ‘successful’.

---

Whether it be deadlines, goals, hopes or dreams. Don’t forget to live and enjoy each day as you work towards them.

---

For example, you may be in your early 30’s and have a certain goal you want to achieve by the age of 40. Don’t be so focused on your goal that when you reach 40 you look back and say, “What happened to my 30s” – whether you reach that goal or not.

Life is short enough without making it seem shorter trying to get to the future. Many people spend their 8am trying to get to 5pm (guilty). They spend Monday trying to get to Friday. They spend January trying to get to December. They spend their 20’s trying to get to their 30’s.

Many spend their work days trying to get to holidays and vacation. They spend their days trying to get to the day their car or mortgage is paid off. Many are trying to get to the carefree days of retirement.

---

DON’T MISS THE PRESENT TRYING TO GET TO THE FUTURE

---

Get there, but enjoy the days in between.

It’s always good to remember that tomorrow is not promised…

 Matthew 6:34  (NKJV)

³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

That being said, don’t let working for your tomorrows, allow you to miss out on your todays. Let this be your declaration every day…

Psalm 118:24  (NKJV)

²⁴ This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

We have all been there. Those moments when you aren’t angry at God. You aren’t angry at God. You aren’t angry at the world…you’re angry at yourself and the sins, bad decisions and mistakes you have made.

Most of the time we feel this way because we’re living out the consequences of those mistakes, or it’s because we are silently noticing how our decisions have had a negative affect on those we love.

Yes, there are things beyond our control. Yes, there are times the world hasn’t been fair to us. And, yes there are times that God could have moved on our behalf and He didn’t.

But when we’re honest with ourselves, much of the difficulty we face in life is a result of our own sins or bad decisions.

When we admit this to ourselves, it can lead to moments or seasons of depression. So, what do you do?

1. REMEMBER THOSE USED BY GOD IN THE BIBLE WERE FAR FROM PERFECT

Remember that everyone in the bible who was used by God was far from perfect. From Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to the patriarchs. From Noah to Moses to David to Peter to Paul. From Sarah to Rebecca to Miriam to Job’s wife…the men and women in the bible made horrible mistakes. However, they were still used by God.

2. YOU DIDN’T CATCH GOD BY SURPRISE WHEN YOU MESSED UP

God was not surprised when he sinned with Bathsheba. God knew that was going to happen when He anointed David king years before. Also know that YOU didn’t catch God by surprise when you messed up. Especially if it’s due to one of the weaknesses that He gave you. Many of our weaknesses are innate. Some people are naturally horrible with managing money. Others have an unquenchable appetite for sex that can only be controlled with the help of God’s Holy Spirit. While other people have a natural tendency to quickly get angry and act before thinking. These are all weakness that we need God’s help to overcome. This is His way of nurturing a relationship to keep us close to Him…but too many times we allow our weaknesses to overpower our strengths. Never forget that His strength is made perfect in our weaknesses…

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 (NKJV)

⁸ Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ⁹ And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

3. GOD MADE YOU AND KNOWS THE CHALLENGES OF LIVING IN ‘FLESH’

God knows that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41)

He has compassion on us when we are repentant about our ‘human’ moments…

Psalm 103:10-14 (NKJV)

¹⁰ He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

¹¹ For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
¹² As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
¹³ As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
¹⁴ For He ^[a]knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.

4. GOD CAN DELIVER US FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR SINS, BAD DECISIONS AND WEAKNESSES

God is a keeper ( Yehovah Raah, The Lord is our Shepherd) and is able to sustain us in spite of our mistakes. There are those who have made the same mistakes you have and have lost much more… have suffered much more… and some didn’t even survive. But, He kept you…sustained you… nurtured you… and had mercy on you through your weakest, darkest moments. David remained king after he repented and remained a man after God’s heart. God restored to Job twice as much as he had after he prayed for his friends who made his ordeal much worse (Job 42:10-17). After denying Christ, Peter went on to be one of the most influential Apostles. No matter what you’ve done, if you repent and it’s God’s will, He can deliver you from the consequences of your sins, bad decisions and weaknesses. Especially if it’s an innate weakness He gave you. Make this prayer a part of your regular prayer life:

“Heavenly father, I truly repent of how I have let you down. Please forgive me and if it’s your will deliver me from the consequences of my sins, bad decisions and weakness.”

5. REMEMBER THAT GOD ALLOWS US MOMENTS TO LAMENT AS LONG AS WE STILL PROCLAIM OUR TRUST IN HIM

One of the most beautiful things about the Psalms is that they teach us how to express our regret and even question Him in respect as long as we end those moments reaffirming our trust in Him.

Psalm 13 (NIV)

¹ How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
² How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
    How long will my enemy triumph over me?

³ Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
⁴ and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
    and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

⁵ But I trust in your unfailing love;
    my heart rejoices in your salvation.
⁶ I will sing the Lord’s praise,
    for he has been good to me.

So, don’t be too hard on yourself wen you’re feeling down and depressed. God made you and He knows you. Just as parents don’t enjoy seeing their children cry when they are truly sorry of their mistakes, God is compassionate. Do just what David did as he lamented the kidnapping of their women and children and bore the blame of those closest to him. Encourage and strengthen yourself in the LORD and keep it moving! Remember, God gave him the victory then too.

1 Samuel 30 (NKJV)

Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, ² and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. ³ So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. ⁴ Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. ⁵ And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. ⁶ Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was ^[a]grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

BE BLESSTIFIED!