Distress Leads Us to Repentance
We do not like being in distress. It causes us pain and discomfort. However, sometimes God sends us into distress to get our attention. That is what He did to Manasseh, King of Judah, once he was taken into exile for leading the people to do so much evil. Then, when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of God. He humbled himself greatly in repentance for his evil deeds. Then, God heard his plea and restored him to his kingdom. (II Chronicles 31:12,13) All of this happened because God loved him, even though he had been so evil. We can learn a lot from the testimony of Manasseh.
Sometimes the devil tells us we have been too sinful for God to forgive us. He lies to us telling us there is no hope for us. We are just too weak to be a Christian and to live for God. He wants us to give up trying to do right, and many people do give up. When that happens, he has rendered us ineffective for the Lord, even if we end up going to heaven. This wasted life is not God's will. Therefore, He sends distress on those who forsake Him, so we will repent. Please, be assured that when we repent, it touches God's heart every time, so He will forgive us and bless us. We are never hopeless with the Lord. However, we have to listen to Him and humble ourselves deeply before Him.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Chronicles 34-36 and Erza 1.
Sometimes the devil tells us we have been too sinful for God to forgive us. He lies to us telling us there is no hope for us. We are just too weak to be a Christian and to live for God. He wants us to give up trying to do right, and many people do give up. When that happens, he has rendered us ineffective for the Lord, even if we end up going to heaven. This wasted life is not God's will. Therefore, He sends distress on those who forsake Him, so we will repent. Please, be assured that when we repent, it touches God's heart every time, so He will forgive us and bless us. We are never hopeless with the Lord. However, we have to listen to Him and humble ourselves deeply before Him.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Chronicles 34-36 and Erza 1.