1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”
Hey OTP Family!! This morning. I was just meditating on the faithfulness of God. So I thought I’d share this as inspiration for you as well.
God’s word is true, for he cannot lie. Everything that he’s promised to us he’s able also to perform it.
Most of the time we think of God’s faithfulness from the same perspective as we think of our own. We realize how many times we failed God in the area of faithfulness to him, his statutes his word, the call and gifts that are in us and on us, and we think God does us the same way as we do him.
But God is not like us. He extends his amazing grace towards us. That amazing grace that looks beyond all of our faults and see our needs. He sees things in us that we don’t even see in ourselves yet. Because he knows the gift that is in us, his faithfulness to us is exceedingly great.
We serve a God that promised to never leave us nor forsake us. He promised to be with us through the very end. This includes in our good times in our bad times; the times when we are faithful and the times when we are not.
His faithfulness to us is totally depending upon his character and his sovereignty, not ours. His faithfulness is something that we can depend upon something that we can stand on and walk on and build upon.
Simply put God’s faithfulness is amazing!
Yes, we should strive to be faithful to God with everything that is within us. But in those times when we fail or fall, his faithfulness remains the same.
Take a moment to meditate upon God‘s faithfulness to you as you look back over your life and just begin to give God praise for who he is. Hallelujah.
Genesis 3:11-13, “And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.”
Hi OTP family, today I want to talk about blame and avoidance. These 2 things happen when we know we have strayed away from God’s plan for and are doing our own thing.
We use this tool of blame to avoid taking responsibility for our own actions or inaction. We think of blame as a “get out of jail” free card. All the Monopoly fans out there know about this card. This card helps us to avoid paying the penalty for our transgressions. But as any Monopoly fan will tell you – nothing is truly free. There is still a penalty to pay. For the limited time you are in jail you lose a turn and you cannot earn any income from any properties owned. Other players can land on your property without any threat of recourse.
What is blame?
Blame” refers to the act of assigning responsibility for something negative. It can be used as a noun, meaning the act of blaming, or as a verb, meaning to accuse someone of something. Blaming can be a way to avoid taking responsibility for one’s own actions, but it can also be a way to understand the cause of a problem.
The only good part of the blame game is that it can help you get to the root cause of a problem. But let’s be honest – very few of us use blame this way. For the most part when we play the blame game it is an attempt to be excused. We want to be excused from our responsibility. Example: I did not do my portion of the school assignment because I lost power due to the storm. As a result of this failure the entire team has an incomplete assignment when the due date rolls around.
When blame is not used to find the root cause of the problem it really has no value.
The full truth of the matter is that a poor choice was made. When the poor choice was made the person was aware of this but lacked the will to do anything about it. They just decided to keep avoiding reality.
Adams knew what God told him about eating of that tree. When the woman handed him the fruit he could have made a different choice, but he did not.
When he was caught he chose to play the blame game, passing the responsibility for the decision on to the woman. The woman’s did not want it – she was aware of what God commanded too. She passed the blame onto the serpent.
Who wins the blame game?
In the end, no one wins the blame game. Everyone involved in this breach of responsibility suffered judgment.
The only true way to win is to never play. When you fail – and we all do at one time or another – acknowledge your faults. Repent, ask God for forgiveness, and get back in line. Step back in your role and do what God had called you too.
But remember you will need to tighten up, and understand that people are depending on you. You are apart of the body of Christ. There are people who need you to fulfill your portion of the team assignment. Otherwise, they will be forced to turn in an incomplete final product.
What is avoidance?
It is also important to recognize the warning sign of avoidance.
Avoidance, in its simplest form, is the act of staying away from something or someone, often due to discomfort or fear. It can be a conscious or unconscious behavior, and it can manifest in various ways, including emotional avoidance, behavioral avoidance, and situational avoidance. While avoidance can sometimes offer temporary relief, excessive or maladaptive avoidance can lead to negative consequences, hindering personal growth and potentially exacerbating underlying issues like anxiety or trauma.
This fear can be subtle but deadly to our walk with God. If we allow ourselves to fall down this rabbit hole we will lose precious time. You will stay away from your purpose to your own detriment. Also, the impact to those who depend upon you to be the in your place may never be fully seen.
Blame and avoidance usually travel in the car together. But we do not have to fall victim to them. The Bible tells us to be some and vigilant. Like a watchman on the wall, because our adversary – the devil – is walking around seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8) We are not to be ignorant of his devices (2 Corinthians 2:21).
Recognize the tools and tricks, and act proactively. The Winans sings a song with lyrics “ it’s good to know he’ll be there if ever I fall, but it’s better to know. I don’t have to fall at all.” When we are sober and vigilant soldiers we can recognize the symptoms and take action before there is a fall.
We have to do like David did and encourage ourselves (1 Samuel 30:6). We know ourselves better than anyone else. We recognize our triggers enough to avoid pitfalls. We just have to be willing to take action and not sit passively by while heading full speed ahead into that brick wall.
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The blame game has no winners so don’t play. Accept the responsibility that comes with God’s plan for and call on your life.
Say a prayer of repentance and get back in line. God is on your side. He is just waiting for you to remember that and act accordingly.
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