Confessing faith!
Verse for Today: Saturday, December 21, 2013
Luke 5:5 – Simon answered and said: “Master we worked hard all night and caught nothing; but I will do as You say and let down the net”.
When we are confronted with the reality of our failures, we must confess it before we start again. Admission of failure is not accepting defeat, but preparation to start the right way. It is important to confess our failures to God who comes to turn our failures into success His way. The predicament of Simon and his friends can be seen all around today when God’s people try to get results through their own efforts. We don’t’ seem to get results in spite of commendable expertise and best efforts. We have to confess our backsliding and our work of flesh and submit ourselves to the will of God. Then God will use such turning points in our lives to prove to us that without Him, we can do nothing. We must carefully and spiritually discern these matters. Whenever we get some results, we must discern whether it comes from the Lord or from the enemy because the enemy can fool us to think that it comes from the Lord. Sometimes the enemy brings in some results and will try to make us believe that our efforts may also bring in good results. The miracles performed by the magicians of Egypt are a good example for this. We also find that sometimes when we face failure in getting results, instead of confessing it to the Lord, we try again and again like Simon and his friends. But genuine trust in the Lord will lead us to go to Him and admit our failures. We must receive instructions from Him to take the next step forward. Then we get the kind of results that the Lord wants us to have. What comes from the Lord brings glory to Him whereas what comes from our efforts gives us worldly recognition and pride. Nebuchadnezzar felt that all that he achieved were from his own efforts and took great pride in it rather than humbling himself before God. Such pride often ends up in frustration.
Dear friend, are you confronted with failure on your pathway in spite of best efforts and expertise? Is success eluding you even after continuous efforts? It is time to examine whether you are on the right path and whether your means are according to God’s will. Have you been obeying the Lord’s commandment or following your own instinct and whims? Perhaps you are doing things out of frustration and not out of faith and trust. Before you set out, ask the Lord to reveal His will to you. Even after you are on your way, keep verifying to make sure that you don’t take overtake Him. Sometimes the Lord will speak to you in the depth of failures to help you to confess your wrong steps and get back to His will. Remember, the enemy of our soul and his world system will give us ideas to put our expertise and experience together to go the wrong way and then make us believe that it has come from the Lord. Let us be very careful to know the mind of the Lord and keep away from anything that the world entices us to do. Let us listen to the Lord, obey what He says and do everything according to His commandments and will. This will enable us to give all glory to Him for all that we are and have. Then the Lord will be pleased with our lives and efforts. Let us today confess our failures and follow the Lord’s instructions to go forward. Then we will find the Lord’s blessings on our pathways.
Proverbs 3:5 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.
Thought for Today
Actions that are based on the Lord’s commandments will find results based on His will.
Prayer for Today
Dear Lord Jesus: Help me today to listen to and obey Your instructions and acknowledge Your will in all that I do today. Amen!
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