Rise Up & Stand Firm!

Proverbs 24:16 ESV

“For the righteous falls seven times and rises again.”

This is one of the things that I have to come to grips with: I am not perfect. I make mistakes. More than that, I sin. I need Jesus just as much as anybody else. There’s no point in pretending anything different. And that’s okay! 

Jesus didn’t come to redeem perfect people. If I don’t face or open up to my own errors, it causes pain. If I don’t take responsibility for my actions, it causes pain. To overcome in life, I need to face reality, accept, and admit where I am. 

Then there’s another thing I have to come to grips with: I am still chosen! Men may have rejected me, but God has not! God still has a plan for me. He still has a purpose for me. He will not abandon me! He is in the process of perfecting and refining me. 

However, I must be willing to face whatever God wants me to face. I cannot take the easy way out. My resolve must be to do God’s will. The good news, however, is that it does not have to happen in my own strength. I can humble myself before God and ask for His strength to work in me and through me. 

I can pray Psalm 119:33-37:

“Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.” 

God is good at coming through when we turn to Him! In His strength, I am able to overcome the power of darkness and live a life pleasing to Christ. But it takes a willingness to do things God’s way! I admit my faults. But I also take courage in this: God says I am so much more than my faults! 

So I will not let defeat get the better of me. I will not let rejection get the better of me. I will not let mistakes get the better of me. BECAUSE I AM NOT DEFEATED. I AM NOT REJECTED. AND I AM NOT A MISTAKE! God chose me. He called me. He has empowered me. AND BECAUSE OF HIM, I HAVE WHAT IT TAKES! 

And so it’s time to rise up from the ashes and keep walking the road less traveled! Onwards and upwards! With grace and grit! 

All praise, all honor, all glory be to God forever in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth! Amen and amen!