Tuesday, January 12, 2021 Some material taken from If Only vs Regardless
Be very careful, then, how you live not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Ephesians 5:15-17
Live Wisely Today…live not as unwise but as wise
The two greatest enemies of time are regrets for things we did in the past, and anxiety about what will happen to us in the future. Many of us are living either in the past or in the future.
Anyone who has lived has lived with regret on some level. Regret is a trap of Satan to keep us locked in our failures instead of living in the freedom of forgiveness that Christ gives. Sometimes we have to live with the consequences of our choices, but we can still live in the freedom of forgiveness. Some choices we will always regret, but we don’t have to let it destroy us. We learn valuable lessons from our mistakes and then we can move forward, in Christ’s freedom, and help others walking that road.
It is also easy to get stranded on the island of “If only,,,” We can use that as an excuse to put off doing what we know we are supposed to do or what Christ is calling us to do. If we wait for “If only…” to happen, we will be waiting forever and wasting the precious moments of our lives.
“If only!” - Have you ever said any of these?
1. If only I hadn't had that accident.
2. If only I'd lived in some other place.
3. If only I were more beautiful.
4. If only he had not died so young.
5. If only people were friendlier to me.
6. If only I had more money.
7. If only I were younger. If only I were older.
8. If only I had a different kind of job.
9. If only people really knew my abilities.
We can spend our lives waiting and looking backwards, or we can look forward to "Next time."
We live in defeat when we live in “If only,” and we live in hope if we focus on “Next time.” Living in the past and our failures will keep us hopelessly depressed, and worrying about the future will make us a nerveous wreck. We have no control over what the future holds but our Heavenly Father knows the whole story, start to finish and every dip along the way, and He wants us to trust Him. Learning the lessons fjrom our mistakes and failures will bring growth and help us focus on the future, or “Next time.”
Satan wants us to get bogged down in remores and bitterness and the fear of tomorrow. That way we do not grow, we are not effective for the Kingdom, and we are not moving forward in God’s plan for our lives.
Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves -
regret for the past and fear of the future. ~ Fulton Oursler
God is always about restoration and healing and moving forward. He is always about doing something new and He surely gets frustrated with us sometimes as we just sit and pout about all the mistakes we have made and the mess we have made of our lives. We are never hopeless and we are never a lost cause. There are no mistakes that are so awful that He cannot make something good come from it. He takes our messes and makes them into a whole new life. Stop living in regret and “If only.” Give Him your regrets and messes and learn for “Next time.”
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it, and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaish 43:19 AMP
