Helping others was my goal for writing my first two books. I
needed to be very transparent and real with the retelling of my colorful past
in order to do this. We all struggle
with so many things in life and I want to offer some encouragement through my
books and classes to those who are going through the rough times. Those who are
dealing with the repercussions of their mistakes, life happenstances, or to
those who have found themselves out of rope and out of hope.
I had abandoned my God, who promised me a hope and a future, for
thirteen years and for a DIY life that took me into a dark abyss. My story is
one of redemption, repentance, and restoration and I want to share how I became
an overcomer. An overcomer of, what seemed at the time, an impossible mountain of
stuff to work through.
The Bible study I wrote, “Making Wise Choices”, is about
change. Just like the caterpillar, we must demolish our old selves down to the point
that the only DNA left is God’s DNA in order to start the rebuilding process. Only
then, with God’s help, will we be able to become the beautiful butterfly, the
person, that God created us to be.
Let’s look at the THREE R’s that had to take place for
me to get headed in the right direction. Up.
Redemption
The
definition of redemption means to free someone from bondage. It often
involves the paying of a ransom, a price, that makes redemption possible.
EXAMPLES:
· The Israelites
were redeemed from Egypt.
· We were redeemed
from the power of sin and the curse of the Law (Gal. 3:13) “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the
law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: Cursed is everyone who is
hung on a pole.”
· We were redeemed
through Jesus (Rom. 3:24)
“…and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by
Christ Jesus.” (Col. 1:14)
“…in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
· AND We were
bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:20)
”You were bought at a price, so therefore honor God with your bodies.” (1 Cor. 7:23) “…do not become slaves of human beings.”
The
word redemption also was used in terms of the releasing of a slave, or for releasing
someone placed under the death sentence.
The wore redemption in the Bible references
freeing someone from bondage.
Biblical redemption centers on God as the ultimate
redeemer. He saves his chosen ones from sin, evil, trouble, bondage, and death.
Redemption is an act of God's grace,
rescuing and restoring of his people. You can see His act of
redemption woven throughout the Bible.
Repentance
The definition of Repentance is the activity of
reviewing one's actions and feeling remorse or regret (two more R’s)
for past wrongs. It involves a commitment
to personal change and the resolve (another r) to live a more
responsible and humane life.
Redemption
calls for confession and repentance.
Mirrors never lie so look at yourself
in the mirror and take a real hard look at yourself. Ask yourself some honest questions
that you may have been avoiding the answers to. What is it you need to work on?
What is keeping you from living a holy life? What has you all bound up inside? It can
be many things. You will need to confess these things to our Heavenly Father and
repent from them.
Two encouraging verses
come to mind when making a commitment towards positive personal change. Philippians 4:13, “I can do all this through him
who gives me strength. And Matthew
19:26, "But Jesus looked at them, and said, with man this is
impossible, but with God all things are possible."
In the Philippians
verse, Paul is speaking to the church in Philippi and he is thanking them for
their gift of aid. He is talking about his times of need and his times of
plenty and how he has learned the secret
of being content in any and every
situation, whether well fed or hungry whether living in plenty or in want. And
he states that he can only do this
through him who gives him the strength to do it.
One of the first steps to personal change is learning the secret that Paul is talking
about.
Iwantitis (instant gratification) usually leads us, tricks us, into making bad
choices. And Jesus can give us the strength to be content and help us fight
impulsive behaviors.
In the Matthew 19
passage, Jesus is speaking in the region of Judea. A rich man had asked him
what he needed to do to get eternal life. Jesus first told him to keep the
commandments. The man replied he has done that and inquired as to what he still
lacked. Jesus said If you want to be perfect, then go sell your possessions,
and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow
me. The man went away sad, for he was very rich. “...it is hard for someone who
is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven”, Jesus said to his disciples. “It is
easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is
rich to enter the kingdom of God.” v.25 “…Who can be saved then?” the disciples
inquired.
We cannot save ourselves, and the most impossible thing
for us is to do is to get into heaven on our own, it is simply impossible.
There are many other things in life that we cannot do on our own as well. This
verse is saying that by having FAITH in God, all things are possible. And most
importantly, heaven is possible through Jesus Christ.
Some of us may need to learn
the Secret of Content that Paul is talking about to help us make some changes. Some of
us might need to have more faith that God will give us the strength that we
need to do the day to day and make changes.
We can deviate from our bad
behaviors with His strength. His strength makes us overcomers, not victims. His
strength empowers us to make the right choices. His strength helps us to face
our fears and take on insurmountable challenges and do the impossible!!
Restoration
The Biblical meaning
of the word "restoration" is to receive back more than what has
been lost, to the point, where the final state is greater than the original condition.
Let’s look at two different
kinds of biblical restoration.
“Restore to
me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit.” Psalm
51:12 (ESV)
The restoration,
in this verse, is speaking about the restoration of the soul and spirit, one
that can only come from God. Only He can restore our joy, hope, and peace. We
can get ourselves depleted with life and become overwhelmed with messes,
struggles, and responsibilities. We get depleted because we forget to keep God
at the center of everything. Renewing or “restoring” a right relationship with
God brings us back to the place of contentment and inner peace.
“Finally,
brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one
another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” 2
Corinthians 13:11 (ESV)
Paul is addressing the church in Corinth encouraging them
to get along with each other. Being able to live in peace and harmony will help us
experience God’s love and peace more fully. We must always seek restoration with others.
We can have redemption, repentance, healing and restoration
for our lives. We have the power to change! With God, his Word, and a great accountability
partner, we can be overcomers! No questions asked. How do I know this? Because,
that’s how I did it! Be well my friends!
From the lecture series for “Making Wise Choices”
Bible Study.
Debra Lee, Author & Key-Note Speaker
“It Is What
It Is…But It Wasn’t A Tragedy”
“Making Wise
Choices…the most important life skill to master”
