Stop Beating Yourself Up!!

     In Matthew 26: 38-45, there is an account of Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus took some of the disciples with him and asked that they pray since he knew the time was near when he would be betrayed and crucified. Jesus left the disciples three times and returned to find them asleep after he asked they pray his strength. Well this is just like us at times. How many times have you fallen asleep in an attempt to read your Word or pray. The disciples walked along side Jesus and had a first hand account of the signs and wonders Jesus performed yet they fell short.

     Where all going to make mistakes and fall short despite our walking spiritually with God. Despite the Word being evident in our hearts there's going to be some times when we "fall asleep" on his Word. The devil uses our shortcoming to try and convince us we are not saved or that the Holy Spirit doesn't dwell with us. This just can not be the case. Romans 3:23 says "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." God knew that we would falter long before we ever stumbled so he made plans through Jesus.
     God is all seeing and all knowing so he knows our areas of weakness and the appointed times we will sin. That is why he sent us Jesus. Jesus took the burden of all our sins long before we committed them. Jesus served as God's very own mega size pink eraser. I know you all recall those large pink erasers we used to correct our work in elementary school. When we were in school we never expected to make enough mistakes to constitute the use of that entire eraser, but remember by the end of the school year that eraser was almost gone. Well Jesus erases our sins in the same fashion except his grace and mercy never dwindles as those erasers did. Although we never expected to make that many mistakes in school we did, but we didn't beat ourselves up we just grabbed our eraser and made the necessary corrections. Well I ask you to grab Jesus the same way. There is nothing wrong with learning from our mistakes, repenting, and moving forward. Lamentations 3:23 says "Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day." That means despite the mistakes we made yesterday God's mercy begins fresh each day. God doesn't subtract his grace depending on yesterdays mistakes.
     Just imagine the disciples walking with Jesus, seeing him cast out demons, feed 5,000, walk on water, raise the dead, etc. After witnessing these works it didn't stop them from falling asleep on Jesus when he asked that they pray. This didn't stop Peter from allowing his anger to control him enough to cut a guards ear off. This didn't stop the disciples for not accepting the message that Jesus had been resurrected.
     Remember if we were made to never fall God would have no need  to send us Jesus. Jesus came to redeem us from our sins and give us salvation. Repent, forgive yourself, and turn away from you sin. Don't allow emotions of disappointment to run rampant in your heart because there the enemy will infiltrate, and make you believe you are not forgiven or you are unsaved.

You are more then a CONQUEROR!!!

God Bless you!!!

Proof Text:

Peter cuts off guards ear John 18:10-11

Disciples falls asleep instead of praying Matthew 26:38-45

Disciple not receptive to message Jesus was resurrected Mark 16:9-12