Responding in the Spirit
It's been quite some time since I've blogged anything but tonight I feel the need express how good I feel right now. Not physically, being that a stomach virus is working its way through our home and my stomach is feeling a bit queasy this evening; but feeling good as a parent that recognizes EVERY ANSWER I will ever need is located in the Bible...and I was able to refer to it with ease! Tonight we had a heart to heart with our eldest and I was able to keep my cool and respond in the Spirit, not react in the flesh. I was able to explain to her, with scripture to back it up, how much God loves her and knows every single thing about her and how important it is that she admit her sins to God and ask for forgiveness. James 4:10- Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up in honor. Luke 24:47- There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent. Psalm 56:8- You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in a bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. Psalm 139:14-16- Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous- how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark I the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. I have such a long way to go before really walking out the love of Jesus in my every moment, but I feel like I crossed a threshold tonight and was able to cast aside my old ways and trust in the ways of the Lord. And as a result, we prayed with our girl and she humbled herself before the Lord and admitted her shortcoming. This was HUGE as sometimes getting her (or anyone else...including me!!) to take responsibility for her actions is often the trickiest part :) But she did it like a champ and she was reminded how our lives are recorded in his book but our sins are immediately forgotten. Thank you, Jesus, for your sacrifice that makes this possible for each and every person who believes in you!!! (yes, that means you too!! Believe it because it's so true!)