Can’t help but feel quilty about many of the points you made in your lesson Sam… but I’m throwing that out the window and leaning on God’s grace, the provisions you’ve outlined so clearly… regular Bible reading and instruction, prayer , talking and listening and be aware of His guidance….. stop making excuses…. Just to name a few good and bad habits.
Thank you for your words of Godly wisdom .
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Thanks. I'll be very honest though, I struggle through all of that too, and when I write, if for no one else, I have to write to myself. It's part of how I process things. Thank you for highlighting ways this helped and may God get the glory. It's a battle for all of us! If I can add though, I would say instead of being overcome with feelings of guilt about such things, recognize them and realize that God is calling us out of love and trust, not guilt and shame for failure. As hard as the conscience may be on us, sometimes, probably most times, it's harder for us to believe that God loves us just the way we are. Not that He wants to keep us that way, but to remember that He's not frustrated with you, but perhaps your biggest "Cheerleader" rather. I don't say that to diminish God's glory, but to help remember that God is rooting for His children, not waiting to beat them down. Someone the other day said how great it was to be fully known and loved. People who do not trust God's love live lives of trying very hard to look the part out of the insecurity of not trusting that if God really knew who they were, if other people knew who they were, no one would love them or accept them, God included. Trust that love. Do these things that lead to maturity from a standpoint of security in Christ, never insecurity. Not from earning His favor, but from living within His favor. I hope that helps.