"The Grace-Built Future"
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." — 2 Chronicles 7:14
You've come to a place where you have taken a look at the ruins of your own making..
You have seen the broken relationships, and you recognize a shattered dream or two... but, are you ready to be finished exhausting your soul with the selfish pursuit of "me, me, me?"
It's always found in that final breath we take called "Gumption"...
It comes after we have slowly torn our lives to pieces through neglect, coldness and keeping in step with the bitter choices of our generation. It's When we resolve to finally take formative action.
It's like we are specializing in doomsday... We see the brokenness and decide...
"Maybe I have just missed the mark of achieving anything God may have expected of me?"
But then, your fortitude says "never give up."
"How many people hear that lie?" In a world that's used to listening to it's own opinions, lies sound like plausible truths.
The only way out is to take the deep breath, the one laced with gumption, resolve, fortitude, stand up, moxie, backbone and shrewdness!
Have we not yet noticed that the Truth is often silent? It's not going to reach out and knock you off the merry go round!
It's seeking a deeper understanding and relationship with you. But the Truth can only lead to knowledge and wisdom when you find it. Like knowledge and Wisdom the Truth has to be discovered, it's everywhere around us, yet demands to be sought out like treasure.
When noise has filled our minds, we just go along, unconcerned, because surely the Truth is what yells the loudest right?
So we ignore those attempts, and those quiet invitations, those thoughts of "what if there is a better life out there?"
You push it well out range and continue the treadmill of madness that plays the numbers game, fooling you into following the world...
Didn't someone up there in the front, say we'd have a victorious "next time"?
The treadmill is a familiar place anyway, all I have to do is peddle, put in my ear buds and I'll keep in step with all the others...
Or does the whispering scare you? So you keep ear buds in anyway?
"Heavenly Father, I look at the ruins around me and I recognize my own selfish hand in them. I have been exhausted by the pursuit of 'me,' and I have allowed my soul to become a wasteland. Lord, I am tired of the noise, the earbuds, and the treadmill. Today, I choose to take that deep breath of 'Gumption' that comes from You.
I humble myself and turn away from my selfish ways. I seek Your face. Thank You for the promise that You can heal this wasteland and restore the years the locusts have eaten. Give me the fortitude, backbone, and shrewdness to hear Your quiet voice and walk in it. Thank You for a new beginning. In Jesus' name, Amen."
#Faith #BibleStudy #GodIsGood #Groupjesus
"But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first." — Revelation 2:4-5
"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." — Isaiah 43:18-19
"And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way, walk in it,' when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left." — Isaiah 30:21
"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." — 1 Corinthians 15:58
Reflecting on the themes of renewal and grace shared in this article, I’ve found that embracing a grace-built future requires more than just fleeting thoughts; it demands a sincere, intentional turning inward and upward. Often, life’s struggles—broken relationships, unmet dreams, or personal failures—create a landscape that feels barren, almost like a wasteland. Yet, the promise found in scriptures like Isaiah 43:18-19 invites us to perceive the "new thing" God is doing right in the middle of our wilderness. From my own experience, the quiet call of truth mentioned here is both challenging and comforting. It doesn't come as loud thunder but as a subtle whisper that guides when we stop to listen. It takes gumption and resolve to pause the constant noise—the distracting treadmill of daily life, with its relentless pull towards self-centered pursuits—and instead seek a deeper relationship with God. Prayer becomes an anchor in this process. Humbling oneself to pray, as highlighted in 2 Chronicles 7:14, shifts perspective from despair to hope. I’ve learned that true healing starts when we admit our shortcomings and actively seek God's forgiveness and guidance. This surrender is not weakness but an act of courageous fortitude, allowing divine wisdom to lead us off the beaten track and toward restoration. Meanwhile, the encouragement to "stand firm" in 1 Corinthians 15:58 reminds me that patience and perseverance are essential. Our labor in faith, even when unseen or seemingly slow, is never in vain. Life's setbacks are part of the transformative journey, urging us to repent, remember, and reclaim the love and zeal we might have strayed from, as mentioned in Revelation 2:4-5. Integrating these spiritual insights into daily living helps cultivate a backbone of shrewdness and moxie—not to chase worldly gains, but to pursue lasting fulfillment through God’s grace. It’s a commitment to walking deliberately in His way, recognizing that every step forward is part of a greater healing of our personal and collective lands. If you find yourself weary of noise and distraction, I encourage you to explore this path. Take that deep breath of gumption, humble yourself in prayer, and seek the quiet strength that leads to a new beginning. In doing so, you may discover that the ruins of the past can become the foundation of a renewed, grace-built future.