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By Noe Garcia
Have
you ever failed so miserably you felt like God was done with you and there was
no way you could ever be restored?
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| The Enemy accuses you, but God desires to restore you. |
I
mean failing so badly you felt like you were better off dead than alive?
The
kind of failure that brings deep shame and regret — an affair, a great scandal
in your business, and the list can go on — the kind of failure that makes you
regret the day you were born.
A
bit strong I know. But it’s not unrealistic.
Before
we move further let me tell you loud and clear, your failure is not final.
But
great news: The enemy is not the author and perfecter of your faith. The pen is
not in his hands.
God
truly can take your mess and turn it into a message if you allow him to.
So,
what do you do if you are feeling defeated?
All
of the friends you had have now scattered and the path to restoration seems
impossible? You must remember two things.
THE
ENEMY WANTS TO DESTROY YOU
The
Enemy does not feel sorry for you.
Remember
what happened to Judas in Matthew 27? After he betrayed Jesus, he felt so much
guilt and remorse that he went and hanged himself.
Why
do you think this happened? I’ll tell you why.
The
same Enemy that entered his heart (Luke
22) and enticed him is the Enemy that
shamed him to his death.
It
was the bait of temptation that turned into condemnation.
That’s
what the Enemy does — he tempts us then shames us.
Can
you imagine what it was like to be Judas?
He
walked so closely with Jesus. He saw miracles firsthand. He saw Jesus’
kindness, power, grace and mercy.
He
knew Jesus was the Messiah and all it took was one unguarded moment that
allowed the Enemy to come in and the rest was history.
Sound
familiar? Sounds like you and I doesn’t it?
We
walk so closely with Jesus. We see him do mighty things around us, for us and to
us, but even then, we find a way to make poor decisions.
Despite
his goodness we find a way to fail.
When
you think about it, we are not much different from Judas. But our response
doesn’t have to be the same.
In
the darkest moment of your failure, Satan wants you to end it all.
He
wants you to drown in guilt and shame. He wants you to think it is over. He
wants you destroyed.
However,
there is great news. If you are reading this, that means you are still
breathing, and if you are still breathing then that means he’s not done with
you yet.
GOD
WANTS TO RESTORE YOU
Your
failure is not what makes things final; it’s how you respond to your failure.
You
can choose to believe it’s over.
You
can even get mad at God for allowing it to happen and not protecting you.
Your
shame and guilt is what will keep you from his grace and comfort.
I
will write that again. God desires your restoration.
Let’s
think about this for a minute. In Luke 15 we see the story of the prodigal son —
a son who had everything he needed when he was in the presence of his father.
However,
he had the desire to chase his own wants.
The
son shames the father by asking for his inheritance early.
It was pretty much like telling the father, “I wish
you were dead.”
The
son then takes the inheritance and squanders it by living recklessly. He hits
rock bottom. He is at the lowest of lows.
Can
you imagine the shame the son felt? How embarrassed he must have been?
But
just when you think his story is over, he makes the best decision he had made
in a long time. He decides to return home and be with his father.
The
father’s reaction is astonishing. The truth is, in that culture the son could
have been stoned and put to death on his return because of the way he shamed
his father.
This
Prodigal Son probably never would have imagined that his father would have
responded in this manner.
The
father sees him from a distance and runs to him and embraces him — probably to
protect him from the stoning, but nonetheless he runs to him, which tells us
he’s been longing for his son to return home.
He
doesn’t even allow his son to finish his repentance story, but instead,
restores him fully.
Wow,
what a story and what a picture of God’s heart! He loves you and desires to
restore you.
I
cannot tell you how long it will take. I cannot tell you what the path to
restoration will look like, but I can tell you he desires for you to walk with
him and to be restored.
Noe Garcia is the senior pastor at North Phoenix Baptist
Church. He also serves as the 2nd vice president of
Southern Baptist Convention
and an adjunct professor for Gateway Seminary.
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