How to get right with God

“David asked the Gibeonites, ‘What shall I do for you?  How shall I make atonement so that you will bless the Lord’s inheritance?’” 2 Samuel 21:3.

“After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land.”  2 Samuel 21:14.

Verses chosen from today’s Bible reading: 2 Samuel 21-23, and 1 Thessalonians 1.

David knew that something was wrong.

Saul had abused the Gibeonites after the Israelites had sworn that they would spare them.

Now David, wanting to please God, chose to try making things right.

If we expect to be blessed by God, we must have our spiritual act together.

We can have sins of commission (things we do) and omission (things we should have done).  If our prayers are genuine then we will be reminded of either and/or both of those sins.

Information is one thing but action can be another.

One of the best prayers is, “Lord, what do You want me to do or not do?”  We’re asking God to reveal places our corrections are essential.

If I know that something needs changing and choose to ignore action then God becomes remote.  David knew that to be blessed by God, things had to be made right with the Gibeonites.

I’ll spare the details (they’re Old Testament gory) but things were made right.  Then comes the wonderful verse, “After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land.”

I cannot carry known sin.  I must recognize it, confess it, and if needed, do something about it.  Short of that, I’m going to lose a close relationship to God.

“Lord, You are a great God.  Forgive me for carrying sin’s burden so often.  Wash me, I beg. What do you want me doing and/or not doing?  I crave to know this so that I can get things right with You.  Help me, Father.”

St. Lucia

Fix the wrong

“After that, God answered prayer….” 2 Samuel 21:14.

Verse chosen from today’s Bible reading: 2 Samuel 21-23, and 1 Thessalonians 1.

God knows what His followers are doing.  How often do we think otherwise?

“Wrong” does not have a size.  It is just plain wrong.  It is also wrong done against God.

Israel had done something wrong many years earlier and it had not been dealt with.  Three successive years of famine finally got David’s attention and he asked God what needed to be done.

David, many times the good role model, learned what the problem was and took care of it.

The closer I am to God the more sin bothers me.  I feel uncomfortable.  I feel troubled.  I can’t rest on it.  And I think that this reaction is great.  Sin must be dealt with at once.

How many believers carry sin and wonder why their relationship with God is thrown off?

One of the best things a believer can do is to ask God to point out sin that hasn’t been dealt with.  Things pop in there pretty fast!  We can still continue to minimize the sin but for the believer it just won’t leave our consciousness.

However, once sin is dealt with there is a peace that is amazing.  There still may be trouble.  The others involved may not be so sunny about our attempts at reconciliation but that isn’t the point.  The point is that we have gotten clean with God.  We can now move on with Him unencumbered.

“Lord, see if there be any wicked way in me and reveal it to me.  I want to be clean with You.  I want to travel “light” with You.  Prick my conscience when I am wayward.  Don’t give me any peace until I get things right with You.  I love You, Father.

A believer cannot live comfortably very long without dealing with past sin.

+9 turkey dinner

 

Prayer blocked (2 Samuel 21:14)

(Verse chosen from today’s Bible reading – 2 Samuel 21-23 & 1 Thessalonians 1)

“After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land.”  2 Samuel 21:14

What lessons are there for me in this Scripture?

There is a sequence here.  I cannot successfully interact with God if my relationship with Him is messed up.

In David’s case, there had been years of famine and plenty of prayer about it along the way.  David finally got the brainstorm that something was wrong.  David wisely went into, “What have I done?” and, “What do You want me to do about it?”

My life has to be clean in His sight if I expect any sort of interaction with God.  He is not mocked.  He knows everything about me.

I must constantly be asking Him to reveal to me anything that is messing up our relationship.”  Of course, once something is revealed I need to be ready to right the wrongs revealed.

I must live desperate to do what He wants so that I will be able to interact freely with Him.

Florence Nightingale was born on May 12th.  God gave her the ability to be a nurse.