November 5, 2023 - What Do We Do When We Stumble?

What Do We Do When We Stumble?

Since we are all flesh and blood, we are all prone to wander, prone to sin, and prone to stumble

We are all faced with multiple opportunities to stumble – but we don’t have to stumble!

You have the indwelling Holy Spirit; you can make a faith choice instead of a flesh choice

We do not have to be controlled by our urges and our emotions

We can be Spirit controlled!

Every temptation we go through is an invitation to act independent of God

There is a critical moment:
A time when a person decides which way he or she will go

[Two illustrations, same layout, different outcome]

[Process of Salvation illustration]
Born dead in sin
Point of Conversion is "JUSTIFICATION"
Progressive Spiritual Growth is "SANCTIFICATION'
Point of Death is "GLORIFICATION"

What do we do when we stumble?
1) Own it – don’t make excuses – I did it, “but”, is an indication we are not getting it
2) Confess it – 1 John 1: 9 is our go to place
3) Don’t wallow in it – don’t wallow in despair; don’t allow Satan to make you wallow in guilt
4) Forgive yourself – this can be the most difficult; allow God to take your guilt and restore you
5) Forgive others – don’t live in payback land; anger and resentment are joy and peace stealers

Learn from the past; learn from our stumbles

But do not live in the past!

You are not identified by who you were and what you did . . . . . . .

But by who you are in Christ NOW!!

NO LOOKING BACK!
Philippians 3:13-14
"Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Life is full of painful events, some caused by us, some caused by others -
In any event, MOVE ON!!

We are not defined by our past, but how we respond to our past

C.S. Lewis (Screw Tape Letters) describes Satan’s strategy:
“He gets Christians to become preoccupied with their failures; from then on, the battle is won.”

What do we do when we stumble?
- Run to the Father, He will forgive
- Own it, confess it, don’t wallow in it!
- Forgive yourself!

This will result in a spiritually healthy, joyful, fulfilled you!