What's with Regret?

Regret is one of the biggest weapons Satan has against a Christian, but at the same time it's something we choose to do. There is a time for everything, including regret, but after you have been forgiven regret is doubting God really did forgive you. I think it's safe to say most of the times you have felt regret, it was is was in a sinful manner

God feels regret (Genesis 6:7; 1 Samuel 15:11), which means that there must be times when it's okay to feel regret, but these are in very emotional times such as before the great flood.

I'm not God and so I can't give a list of all the times its okay to feel regret, but through what the bible does say, we can understand why regret is such an issue and why we shouldn't do it. First of all, I guess would be examples of people who have felt regret in the bible

1. Adam and Eve (Genesis 3)
2. David (1 Chronicles 21:8)
3. Ahab (1 Kings 21:27)
4. Peter (Mathew 26:75)
5. Judas (Mathew 27:3-4)

Whenever any character in the bible is described as feeling regret, they have done something terrible. These are good times to regret, but lingering on regret is when it becomes a sin.

There is the initial regret, shame, guilt, whatever you want to call it after you sin, but asking for forgiveness should follow. There can be a state mourning, but it can't last forever. Just look at this verse from 2 Corinthians:

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
2 Corinthians 7:10

There is a time of sorrow, but after the mourning is up, regret needs to be gone.

I don't know how many times I've laid in bed thinking of things done and just thinking about how stupid that was. That's a sin. It's not godly.

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: 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. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.
Philippians 3:13-15

I have used this Philippians passage in many posts, but in the light of regret, it takes a whole new meaning.

Forgetting what is behind

Regret hinders us in our walk with God! In order to get to the goal, to get the prize we must forget what is behind us! Just like we ought to forgive and forget, we must also be forgiven and forget.

If you can forget the past, you'll miss out on a lot of life. God has wonderful things in store for you, but you have to look for them or you'll miss out.

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 42:18-19

Sources:
http://www.openbible.info/topics/regret
http://www.gotquestions.org/shame-regret.html
http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Regret

Photo Credit:
http://alexrister1.wordpress.com/2011/12/07/

Men in the Bible: Ananias

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God." When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?" "Yes," she said, "that is the price." Peter said to her, "How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also." At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
Acts 5:1-11

What can we learn from this story?

• The holiness that Christ looks for in his church

Christ was punishing Ananias, yes, but he also giving the rest of the church a warning. He was giving us a warning. And that warning is that we should not try to deceive our all-knowing God. 

• The reality of Satan's power

As Christian, life is constantly a battle.

Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit

Satan wants us to believe his lies. That how he starts. Once we believe his lies, the next step is fill up our heart. Then, there's no room for God. And when there's no room for God, God can't use you. This is what happened Ananias. First, keeping a little bit of money was just a thought, but it grew. Sin always grows, like a weed, it's always there. But as the gardener, it's our job to keep the weeds from taking over our heart.

• A divided service is impossible

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Mathew 6:24

Previous: Jabez

Sources:
Men of the Bible: Some Lesser-Known Characters

2 Peter: Remember (Part 3)

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:8

It's important to remember that you must posses these things in increasing measure. Sure, you posses a little bit of faith, but to be effective, you must posses these in increasing measures. 

Increasing- verb to make greater, as in number, size, strength, or quality;augment; add to

Verb- noun any member of a class of words that function as the main elements of predicates, that typically express action, state, or a relation between two things, and that may be inflected for tense, aspect, voice, mood,and to show agreement with their subject or object.

When Peter said increasing measures, he means you should constantly be adding to you faith, goodness, etc. and that means action. You have do actually do something to keep yourself from being useless.

But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:9-11

This portion is quite self-explanatory. Don't we all want God to tell us "Well done, good and faithful servant!" when we enter heaven?

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.
2 Peter 1:12-15

It's easy to skip a blog post about "simple" things, or about thing you already know about. It's easy to tune out a sermon about basic biblical principals. For some of you, things like this is new material, but for a lot of you, this is a reminder. And reminders are good...we all need them.

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Photo Credit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Peter

2 Peter: Faith (Part 2)

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
2 Peter 1:3

Everything means everything. God gives is EVERYTHING we need.
Life is hardly easy. We all face the challenges of life, but no matter what, God gives us everything we need for all of our life. We have everything we need to face life, and to honor God. And you'll begin to understand that when God is all you have, God is all you need.

Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
2 Peter 1:4

Either a promise is true, or it isn't. 
God alone is my rock and my salvation (Psalm 62:1-2); or he isn’t. The Lord will fight for me (Exodus 14:14); or he won’t. The arm of the Lord is not too short to save (Isaiah 59:1); or it is. God takes hold of my right hand and says, “Do not fear; I will help you (Isaiah 41:13); or he doesn’t. God will never leave me nor forsake me (Deuteronomy 31:7-8); or he will.
Do you believe God's promises?

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
1 Peter 1:5-7

This is teaching us how to build up character one step at a time. All of your life should be dedicated to getting closer to Christ, but whether your removing a bad habit from your life or add a good habit to your life, it should be taken one step at a time. And this is exactly what Peter tells us to do, to take things bit by bit.
-Ruth

Sources:

http://ronmoore.org/living-hope-2-peter-13-devotional/

http://www.preceptaustin.org/2_peter_13-4.htm

http://ronmoore.org/living-hope-2-peter-14-devotional/

http://www.jesuswalk.com/2peter/2_adding.htm

Photo Credit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Peter

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2 Peter: Introduction (Part 1)

Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 
2 Peter 1:1-2

2nd Peter is 3 chapters long. It may be short, but it's a good book. 

I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.
2 Peter 1:13-15

These three verse tell a LOT about why Peter wrote this book, to

1. Remind people
2. Because he knew he would die soon
3. So that they would remember

So Peter was giving his last words in the form of a letter. 

And I don't doubt they were his last words to them. Peter died a martyr hanging upside down because he would not die the way Jesus had.

Peter's letter may have been a reminder to the people back in Peter's day, but it is also a reminder to us in 2012.

Sources:
http://preceptaustin.org/2_peter_commentaries_2.htm
http://preceptaustin.org/maclaren_on_2_peter.htm#lpf

Photo Credit:
http://www.aug.edu/augusta/iconography/staMariaPopolo/peterDeathCaravaggio.html

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