When a baby comes into the world we see their bouncing bubbly cuteness and all the potential that lies within them. We admire their purity and innocence and wish they could stay that way, unmarred by the situations that life brings, untouched by negative peer pressure and destructive habits or substances.
However, try as we might to protect a child from the outside world, the truth is, we are all born into sin. Similar to the way we can inherit health issues, we often come into this world with baggage inherited from our parents, their parents, and so on. It could appear that life has been served up on a silver platter but somehow the child grows into an adult and ends up struggling because of family issues that have never been addressed and covered by the blood of Jesus.
This is why we find ourselves in destructive cycles that we do not know how to get out of. You may have found yourself crying out to God, wanting to know why it seems you can’t change, or why the situation keeps occurring in your life. You look at patterns in your family and wonder why you find yourself falling into the same pattern of behavior even though everything within you tells you that it is wrong.
The good news is that destructive patterns can be broken and it can start today with you. Seek the help of your pastor, counselors or ministers and pray this prayer:
“Dear Heavenly Father, I want to live the abundant life that You have for me so I am asking You to shine a light on the dark places within me. Search me Lord, show me what issues need to be addressed in my life, whether passed down through generations or picked up by decisions I have made in my own life. Reveal those broken places in me and break the curse of sin. I don’t want any attachment to those things in me or my children. Forgive me for the things I have done to maintain ties to those harmful behaviors. Cleanse me, my family and our entire generation Lord. Draw us closer to You so that we may be continually transformed into Your image. Thank You for Your Love. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Psalm 139:23-24 (Amplified Bible)
23Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!
24And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
The Word of God contains instructions that if followed, guarantee the outcome that it describes. That is why the Bible is so essential for victorious living and personal growth.
Even more amazing than that is how the Holy Spirit will illuminate Scripture to you that you may have no prior knowledge of. I can testify that there are times I prayed and received God’s answer and later was led to the Scripture that contained the same words I heard in answer to my prayer.
There were times I feared that God would turn His back on me because even though I told Him I wanted to serve Him, my actions told Him otherwise. He reminded me that He would never leave me nor forsake me. I could not understand that. But even as I wondered how that was possible, He told me to keep seeking and desiring His Will and I would indeed find Him.
God truly does understand the condition of a person’s heart and mind. He knows our issues, He knows all the difficult things we must overcome and He knows if a person sincerely wants to change and live their life for Him.
Be honest before God and actively seek Him. Talk with Him about the things you struggle with, about the things you feel are keeping you from serving Him. Tell Him that you want to do better but you need His help. He will be there for you and with you. He will lead you to the help and deliverance required for you to be free. He will be the change you need!
1 Chronicles 28:9 (Amplified Bible)
9And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father [have personal knowledge of Him, be acquainted with, and understand Him; appreciate, heed, and cherish Him] and serve Him with a blameless heart and a willing mind. For the Lord searches all hearts and minds and understands all the wanderings of the thoughts. If you seek Him [inquiring for and of Him and requiring Him as your first and vital necessity] you will find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever!
I know that we are all works in progress, but sometimes it feels like there is too much work to be done! You get tired of struggling with the same addiction or falling into the same trap that causes you to look in the mirror and ask yourself, “What’s wrong with me?”
When you know you have messed up, those familiar waves of disappointment and shame wash over you. You may even begin to feel angry and disgusted. “Why is this so hard?” “How can God use me when I can never get it right?” You may begin to feel like hope is lost.
David was a passionate man who sometimes did things that were far from the will of God, including murder and adultery. David had witnessed firsthand how God dealt with people whose hearts were turned against Him. How grateful must he have been to know God’s power as well as His love, forgiveness and provision, in spite of his shortcomings . As God rescued David from himself, David learned that his “help comes from the Lord, which made heaven and earth” (Psalm 12:12).
The same God who created the heavens and the earth can create something new in you. He can help you overcome those weaknesses and release you from shame and defeat. Like David, you must recognize your own brokenness and realize that only God can fix it. He IS the help that you need.
Talk to the Lord about those weak areas today. Tell Him you want to change but you don’t know how. Ask Him to help you as you determine not to do those things anymore. Stay close to His Word and pay attention the internal warning signals that He gives you to keep you on the right track. Accept the help that He sends you because it will make you better.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (The Message)
No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.
