RCCG Victory Temple Chantilly's Podcast

"I have blotted out. your transgressions, and..your sins." Isa 44:22 NKJV

When you have a hard time forgiving yourself.

There is only one unpardonable sin named in the Bible (See Luke 12:10). And as a believer, you probably haven't committed it, so God will forgive you for everything else. However, when God says He forgives you and you refuse to forgive yourself, it's like opting to stay in prison after the judge has expunged your record and set you free. And worse, you're committing the sin of pride. How come? Because when God forgives you and you refuse to forgive yourself, you're putting your opinion above His. If you're having trouble forgiving yourself, stand on God's Word: "I...am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins" (Isa 43:25 NKJV). "1 have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and. your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you" (Isa 44:22 NKJV).

"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and...will abundantly pardon" (Isa 55:7

NKJV). 'Never open your mouth anymore because of your shame, when I provide you an atonement for all you have done,' says the Lord" (Eze 16:63 NKJV). "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1Jn 1:9). "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" (Ro 8:1 NKJV). Are you

"in Christ Jesus?" Then rejoice; you no longer need to struggle under the weight of condemnation. God has totally forgiven you, so forgive yourself and move on.

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"Teach children in a way that fits their needs." Pr 22:6 ERV

Have you ever wished for a parenting do-over-a second chance to raise your kids? With hindsight and insight, you think you would do it right this time! Parenting is both rewarding and guilt inducing. It's rewarding because we love our children and they bring us joy. It's guilt inducing because we blame ourselves for their shortcomings and misfortunes. "Where did I go wrong as a parent?" There is no perfect parent, and there is no universal blueprint because every child is born unique.

Psychologists told us our children were born a "blank slate," waiting for us to write life instructions on them. Not so! Babies are miniature people, "born in sin and shapen in iniquity" (See Ps 51:5). They are given to us to figure out as we try to mold them spiritually, morally, socially, and intellectually. By age seven, they have learned about 75 percent of everything they will ever know. But although there is no one-size-fits-all formula for success, there are God-given principles that work whether you're a new parent or a grandparent. "Teach children in a way that fits their needs, and even when they are old, they will not leave the right path" (Pr 22:6 ERV).

Notice some keywords here. "Teach," which implies imparting information in a consistent, understandable way. Toddlers learn better with pictures. Older kids need us to use contemporary language. If they don't "get it," we probably didn't teach it well enough!

"Children" means old enough to understand.

"A way that fits their needs" implies knowing their personality and abilities and tailoring your teaching to fit them. When God's principles fit the child's unique characteristics, they're more likely to adopt and follow them.

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"Children are a gift from the Lord." Ps

127:3 NLT

Over the next few days, let's look at some practical areas where we as parents are often confused. Guidance versus criticism. If you have a placid, agreeable, and compliant child who enjoys school, homework, and doing household chores, bringing "them up in the training and instruction of the Lord" will be a joy! (Eph 6:4 NIV). Many of us, however, are given assertive, strong-willed kids with their own agendas. These kids know what they want, and when and how to get it. They also know what they don't want to eat, wear, hear, say, and do! And parents of these kids need help in building the kind of relationship that creates trust and allows for mutual discussion and respect in a tug-of-war atmosphere. In such cases giving guidance can easily become criticism, constantly emphasizing the child's faults: "You look ridiculous in that... you're never on time...why can't you be like...

A much better approach is to point the kid to the solution. Even valid guidance offered negatively will damage self-worth, breed resentment, and destroy the possibility of building mutual respect. They need to hear you say, "I'm not on your back-I'm on your team!" When normal conflict arises?and it will?it's tempting to become overbearing or frustrated. When you shout, insult, or humiliate the child, you lose sight of your parental goal of guiding and training. This leaves them feeling angry, disempowered, uncertain of themselves and you an invitation to rebellion. But if you guide your child as one who is on their team, with patient practical help, links will be forged that encourage cooperation, trust, and mutual respect.

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"Do not embitter your children." Col 3:21

NIV

Another point of parental confusion is this:

Bitter versus better. What is bitterness? It is strong resentment or cynicism. How do parents create bitterness in their children?

Consider the following triggers: (a)

Inconsistency. This happens when you are autocratic and authoritarian one day and permissive the next. What brought a strong rebuke today brings a smile of leniency tomorrow. So, your child never knows what to expect. (b) Moodiness. Today you're fun and enjoyable to be with; tomorrow you're irritable and distant. (c) Unreasonableness. There is no room for discussion, no opportunity for children to explore their feelings. "Just do as I say because I say it!" So, the kid is never given the chance to think through the reasoning process. (d) Abusive behavior. It might be physical or emotional (withholding your love, the silent treatment, rejection). Or it might be verbal (yelling and using words that wound). (e) Failing to walk your talk-saying one thing but doing another! You profess certain beliefs but don't practice them. You expect your kids to be respectful while you display disrespect to others. You expect honesty from your children, but they see you cheat and lie your way through life.

Children are keen observers-they may not say anything, but not much that you do escapes their attention. They see your inconsistencies-when what you say doesn't line up with what you do. All of these behaviors can make them resentful. "Do not embitter your children." Don't set them up to become discouraged.

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"They will become discouraged." Col 3:21

NIV

Embittered children ultimately become discouraged. A discouraged child is less hopeful, less enthusiastic, lacking in determination, and easily led astray. By destroying your child's hope, you're undermining their God-given temperament.

Children are born with optimism, inspiration, anticipation, and possibilities. Without hope, there is nothing to inspire them.

Hopelessness brings depression and darkness of heart and soul. When you embitter your children, you undermine their hope. When you demoralize them, you destroy their confidence, leaving them afraid, insecure, and unable to face life. Self-confidence is necessary for a healthy self-image, for relating to others, for succeeding in their education and a career. A

disheartened kid loses certainty and becomes a broken spirit. The spirit is the center of the being. A broken spirit produces a broken person. "A broken spirit saps a person's strength" (Pr 17:22 NLT), leaving a child with their core disabled. Our streets are full of broken kids. Broken-spirited kids lack the resolve to achieve in life, to set goals and reach them. "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Pr 29:18). It's your vision that gives you the inner strength to see something through to its accomplishment in spite of the obstacles encountered. It takes an intact, resilient child to overcome life's hurdles. How can you help them? "Instead [of breaking their spirit], bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord" (Eph 6:4 NIV). You must cherish them, teach them God's Word even when they seem indifferent, practice what you preach, be consistent with your rules, let them see you reading God's Word and praying regularly. Always encourage them and never, never give up on them!

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"Trust in the Lord." Pr 3:5 NIV

When you honestly evaluate your worries, you will find you are doing these: (1) Forgetting that God is your friend. The psalmist said,

"The Lord is a friend to those who fear him"

(Ps 25:14 NLT). Friendship with God is built by sharing your life's experiences with Him-every activity, every conversation, every problem, and every thought. When you don't, you end up unaware of His presence, oblivious to His voice, resistant to His correction, and out of sync with His timing.

And when you live that way, there is one inevitable result-worry! (2) Taking on things you shouldn't. Peter Marshall prayed:

"Father...check our impulse to spread ourselves so thin that we're exposed to fear and doubt, to the weariness and impatience that makes our tempers wear thin; [that] robs us of peace of mind; that makes skies grey when they should be blue; that stifles a song along the corridor of our hearts." You lose your song when you add the unnecessary pressure of maintaining your exterior image, increasing your pace to keep up with the  
Joneses, and trying to fix everybody or live up to their expectations. (3) Failing to understand the difference between the secular and the sacred. Either Jesus is Lord over every area of your life, or He is not Lord over any of it. We tell ourselves certain parts of our lives lie in the realm of God's concern, but not others. The Bible says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight" (Pr

3:5-6 NIV). To live any other way is to live a worried life!

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"She came and has continued from morning until now." Ru 2:7 NKJV

After ten years of sorrow and hardship in which she lost her husband and her support system, God introduced Ruth to her new husband, Boaz. Where? In the field where she worked each day. Who was Boaz? The owner of the field. One of the things that attracted Boaz to Ruth was her work ethic. The servant in charge of his reapers told him, "She came and has continued from morning until now." As a result, she ended up married to the boss.

That's why the Bible has so much to say about the difference between laziness and hard work, sloppiness and excellence, tardiness and punctuality, honesty and dishonesty, a positive attitude and a negative one. Someone is always observing you who is capable of blessing you. Read these three Scriptures: 
(1) "Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before unknown men" (Pr 22:29 NKJV). 
(2) "The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich" (Pr 13:4 NKJV). 
(3) "He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich" (Pr 10:4 NKJV). Notice the phrases "a slack hand" and"a lazy man." By expecting much and giving back as little as possible in return, you don't just shortchange the company you work for, you shortchange yourself. Why? Because God promises to honor you when you give your best. His Word says, "Promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another" (Ps 75:6-7).

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"The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." Ac 11:26 NKJV

Did you know that the word "disciple" occurs 269 times in the New Testament, whereas the word "Christian" is found only three times?

The word "Christian" was first introduced to describe who they were, disciples of Jesus Christ! Dallas Willard uses the illustration of the automobile: "The disciple of Jesus is not the deluxe or heavy-duty model of the Christian-especially padded, textured, streamlined, and empowered for the fast lane on the straight and narrow way. He or she stands on the pages of the New Testament as the first level of basic transportation in the Kingdom of God." Becoming a Christian is the work of a moment; it happens when you place your trust in Christ. But becoming a disciple is the work of a lifetime; it calls for denying yourself and saying yes to the will of God every day of your life. What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? Three things: (1) To listen to Him and learn. That calls for reading, studying, memorizing, verbalizing, and applying the truths taught in the Scriptures to your life each day. (2) To follow Him wherever He leads. This may call for changing your plans, forfeiting some of your relationships, and giving Him access to things you would like to hold on to. (3) To be devoted to Him.

One day Jesus said to Peter, "Do you love Me more than these?" (Jn 21:15 NKJV). Note the word "more." To be a disciple means to love Jesus more than anyone or anything else. And it's the most fulfilling and rewarding life you can live!

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Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus." Heb

12:1-2 NKJV

The men and women who made the greatest impact on the world were those who were totally focused and sold out to their vision.

John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, once said, "If I had three hundred men who feared nothing but God, hated nothing but sin, and were determined to know nothing among men but Jesus Christ and Him crucified, I would set the world on fire." Jonathan Edwards, whose ministry sparked the Great Awakening in America, made this his life's motto: "Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I will." C. T. Studd, one of England's greatest athletes, shocked the world when he gave up fame and fortune to be a missionary to China.

"If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him," he explained. Missionary Jim Elliot, who died as a martyr in South America, said,

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." The day you were born, God had a track for you to run on. But to win, you must get rid of (1) anything that weighs you down, and (2) anything that trips you up. "Let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus" (vv. 1-2 AMPC).

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Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." Jn 15:3

God's Word is like a prescription from your doctor. You don't have to understand how the medication works-you just have to faithfully keep taking it. Something amazing happens when you feed regularly on God's Word.

Temptation begins to lose power, and overcoming strength begins to replace it.

Each time a Scripture opens up and becomes real to you, your desire for God's Word increases. But that means reading your Bible even when you don't feel like it, or think you don't have time to do it, or you don't seem to be getting much out of it. The Bible says: "As the rain and snow come down from heaven and stay upon the ground to water the earth, and cause the grain to grow and to produce seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry, so also is my Word...it always produces fruit.

It shall accomplish all I want it to" (Isa 55:10-

11 TLB). You don't have to have certain sensations to know that God's Word is working in you. Indeed, Bible reading will keep you from sin, and sin will keep you from Bible reading. After his affair with Bathsheba, David wrote, "I have thought much about your words and stored them in my heart so that they would hold me back from sin" (Ps 119:11 TLB). Jesus said, "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." Are you tired of living in defeat? Then bathe your mind each day in God's Word. Let it flow over you until every vestige of sin and carnality is washed away.

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