He is the God of many chances

I feel a strong calling in my spirit today to share a message of love from God’s heart to yours. Like a camera, your Lord gives you more than one shot to come to Him and change your life. We often hear that everyone deserves a second chance. That is human love.The love that God puts in us is far more powerful than that. He forgives us of all the awful things we have done in our life, that we still remain ashamed of. Why? Because God loves us far more than we love ourselves. He wants only the best for us.

Think of all of the characters of the Bible God gave another chance to. Peter denied knowing Christ three times (Matth. 26:34,Luke 22:34, John 13:38). Thomas had to see , feel the nail marks in Christ’s hands and touch His side before he believed (John 20:24-29).  Saul,  a persecutor of Christians sees a flashing heavenly light his logical mind cannot understand.  Jesus speaks to him. Saul is saved from his hatred of Christians. He sees the truth of how he has hurt them.  He accepts Christ as the Lord of his heart and life. The persecutor of Christians becomes a  follower of Christ (Acts 9:1-19). These are only some of the many people who would come to see these shining truths. The Light of Christ always defeats the darkness. Love will always be victorious over hate. Faith is the fire that keeps us fighting, pressing on in our struggles.

Christ was ridiculed, rejected,mocked, despised, beaten, spit upon and then crucified. Why?  Because God believes everyone, even the worst offender deserves a second, a third and even a fourth chance. It is the way our Lord shows us His amazing love!

I have worked on the front lines of ministry with those many in society say are garbage. I have listened to the agonizing horror of the abused, addicted, alcoholics, homeless and those who sell their bodies for another fix, another way to escape that gnawing and agonizing torment that never goes away, that keeps them awake at night, begging that the greater mercy of death would come.

He is the God who can heal broken marriages if you let Him in, if you allow the Lord to be at the centre of your marriage. I know not every marriage can be saved, but where a man and woman have been brought together by God, every effort should be made to save that marriage.

In my marriage to Karen we have had our rocky times. Marriage isn’t always filled with joy.  There are times I have had my arguments with Karen. We are both strong-willed people. We have learned for a successful marriage you have to give up your right to be right. We have had our wonderful times ; we have experienced our sorrowful times. We have laughed together; we have cried together. When things got really rough, we sought out counselling.

Karen loves me through my challenges. My beautiful butterfly, shield mate and God-given bride has sat in many hard chairs in ER rooms, laying her weary head on my bed, praying with tears coming down her face, that I would be alive in the morning. Karen has stayed with me through eight intubations and the recovery periods after them.

Karen would interrupt me at this point and say, “Darling, please tell people I’m not a saint. They think I have such a difficult life with you with all your health challenges. I got the better end of the deal!”

Karen would want me to tell you she is far from perfect, but she is perfect for me.  I am far from perfect myself. Karen says we are perfect for one another.

We thank our Lord that He has given us many opportunities to make our marriage one that would be pleasing in His eyes. We get it wrong. We blow it, but God loves us as He loves everyone. God gives us all His many chances.

I too have lived, survived and am overcoming the soul-crushing abuse in my childhood and young adult life by my schizo affective father. God heard my prayer under the willow tree by our home. He heard my plea to be rescued from a nightmare of seeming never-ending suffering as my father would tell me that I was a mama’s boy, who was worth nothing, who would never become a man, who would always be a failure.

I can say today that greater rivers of forgiveness are flowing from my heart towards my father, who Karen and I prayed into the Kingdom, before he died nine years ago. God has used so many family members,counsellors, friends, colleagues and most recently, Dr. Heyward Ewart, who is mentoring me in my graduate program in Christian clinical counselling at St. James the Elder Theological Seminary, and La Vonne Earl, Master Christian Life Coach of Your Kingdom Inheritance Coaching, to help me see this truth. You can heal from your abuse and teach others how to heal and overcome theirs. You can be a victorious healer.

I leave you with this video to  think and pray about. I found it uplifting to my spirit to watch.  God gives a gospel singer an opportunity to sing with a homeless man   The homeless man gets his opportunity to witness to the gospel singer.

I urge you to take God’s hand today and know in your heart, that He will give you all the chances He wants you to have. Know in your heart that even if you’ve failed Him, He is always there with His outstretched arms of forever love.

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