Courage to Reset

Courage to Reset
Luke 15:18
“I will get up and go back to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.”
 
Today, I was listening to Apostle Lewis Fisher who was sharing with the faith community about ensuring that Christ is the center of and has ordained everything that we set our hands to do. This applies to everything from ministry to marriage. He seals his point simply by saying that we should “Have the courage to reset.”

This resonated with me. When I heard this, I saw a million things flash before me that I participated in and supported, but that God had not ordained. For some of those things, I had no idea God had not blessed it until it was too late. Many others, I knew full well going into it, that God’s hand did not rest upon it, but I did not have the courage to stop, pray, repent, and reset.

The prodigal son made it sound easy, didn’t he? He squandered his wealth in unfruitful living, and when he saw that He was “in a bad way” … with no money and no friends, not to mention in a pigsty… literally, the Bible says, “He came to his senses”. He decided to “get up, go to his father and share that He had sinned against both heaven and his father and was no longer worthy to be his son.” Just like that. He came to his senses. He found the courage to reset.

It did not happen in my life like that. It was more like… I came to my senses, then my senses left me again… then I thought and cried, and squandered more… then came to my senses, and then was scared, and then…decided to get up.

I went through the above series of events because I lacked the courage to reset and start again. What would people say? How will this look? How do I come back to God when I didn’t consult Him in the first place? How do I even begin the reset process?

The truth is what people say, how it looks and where to begin doesn’t even matter. What is important is being certain you are not in a situation that God has not destined and ordained. When we allow ourselves to embark on something that God has no part in, it is sure to be a failure and God gets no glory in it. And our Father knew when we set out to do our own thing that we would be back, in our own pitiful way, asking for mercy and pleading with God to fix whatever it is that we messed up. And He always does. He makes it all work out for our good. Like the prodigal son's father, we are welcomed with open arms by a God who loves us beyond what we could imagine.

Whatever you are endeavoring to take on today, make sure God’s hand rests on it. Make sure God has given you the go-ahead. Consult Him before you move. Don’t ask Him to jump in on the back end. Matthew 6:33 (Amplified Bible) says, “But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.” When we do, we are certain to please God.

Perhaps you have gotten a little too far into it, you’ve invested too much. Have the courage to step back, seek God, admit you went out on your own, and reset. There is so much more at stake than just your investment. You could miss an opportunity to give God glory. 

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