Last week we started a new Spot of Grace series considering the issue of personal spiritual renewal. Can you sense the drought in your life? God calls us back to our first love.
And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Isaiah 58:11
Don’t you love that phrase, “satisfy your desire in scorched places”? If you are discouraged as you think about your need for a restart, don’t lose heart in the midst of trials. Don’t lose heart in the pressure of busyness. Don’t lose heart when you’re convicted of sin. God is waiting to bring wave upon wave of grace and mercy to you.
For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. John 1:16
Based on the challenge of Hosea 6:1, here’s this week’s Spot in a sentence: “Come back to me.”
Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. Hosea 6:1
The first step in personal renewal is to simply be aware that you have drifted. Then simply turn back to God, return to God. Turning back involves three things:
1. Recognize that some things have to go. You can’t begin a season of renewal without understanding that change needs to take place. Listen again to the quiet and loving voice of conviction. It is God’s gift to you.
2. Repent of all known sin. Come to the point where you can honestly say, “I don’t want this anymore. I’m sick of this sin. I desire to change.”
3. Make a decision to return to God. – This is a deliberate act of your will.
This week is an excellent week to return to God and thank Him for His mercy and Grace. Have a great week thanking God.
Pastor Glyn Knight
