Instead

“Don’t try to revise your past. Accept it, [and] instead give God your future.” (Levi Lusko)

Ezra 9:1-6, ERV

 After we finished all these things, the leaders of the Israelites came to me and said, “Ezra, the Israelites have not kept themselves separate from the other people living around us. And the priests and the Levites have not kept themselves separate. The Israelites are being influenced by evil things done by the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites. ² The Israelites have married the people living around us. The Israelites are supposed to be special, but now they are mixed with the other people living around them. The leaders and important officials of the Israelites have set a bad example in this thing.” ³ When I heard about this, I tore my robe and my coat to show I was upset. I pulled hair from my head and beard. I sat down, shocked and upset.

⁴ Then everyone who respected God’s Law shook with fear. They were afraid because the Israelites who came back from captivity were not faithful to God. I was shocked and upset. I sat there until the evening sacrifice, and the people gathered around me. ⁵ Then, when it was time for the evening sacrifice, I got up. I had made myself look shameful while I was sitting there. My robe and coat were torn, and I fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the Lord my God. ⁶ Then I prayed this prayer: “My God, I am too ashamed and embarrassed to look at you. I am ashamed because our sins are higher than our heads. Our guilt has reached all the way up to the heavens.

Ezra 10:1-4, ERV

 Ezra was praying and confessing. He was crying and bowing down in front of God’s Temple. While Ezra was doing that, a large group of the Israelites—men, women, and children—gathered around him. They were crying. ² Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, spoke to Ezra and said, “We have not been faithful to our God. We have married the people living around us. But, even though we have done this, there is still hope for Israel. ³ Now let us make an agreement before our God to send away all these women and their children. We will do that to follow the advice of Ezra and the people who respect the laws of our God. We will obey God’s law. ⁴Get up, Ezra. This is your responsibility, but we will support you. So be brave and do it.”

There is a difference between weeping and crying. Weeping is a deep emotional internal state of sadness, grief, or mourning of the soul (usually expressed in tears). An example of this would be the story of Lazarus when Jesus raised him from the dead (John 11:38-44). Crying is more of a shallow and temporary response to physical or emotional pain.

Coming back to God requires you to…

WEEP-(See Ezra 9:1-4 above) Lord, hear my prayer.  Listen to my cry. Do not ignore my tears. I am like a visitor with you.  Like my ancestors, I’m only here a short time. (Psalm 39:12, ICB) Sin makes you feel good (as if you are in the right). God is never happy when you compromise your beliefs (or rationalize your sins).

CONFESS-(See Ezra 9:5-6 above) But if we confess our sins, God will forgive us. We can trust God to do this. He always does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrong things we have done. (1 John 1:9, ERV) God’s forgiveness always follows our confession of sin in our life.

REPENT OF YOUR SINS (AND THE SINS OF OTHERS)- (See Ezra 10:1-4 above)  Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, (Acts 3:19, NIV) Repentance always means turning from your sin back to God.

God needs you to divorce yourself from your sins, and no longer have a relationship with your temptations.

 But in all these things we have full victory through God who showed his love for us. (Romans 8:37, ICB) God provides you with everything you need to be victorious over sin. He is there if you call upon Him in prayer.[i]

 

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[i] Inspired by the sermon “Revisions: The Comeback” (installment six, final) Sunday October 11, 2020, Pastor Jon Fulton (CPW).  All CenterPoint churches are open in-person at 10am. They will continue to meet online at facebook.com/centerpointchurches or centerpointchurches.com/live.