Press the reset button
A lot of electronic gadgets have a reset button – a button that clears everything of the past and starts everything up afresh. Like them, we too sometimes need to reset things spiritually.
You see, sometimes we say or do or think something that forces the Lord to be against us, without us even realizing it. The Lord tries to let us know that we need to repent, but we don’t get it. Or, even if we do realize that we have done something to offend the Lord and that need to repent we don’t know what we need to repent of.
No one around us may have the discernment to know what has happened. And no prophet who is in touch with God may be around us for God to communicate to us through him or her. As a result, we continue on, out of touch with the Lord, unable to hear His voice, and receive His favor.
If we continue like that it can take a tremendous spiritual toll on us.
For this reason, we must learn to discern when the Lord is for us and when He has turned His face away from us. Further, we must understand (from His word) what pleases Him and what doesn’t, so that when we examine ourselves we can pinpoint the reason why He had to turn away from us.
If, after doing all that, we still cannot figure out what went wrong, we must press the reset button. That is, we must go to the Lord for a general forgiveness with an attitude of general repentance. We must say something like, "I feel like I’ve offended You. I don’t know how, and I can’t figure it out. I am truly sorry. Please forgive me. I repent generally, and if You show me specifically what I’ve done to turn You away I will repent specifically of that sin."
Such a prayer may even be accompanied by fasting.
The Lord is gracious. He understands our limitations. He will accept such a prayer if it comes from a sincere heart.
Then, we can resume our walk with the Lord.
If, on the other hand, we neglect to do this, then, like an unattended cut that becomes gangrenous, our folly can overtake us and shipwreck our faith. Don’t let such a thing happen to you.
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