Daniel SAFARI: Week 9

Welcome back, travelers!  Cannot believe chapter/week 9 is upon us.  This week we're exploring repentance and with His grace, conquering defiance. Perhaps out of all we've studied,this hits closest to home for me.  Not a super place to spend a lot of time--looking at areas which should be pruned and changed.  Nevertheless, this is where the jeep has stopped, and it would be futile to go further w/o jettisoning the sin which ensnares (Heb. 12:1).

This week I'll address the following:  Time for some brutal honesty– have you ever struggled with repenting? Has there ever been something you knew you needed to turn from and didn’twant to? How did that work out for you? What did you learn?

(As is in my nature, I'm slightly off-kilter, so my answer doesn't exactly "fit" the criteria.  Still...it's on my heart, and I think it relates..).

Well, funny you should ask.  The answer is, of course, yes.  But it's funny--I'm learning to recognize sin in my every day life with every day things, and with God's grace, I'm repenting (seeking forgiveness for and turning away) from those behaviors.  However, this passage brings to mind something broader, in terms of repentance.  You see, not only was Daniel repentant for himself--in fact some might say he didn't need to repent--he repented for others with whom he was associated.  I found this interesting in light of our own church's outreach series of messages (nice timing, God).  Our salvation and our repentance must start within our own hearts, but that's not where it ends.  It can't end there, or we deny the instructions of our Great Commission.  God is for everyone, not just the ones who are saved right now.

Unfortunately, for me, my repentance often ends with myself (and God).  The pattern goes something like this:  I sin.  I realized I've sinned.  I choose to confirm or deny my sin.  At this point, I hope the flow graph goes to my confessing sin, seeking forgiveness, and changing my behavior towards a godly end.  And I'm getting better at that. Yet.  I am not a Christian Lone Ranger, though I confess this is often how I've acted. I find that, for my other believing friends, I'll pray for healing, for direction, for provision, for you-name-it, but I often forget or neglect to pray for their forgiveness from the sin which so easily ensnares them.  It is not easy being a Christian.  The arrows are flying.  I need to ask God to love and forgive my fellow believers. Somehow, I guess I've figured that they'd repent on their own, or that their lives are none of my business. But to be honest, if we really are a church "family" and not the church of Gretchen, we do need to bear each others' burdens, including repentance.  I need to suit up in His armor to not only protect myself, but my church and THE Church from Satan's schemes.  This is my understanding of what Daniel did in chapter 9.  In verse 20, he speaks about confessing and repenting for his sins, but also for the sins of his fellow people of Israel. 

In the world family of God's children (which include all whom He made, not just Christians), I need to be praying that my husband and all those who don't personally know Jesus will turn away from their unbelief and turn to the heart of Jesus. 

And so, Jesus, let me do that right now.  Please forgive my sins--the every day lapses which You and I have talked about, but also for the sins, past, present, and future of my believing AND non-believing brothers and sisters.  I pray that the believers would repent and, in this process of pruning, show more fruit of Your Spirit, which, in turn, attracts our non-believing friends and family like bees to nectar.  And for those who sin in their disbelief--Lord, I give them to You.  I ask for your mercy, and for your Spirit to pierce through hardened hearts.  Thank You for Who You are, Lord.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.