HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 285
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went together to the king and said, “Your Majesty, you know that according to the law of the
Medes and the Persians, no law that the king signs can be changed.” So at last the king gave
orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May
your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.” A stone was brought and placed over
the mouth of the den . . . Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He
refused his usual entertainment and couldn’t sleep at all that night.
Making foolish promises brings regrets. In this story the king was persuaded to make a
foolish law that put his friend Daniel’s life at risk.
How can I deal with the regrets of my life?
• 2 C O R I NT H I A NS 5 :1 7 | This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new
person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
When you come to faith in Jesus, he forgives your sins—all of them. Your past is forgotten
to him, and he gives you a fresh start. You will still have to live with the consequences of
your sins because they cannot be retracted. But because God forgives you, you can move
forward without the tremendous guilt that can accompany regret.
• PSA L M 5 1 :7 , 1 2 | Purify me from my sins. . . . Restore to me the joy of your salvation.
Because God no longer holds your sins against you, you no longer have to hold them
against yourself. Now you can be free from self-condemnation.
Ask yourself what God may be communicating through your regrets. God sometimes uses
brokenness and remorse to bring spiritual insight and growth. Regrets that drive you to
God are redemptive.
• PSA L M 3 8 :4 -6 | My guilt overwhelms me—it is a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds
fester and stink because of my foolish sins. I am bent over and racked with pain. All day
long I walk around filled with grief.
• PH I L I PP I A NS 3 :1 3 | No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on
this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.
Focus on God who controls the future, not on regrets of the past. The past is over, so don’t
live a “what if” life of regret, feeling angry at yourself for what you did and bitter toward
God for allowing you to do it. God doesn’t cause regrets; he washes them away when you
ask him to walk with you into the future.
• MAT T H E W 1 6 :1 8 | “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon
this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”
• MAT T H E W 2 6 :7 3 -7 5 | A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and
said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.” Peter swore, “A curse
on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed. Suddenly,
Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three
times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly.
• G A L AT I A NS 2 :8 -9 | For the same God who worked through Peter as the apostle to the Jews
also worked through me as the apostle to the Gentiles. In fact, James, Peter, and John, who
were known as pillars of the church . . .
Turn your regrets into resolve. Regrets can be so powerful that they disable you from
serving God in the future. If Peter had focused on his regret from denying Jesus, he would
never have been able to preach the Good News about Jesus so powerfully. Don’t let regret
paralyze you; instead, let it motivate you to positive action for God in the future.
• 1 PE T E R 5 :7 | Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
• PSA L M 5 1 :1 2 | Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.
HelpFinder
• PSA L M 5 1 :1 -3 , 1 7 | Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of
your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify
me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. . . . The sacrifice
you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
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• PSA L M 1 1 9 :7 5 | I know, O Lord, that your regulations are fair; you disciplined me
because I needed it.