October 20 Thought for the day....be free of regrets

Have you ever acted in a way or have done something you deeply regretted? Of course, you have, all of us have at one time or another. Most things are minor and are quickly forgotten. In our walk with Christ, things we think are small can hinder our blessings in big ways. James shares with us a way to avoid the regrets and the damage that can be done to our faith.

"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." James 5:16

How does this help us avoid regrets? Simple! Most of the foolish things we do. Most of the sin we commit begins as a thought! Most of our sin develops, our negative mindsets have a beginning, bad attitudes start as a spark in our minds. These dark thoughts can begin to rot us from the inside out. If it is hidden, it has power. We try to battle it on our own, sometimes with success but many more times we got lost in the struggle.

The word "confess" means, to say out loud, to declare, to blurt out. As long as the sin-thoughts, dark-thoughts are hidden they will frustrate and control you. If you can get them out into the open all of a sudden that which controlled you is now broken over you. You can begin to walk in freedom.

What is James asking you to do? When the darkness begins to create a battle in your mind, don't hide from it. Don't deceive yourself into thinking you can handle it. Perhaps you can, but you will waste entirely too much time in the battle. Find someone you can completely trust. Someone that loves you believes in you, and only wants the best for you and share your battle with them. You will feel a weight lift once this sin no longer has its hidden hold over you.

You may not think the sin has a hold over you, but once the thought is there, It doesn't take long for actions to follow. Relationships are critical in the Kingdom and to have a friend, mentor, or pastor you can completely trust is a blessing that will keep you free.

The devil knows what games to play in our heads. He knows how to make us feel insecure, broken, fearful, useless, overwrought with sin and many other ways. These are all tactics he uses to keep us from walking in freedom and power. We all battle stuff as long as we are living in this flesh war will be raged in our minds. If we have plans of action in place, we will always live in victory and be free of regrets!