Useful Bad Decisions.

Texting my brother at certain points throughout yesterday afternoon, I was sharing my excitement regarding a decision he helped my figure out over the weekend. After some back and forth, I expressed my thanks. He texted back that I was welcome, although he didn't do much.

"Wisdom & encouragement, bro...priceless."

Apparently I had forgotten the often stated sage advice, which he included in his response:

"Wisdom comes from experience and experience comes from bad choices."

The "haha" on the end of the text made me smile, until I realized, had I made the decision he helped encourage me to make a few yrs ago, let alone 10 yrs ago, things would be very different indeed.

Then, I got to thinking about churches. About ministry. About the sovereignty of God. About His hand, turning what the enemy intended to harm and destroy, to bring glory to His name and to work His purpose in our lives.

This all confirmed of course, during Wednesday nights' service..."if we knew then what we know", but the problem is had you done things differently, you wouldn't be where you are now, which despite your satisfaction or lack thereof with the here and now, God still has a plan in place for your life, family, career and ministry.

So, now...it's just a matter of not living in the past, not letting bad decisions get the best of you and not allowing the frustrating consequences of those decisions that are now present day reality detour you from making good decisions moving forward.

"If God be for us, who can be against us. We can live in victory today." - DeGarmo & Key

Pray, on this #deaconThursday, for those in churches and ministries, struggling with today's reality because of yesterday's bad decisions. Pray for those having difficulty understanding the how and the why of God's desire and ability to use our mistakes for His glory. Pray for those exhausted, from "everything" seemingly going the wrong way in their lives at nearly every turn. May they realize the break they need in life, is found in Christ and the breakthrough ready at God's command. Pray for those tempted to give in to the victim mindset; that while the struggle and challenge is real, may the have the mind of Christ... knowing, understanding and fulfilling the truth, that greater is He who is within me, is greater than he who is in the world.

Bad decisions. Useful. For the glory of God. For those whose hearts are set on Him. Notice King David...a man after God's own heart; not a man's decisions after God's own heart. David's heart knew His place with God, even when his decisions failed to line up. He paid the consequences, yet he died, having fulfilled God's purpose in his generation. Likewise, let it be said of us.

-PNC

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