SeaCoast Grace – God Forgives

1 – Get honest

• I agree it was wrong and agree that it was destructive (contrition)
• Acknowledge my sin
• About Face (repentance)
• It’s not about trying harder, it’s about being honest about needing God’s help

2 – Get free

• Are you who you were created to be?
• Leave your sins at the cross (confess) – don’t let them haunt you
• Faith the forgiveness
• Feel the forgiveness
• Fight the familiar

3 – Experience God’s grace (daily)

Drinking

Last night, I chose to have a beer (we bought a 6-pack for super bowl party).  I was feeling guilty about it, and in prayer I said:

I forget exactly what the response was, but I remember thinking, "wow that was harsh".  Then I said:

The response was:

Then I got the impression that because of that love, there are going to be times when I don’t like the answers to my questions, but those answers are in my own best interest.  I may not be sinning by drinking a beer, but God "will not protect me from the consequences of my decisions" and that I am "playing a dangerous game if I continue."

I also said:

The response was:

His rules / commands are for my own good.  I must trust Him.

The Value of My Wasted Time

If God has been designing my life, which I know He has, then what, I wonder, was my EQ / WoW phase all about?  What does God mean to use all of that time for?  Was it wasted time?  Or was it time spent that has taught me something that will be used for His purpose?

The greatest takeaway / lesson from that experience was the model of using positive reinforcement feedback to strengthen the bond between the user and the system.  Can this be used by God?  What would a system look like that used this model to bring people closer to Him?