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..be holy, because I am holy.  Leviticus 11:45

I’ve had a song in my heart this week, its the worship song that goes “I want to be Holy, set apart for you Lord Jesus, ready to do your will“. While I was painting wood in the garden this week I started pondering on the words and whether I really meant what I was singing.

Do I really want to be holy, above all else? Do I really want to be set apart – not of the world – choosing not to follow worldly desires and what culture tells me I should act like?  To live my life totally as God wants me to? Am I ready to do God’s will, rather than my own? Am I prepared to make the sacrifice of being holy; of obeying Christ in all things; of giving up my selfish, sinful ways for holy and selfless living?

I thought about this for a while and searched my heart and I found that actually yes, in my heart, I do desire to be holy and obedient to God’s will. This is not because of me, it is because God has done a work in me by His Spirit, and changed my sinful heart.  Yet in practice this is not so simple! As you will know well, there’s still a real daily battle with the flesh and the world, pulling us away from actually doing what our hearts wants to do! (Read Romans 7:18-25, Paul comments on this very thing!)

So what is being holy? To put it simply, it means being like God in our hearts and in our actions. It means keeping ourselves “from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27) and above all, loving God and putting him first (Mark 12:30). It’s so important to God that He even called us to be holy & set us apart before the world was created! (1 Corinthians 1:2, Ephesians 1:4) He commands us to be holy because He Himself is holy (Leviticus 11:45)  and because when we live holy lives, we show Jesus to the world! Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14 ..Quite a challenging verse there from Hebrews.

How do we do it? I think Adam’s series on progressive sanctification is really helpful here! Go and read it if you haven’t done already! It’s a process, but loving and relying on God more and more is the only way we can truly live holy lives. We cannot do it just by willpower, as we will either fail miserably or, if we start to think we’re getting “good” at being holy, we become arrogant, prideful and can often start judging others – then (hopefully) we realise we are not being holy at all!!

I think the “ready to do God’s will” statement is also a thing is key. God would never ask us to do anything that was sinful, instead he points us in the direction of holiness, by the Holy Spirit living in us (and he always has the best plan for our lives!) Often God will prompt us on something that he wants us to change, so that we can be more holy, and sometimes we can be quite slow to respond. We try to justify it to ourselves, as it’s so hard to change ways of acting/living/thinking or even a relationship that is unhealthy, so we think it’s just never going to be possible or we come up with the age-old excuse that “now is not the right time”. Yet if God is prompting us, who are we to tell him he’s got the timing wrong, or he doesn’t’ realise how hard it is?! The sooner we obey, the sooner He can step in and give us the power to overcome! It’s a joint effort, but it starts with us being obedient to God’s will, no matter what we think the consequences/cost might be.

Father God I pray that you would help us to be holy.  Help us fight the temptations of the flesh and the ways of the world, in order to be set apart for you. I pray that we would be ready and willing to do your will as soon as you prompt us, so that we may become more holy and the world would see Jesus through us. Amen.

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16

The Three Stages of Sanctification

²⁷ Why do you say, O Jacob,
and complain, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?

²⁸ Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

Isaiah 40:27-29

I know I have used this passage before, but I was reading it again today and I think I needed to be reminded of it, and I’m sure others may too. Verses 30 & 31 are the more famous verses of this passage, but I decided to leave them out (you can go and read them yourself if you wish!)

v27: Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”?

We can sometimes feel and then speak out to others things like “Why is God letting this happen” or “Why hasn’t God done anything.” We start to allow ourselves to think that we have been left to fend for ourselves and that God’s either not listening or he doesn’t care! We need to be so careful because anyone who reads the bible for themselves should know that this is not true! And to speak it out is telling God he’s unfaithful when God is the only faithful One! God promises to always be with us and never leave us. (1)

v28: Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

I like this! Of course we know, of course we’ve heard, yet sometimes we act like we don’t know (which is why I think this is written how it is!)  We can slip back into our old ways of thinking, we can forget who God is, and that nothing is impossible for him! We need reminding that he’s not like us, he’s eternal and nothing brings him down or makes him weary!! He also does things differently from us and thinks differently from us.. We may want him to remove a situation, he may want us to learn from it first! We can try to second guess God but unless he reveals to us his plans, we will never know! We must just trust that He is  Good (because we know He is!) and that He will turn things for good for those who love Him (because we know He will!) (2)

v29: He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Notice what isn‘t said in this verse. It isn’t said that God will take away our problems. It isn’t said that he will remove the circumstances we are going through (God’s ways are not our ways!). Yet he does promise to restore our strength when we are weary, and give us power when we are weak. He’ll give us everything we need to overcome whatever we are going through and to persevere in tough times! Why dosen’t God just take away the hard stuff? Because it’s through the hard times that we grow more like Jesus, that we develop our character and that we exercise our faith… but that’s a whole other bible study!

If you feel weak or weary today, first thank God that he’s right there with you and then ask him to come and strengthen you and give you the power to overcome.

And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Revelation 5:8

Trouble & Trials our view vs God’s view

Our View

1. God is punishing me
2. God mustn’t be good after all, he’s not blessed me like he promised.
3. I didn’t sign up for all this suffering, wasn’t being a Christian supposed to make life easier?
4. Where is God when I’m going through this?

God’s View

1. Trials are not a punishment – they are a faith, character & hope building exercise! God tells us we should receive trials and even suffering with Joy..

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:6-7

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Romans 5:3-4

(Note, however, that God does discipline those he loves. Hebrews 12:5-7)

2. God has already blessed us with every Spiritual Blessing in Christ. He also promises to turn all things round for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

3. Jesus clearly told us that, in following him, we would face trouble, trials and suffering. Our faith is not about a nice ticket to heaven and an easy ride. Jesus said us we must deny ourselves and lay down our own lives (“take up your cross”) in order to follow him, just as he did for us.

And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. Luke 9:22-24

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.  John 16:33b

4. God has promised to always be with us in the trials, but not to take them away! We need to remember that Jesus has all authority and He is with us always! In our weakness – God is strong!

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  Isaiah 43:2

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.“ Matthew 28:18-20

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10

God’s word is truth. We need to ask God to help us align our views/feelings with the word of God so that we can live lives of freedom and truth. Lives that are pleasing to God and that give him all the glory!

“If you squeeze a lemon you should get lemon juice, if you squeeze an orange you should get orange juice. If you squeeze a Christian, you should get Christ”

Romans 6:15-23

 ¹⁵What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! ¹⁶Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. ¹⁸You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

 ¹⁹I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. ²⁰When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. ²¹What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! ²²But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. ²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We are all slaves to something, that’s what it shows in this passage. We sometimes think we rule our own lives, as the famous song goes “I did it My Way.” But the truth is, if we’re not doing it God’s way, then we are slaves to sin & the devil instead. We may not notice this because we are being fooled by a world which tells us that getting what we want leads to happiness, and it’s all about how we feel and everything should revolve around “me, myself and I.” But as soon as we are slaves to anything else but Jesus, we are on a path to destruction. When we are slaves to righteousness, and obeying God, that’s when we are on the path to freedom and eternal life.

When we think of God’s amazing gift of Grace, we realise we are so blessed to no longer live under the old law, but we must be so careful not to take God’s gift of Grace as a free ticket to do whatever we want, knowing that we can come to God in repentance and be forgiven whenever we choose. It’s true that if we are honestly repentant then we will of course receive forgiveness for our sins, but whilst we are “abusing” God’s grace in this way, we are walking away from God and down a destructive path. We will hurt ourselves, our relationship with God and quite likely other people too. Plus the further we walk down this path of “licence”, the harder it will be to turn back to God in repentance, the sin will create a block between us and God, and although God will be calling us back to him the whole time, our spiritual discernment will weaken and we will find it a lot harder to repent and get back on track.

We also need to remember the cost of God’s Grace – Christ dying for us – and the significance of this: Our Holy, unblemished God choosing to take on all our sin even though he was totally perfect and blameless. Would we choose to heap even more sin on Christ’s shoulders just because we can get away with it?

Christ died so that we would be totally set free from sin, not so that we could dabble with it without taking any blame! We should want to flee from all sin and walk in obedience to Christ because of his wonderful sacrifice for us. We can then be so thankful and humble when we do mess up, because God is quick to forgive, abounding in grace and love.  

God’s way is perfect – when we live in obedience to him, trusting him and walking in his laws, then we see that he designed these laws not to spoil our fun, but for our enjoyment, freedom, protection and fulfilment. Read some of the Psalms and you will see how much God’s laws were loved and respected. In these guidelines we see that lives work out for the best, and peace and joy come as a result of following them.

Psalm 19:7-8

 ⁷ The law of the LORD is perfect,
       reviving the soul.
       The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
       making wise the simple.

 ⁸ The precepts of the LORD are right,
       giving joy to the heart.
       The commands of the LORD are radiant,
       giving light to the eyes.

If you don’t feel this way about God’s laws ask yourself a couple of questions. Is this because you are trying to fight them? Are you picking & choosing the ones that suit you, and not fully submitting to God’s will?

I challenge you for the next 40 days of lent – Try it! Walk in total obedience to Christ. It won’t be easy, you will slip up now and then, but you’ll realise what a blessing it is to be in step with God and to have that closer relationship with him because of it!

But always remember :

You’re not earning God’s love by your obedience  - God already loves you completely!

You’re not working out your own salvation – Jesus has already done it on the cross!  

That’s God’s amazing Grace!

What you are doing is understanding that God’s way is the best way to live your life, acknowledging that He knows better than you do (!), and trusting that if you follow his ways you will find fulfilment, joy and peace for your soul.

May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. 2 Thessalonians 3:5

Have a look at this verse – what is Paul praying for?

“God’s love & Christ’s perseverance”. I think the fact that Paul prays for perseverance, rather than asking God to take away troubles or things that could bring them down is such a key thing. We’re not supposed to seek an easy life with no trouble or worries - that’s never going to happen! Jesus himself told us that! Read John 16:33: “In this world you (we) will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” We are to expect to have things that we will need perseverance to get through! That’s why instead of asking God to take away the problems and troubles, Paul asks God to give the Thessalonians love & perseverance to get through them still filled with faith. So that no matter what life or the devil throws there way, they can continue to persevere in the faith, trusting God and bringing him Glory.

What’s the point of perseverance? Well have a look at Romans 5:3-5: "..but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. " So from troubles, when we persevere, we develop character and as our character develops so does our hope, a hope in God which will not disappoint us.

Paul did not take perseverance lightly, he knew what it involved and what the cost was. He himself was a bit of an expert. He spent a lot of time in prison because of his faith, but he didn’t ask for prayers to be set free from prison, instead he prayed things like this verse in Ephesians 6:19-20: “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” Paul was less concerned with his own troubles and more concerned with sharing the gospel with those who didn’t know Jesus and telling them the good news of His salvation! This reflects his character, faith and hope in what is to come.

We are all going to have troubles, problems, bad days and low times. I read that this week is the most depressing week of the year! So it’s quite easy to get to a place where are focus is on “me”, my situation, my feelings and what I’m going through. When we are like this we are no use to anyone (not even ourselves!!) We are unproductive, actually quite destructive, and a bad witness to anyone who’s watching us. We need to pray for our hearts to be directed into God’s heart – to care about the things he does, especially the lost, and to stop focussing on ourselves. We need to pray for our hearts to be directed into God’s perseverance, so that no-matter-what we stand firm and keep going, rather than lying down and giving up!

Our role model? Jesus! He persevered and endured to the point of death. He never gave up on us and never followed his feelings rather than his calling! He is the ultimate role model of perseverance, and he did it for you and for me.  I can guarantee that what you are going through right now, no matter what it is, was not as hard and was not as painful as what Jesus went through in order to save you from your sin. And the amazing thing is that we don’t have to do any of this alone, we have the Holy Spirit in us and with us to give us all we need to persevere, we just need to choose to ask him!!!

So in this statistically depressing week, won’t you pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ – that the Lord will direct their hearts into God’s love and  Christ’s perseverance? (And while your at it, perhaps you could pray the same for me too!)

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." Romans 4:18-22

What does God look for in his children? I believe the thing that he loves to see the most is when we trust in him. Just look at this passage in Romans. Abraham was pre-Jesus, yet Abraham even though he was a sinner (like each one of us) was justified and made righteous through his faith in God. Today it’s our faith in Jesus – his death and resurrection – that makes us right before God. But we also need to live each day in faith, trusting in God’s words and promises and believing that God is who he says he is and has the power to do what he says he will.

The story can be found in Genesis. If we look at chapter 15:5-6 it says .

"He (God) took him (Abram) outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Abraham (God changed his name from Abram to Abraham, after this encounter) was a very old man and he had a very old wife. His wife had never given him children, the passage says her “womb was dead” and yet God told Abraham that his descendants would be so many it would be like counting the stars in the sky!!

How would you react to that promise? It’s not too hard to have the faith for something when you can see how it could happen, but it’s much harder to trust God’s word when every situation/circumstance screams at you that there’s no way (other than a miracle!)  it’s going to happen. Though all the circumstances seemed to say the opposite (“against all hope”), Abraham believed God’s word anyway and he was sure that somehow, someway God could and would do it. This faith pleased God so much that God "credited it to him as righteousness". That means that God made Abraham right with Himself. He no longer held Abraham’s sin against him, instead he removed it all and gave him a clean, holy new start! Amazing!

Now God didn’t fulfil his promise straight away and Abraham’s wife got a bit impatient and came up with a way to “make” God’s promise come true (which was not what God wanted). Yet in God’s timing he did give them a son, as He had promised, and although Abraham didn’t see his offspring numbering the stars in the sky in his own lifetime, he did get to see it from heaven because he had put his faith in God.

I just want to encourage you today to keep on putting your hope and your trust in God. You may feel that circumstances are against you, or that God is slow in keeping his promises, but God is powerful and He will do what He’s promised, in His own perfect timing. So trust in the Lord, in His power to do what He’s promised and with the knowledge that He won’t let you down. You will be so blessed and encouraged if you do!

Luke 15: 1-7

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

So he told them this parable:  “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Jesus Rocks! We sometimes have such a wrong view of what Jesus was (and is) like. If Jesus was here today he’d be out in the shopping centres inviting people to know him. He’d be in the pubs, betting shops and supermarkets talking to people and inviting himself over to their house for dinner! I doubt very much that he’d spend all of his time with “church people”. Why? Because they already know him! They’ll be spending eternity with him (which I gather is quite a long time). That’s why while he was on earth Jesus took a few of his close friends and went out as a small group sharing his love, forgiveness and healing power with anyone who would take the time to listen.

And you know what? That bugged the “righteous” people. They thought he was polluting himself by spending time with those “sorts” of people (sinners). Yet we know that Jesus is a friend of sinners (Praise God!) and his concern is for those who don’t yet know him. That’s why he sent his disciples “out” (out of the church, out of their comfort zones, out of their families, out of their homes, villages & nations)… so that they (we) could reach those who were on the road to hell. Not to condemn them, but to save them!(1) As the bible says that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (2) That’s Christ’s promise to every person who repents. No matter what they have done in the past!

Plus every time a person who has been living their life away from God, repents and decides to follow Jesus, the whole of heaven rejoices! (like it says in the verse above) There’s a party going on with the angels for every single sinner who seeks Jesus for forgiveness! It’s amazing. That’s God’s heart for the lost, and for every person who is saved! Every individual is so important to God.

Is your heart in-line with God’s?

Are you seeking to share Christ with those who are currently living lives apart from him?

Has their been a party in heaven for you yet, or are you still living your life without knowing Jesus as your Saviour?

Time is short. Now is the time to make those choices!

1) John 3:17 : For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

2) Romans 10:13: for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

I’ve had a few conversations with people recently who are finding their walk with God a bit of a struggle. Perhaps it’s the winter blues, the thought of all that dark, cold weather. Perhaps it’s tiredness or perhaps it’s spiritual attack. Either way, we all know what the “correct Christian answer” is– seek God. Yet we all also know that sometimes it’s really tough to do this when we’re tired, fed up and don’t feel like making any effort at all.

So I thought I would give you (and me!) a few tips on how to beat the blues by seeking God!

Tip 1) Remind yourself that it’s not about feelings. I think this is the biggest trap we can fall into. Because we don’t feel “it” or feel like worshipping or feel like praying, we give up before we’ve even started. Feelings are unfaithful – God IS faithful! Therefore, let us trust in God & his Word more and in our feelings a lot less!

Tip 2) Remind yourself of the Truth in scripture. Pick out some encouraging verses of who God is and who you are in him (even if you feel it’s not true.. it IS true, so start claiming it).

Read them OUT LOUD, not in your head. The spoken word has power. Your spirit responds to the spoken word (faith comes by hearing) and you will find yourself being built up just by speaking out words of truth.

Try some of the verses below as a starter, but on a good day try to pick out some scripture for yourself so that when a bad day comes along you can look at your personal list on the wall/fridge/in your diary and read them out-loud to yourself and to God. Turn them around too, so you are talking to God through the scriptures and thanking him for his blessings…

For example:

Thank you Father God that in ALL things you work for the good of those who love you, who have been called according to your  purpose. Romans 8:28

Thank you Jesus that you promise that you are always with me, by the Holy Spirit, and that you will never leave me. Matthew 28:20 & John 14:16

Thank you Jesus that I can do everything through the strength that you give me! Philippians 4:13

Thank you Lord that you know the plans you have for me. Plans to prosper me, and not to harm me, plans to give me a hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Thank you Father God  that you have given me victory over sin and death through Jesus my Lord and my saviour. 1 Corinthians 15:57

Even if you don’t feel these scriptures and you actually just feel like your being a bit of a parrot, keep on going! You’re talking to your soul and feeding it with the truth, your also demonstrating to the enemy that you are choosing God’s word over his lies or your feelings. Remember that whether you feel it or not, God’s word IS the truth and it doesn’t change depending on where you are at or the day you have had.

Tip 3) Don’t listen to the lies! You know what the lies are – anything that speaks against the word of God. Anything that destroys rather than builds, anything that undermines who God is, what Jesus has done, or your relationship with Him. Choose not to dwell on these things. Like it says in Philippians 4:8, we should be thinking about whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy.. If it doesn’t fit into these categories, decide not to let yourself dwell in those negative thoughts. Even more so, don’t keep speaking them out over yourself!!! Just as the word of God spoken out-loud is powerful for building up, speaking lies over yourself has exactly the opposite effect.

Tip 4) God is always worthy to be praised. (Even if you don’t feel like it.) Pick a worship song that is easy and that you like (when you’re in a good place!) And sing it out loud to God.

Pick one that shows the greatness of God, or what he has done for you (rather than your response to him, which you may not think you can sing at that moment) For eg. “How Great is Our God” or “In Christ Alone.” And Thank God for being God! Thank Him for being constantly faithful, loving, compassionate and forgiving (even when you are not!). Thank Him that His mercies are new everyday Lamentations 3:23 (which means that even if we feel bad / fall into sin, he always has enough mercy to cover it all because of the blood of Christ, and He has the grace to give you a fresh start in Him every single day!)

Tip 5) Don’t give up easily! If you quote a couple of scriptures and attempt to sing a song and don’t get immediate results remember that although we live in a world that wants everything instantly, life really doesn’t work like that. (Just look at how awful instant coffee is! Yet people put up with it because they forget how good the real stuff is!). Press into God. Wait on Him and know that he’s listening to your prayers and he loves you with an unending love. Remember too that you may need to repent to get that connection back with God (esp. if you’ve been feeling negative as this can cause you to fall into sin more easily) Check your heart and ask for forgiveness, then go back and start again!