Feeling distant from God or like you are off track, return to God. No matter how far you feel you’ve drifted from God turn back to God with humility telling Him the regret and remorse you are feeling for what you have done. When you realize that you are off track and have drifted away or apart from God, return to God humbly, seeking His face and turning away from the mistakes asking for forgiveness in order to restore your relationship with God! Return to God and ask Him to help you change your heart and your harmful behaviors!
Seeing signs that you may have drifted or turned from God and His will and ways? Are you seeing signs that you are out of alignment? Wondering what to do and how to respond? Return to God!
Ever read 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 about how to return to God?
13If I close the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send a plague among My people, 14and if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:13–14
Today’s Verse of the Day:
‘“Even now,” says the L ord , “Turn and come to Me with all your heart [in genuine repentance], With fasting and weeping and mourning [until every barrier is removed and the broken fellowship is restored]; Rip your heart to pieces [in sorrow and contrition] and not your garments.” Now return [in repentance] to the L ord your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness [faithful to His covenant with His people]; And He relents [His sentence of] evil [when His people genuinely repent]. ‘
Joel 2:12-13
If we go back to the start of Joel 2 we see how it begins with locusts invading like an army which makes me think back to 2 Chronicles 7:13. 2 Chronicles 7 points us to repent and return to God. Let’s be the dads who take hold of that and reflect upon what we read in today’s verse of the day from Joel 2:12-13.
Let’s be the dads who:
- turn to God while there is time.
- give God our hearts.
- come in humility with fasting, weeping, and mourning.
- tear our hearts in order to be reconciled with God.
- return to God because we know His character and that He is merciful and compassionate.
- return to God because we know He is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love.
- remember that God is love and how God is described in 1 Corinthians 13
- ‘Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured. It does not rejoice at injustice, but rejoices with the truth [when right and truth prevail]. Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening]. Love never fails [it never fades nor ends]. But as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for the gift of special knowledge, it will pass away. ‘ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
- genuinely repent and ask God for forgiveness.
Today’s verse of the day is something to read, meditate on, and apply to and in our lives. Return to God!
- Acknowledge our mistakes: “As dads, we are not perfect and we may make mistakes. Acknowledging our mistakes and taking responsibility are essential to repentance and change.”
- Apologize: “When we have wronged our children or others, we should apologize and seek their forgiveness. This shows that we value their feelings and are willing to make amends.”
- Turn away from harmful behavior: “If we have been engaging in harmful behavior, such as addiction or anger issues, we should take steps to turn away from those behaviors and seek help if necessary.”
- Seek God’s forgiveness: “In addition to seeking forgiveness from others, we should also seek God’s forgiveness if we have been living in ways that are contrary to His will.”
- Make amends: “If we have hurt someone, we should seek to make amends by taking action to make things right.”
- Practice humility: “Repentance requires humility and a willingness to admit our faults. As dads, we can model this trait for our children by being humble and approachable.”
- Show gratitude: “The passage in Joel 2:12-13 emphasizes God’s mercy and kindness towards those who turn to Him. As dads, we can model gratitude by being thankful for the good things in our lives and showing appreciation for others.”
- Be patient: “Repentance is a process and it takes time. As dads, we can be patient with ourselves and our children as we work through issues and seek to make positive changes.”
- Seek guidance and support: It can be helpful to seek guidance and support from others, whether it be from a counselor, mentor, or spiritual advisor.”
- Keep moving forward: Repentance is not a one-time event, but a continual process of growth and change. “As dads, we can strive to keep moving forward in a positive direction and to continue seeking God’s guidance and grace.”
