Our heavenly Father wants us to have an abiding assurance of his love. Jesus settled our sin problem at Calvary and even though we sometimes fail, the Holy Spirit is constantly reminding us of the Father’s lovingkindness. When we become focused on our sin, we lose all sight of what God wants most: “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
God is a rewarder and he is anxious to shower us with his love when we are contrite. David is an example of someone who was blessed with God’s goodness even though he went far into sin. You know the story of how he fell into blatant adultery and then committed murder to keep from being found out. David became a hypocrite, sinning in the face of God’s blessings and bringing shame on the name of the Lord. Yet, even though he was disciplined severely, David was forgiven and fully restored.
God sent the prophet Nathan to confront David about his sin because it was such an affront in his eyes. But in spite of that, God wanted David to know that he was forgiven. You see, God knew David would be broken and contrite over his sin; most of all, the Lord knew that at heart David was not a habitual adulterer or murderer. Instead, David had been surprised by sin, overwhelmed in a moment of weakness.
Likewise, God sees your heart. The Lord knows you did not wake up one morning and decide, “Today I’m going to commit adultery. I’m going to lose my temper and explode.” No, only hardened sinners behave this way. Christians are surprised and overtaken by sin; in fact, often the enemy floods them while they are busy about God’s business.
Beloved, God has counted your tears even before you have shed them. He has forgiven you at the point of your first pang of conviction and sorrow. “The goodness of God leads you to repentance” (Romans 2:4). His love is greater than all your sins!
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David Wilkerson (1931 – 2011)
Founder of Times Square Church in New York City with over 100 different languages spoken in the congregation. Wilkerson wrote many powerful books such as: The Vision and Cross and the Switchblade. His ministry was prophetic as God called him to be a watchman to the Church in North America. He gave clear messages on repentance to the Church.Wilkerson also founded Teen Challenge where there are hundreds of centres for Christ-centered drug recovery and addiction recovery. He also organized and spoke at pastors gatherings in many countries where he gave prophetic strong messages to encourage pastors and leaders.
Recommends these books by David Wilkerson:
The Vision and Beyond, Prophecies Fulfilled and Still to Come by David Wilkerson
Knowing God by Name: Names of God That Bring Hope and Healing by David Wilkerson
God's Plan to Protect His People in the Coming Depression by David Wilkerson
David Wilkerson is an American Christian evangelist, most well-known for his book The Cross and the Switchblade. He is also the founder of Times Square Church in New York, an interdenominational church.
Wilkerson is well-known for these early years of his ministry to young drug addicts and gang members in New York City in the 1950s and 1960s. He co-authored a book about his work with the New York drug addicts, The Cross and the Switchblade, which became a best-seller, selling over 50 million copies in over thirty languages since it was published in 1963. The book was included among the 100 most important Christian books of the 20th century.
For over four decades, Wilkerson's ministry has included preaching, teaching and writing. He has authored over 30 books.
David Wilkerson is the founder and president of World Challenge, Inc., a nonprofit organization incorporated on September 22, 1971. Reverend Wilkerson, the author of over thirty inspirational books, is perhaps best known for his early days of ministry to young drug addicts and gang members in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. His story is told in The Cross and the Switchblade, a book he co-authored which became a best-seller. (The story has been read by over 50 million people in some thirty languages and 150 countries since 1963. In 1969, a motion picture of the same title was released.)
For over four decades, Reverend Wilkerson's evangelistic ministry has included preaching, teaching and writing. Throughout that time a distinctive characteristic of his work has been his direct efforts to reach the neediest members of the population with help for both body and soul. Even now, the almost 70 year-old minister often goes out alone or sometimes with an assistant to walk through the streets of New York City, along Broadway and Eighth Avenue or down 42nd Street and nearby "Crack Alley" on 41st Street. His mission is always to seek out the lost, the disoriented, and the addicted , to tell them of the power of the risen Christ to set them free.
David Wilkerson, born in Hammond, Indiana on May 19, 1931, was married in 1953 to Gwen Carosso. The Wilkersons' two sons are ministers, and their two daughters are married to ministers. They have 11 grandchildren. The Wilkersons served small pastorates in Scottsdale and Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, until Reverend Wilkerson saw a photograph in Life magazine of several New York City teenagers charged with murder. Moved with compassion he was drawn to the city in February 1959. It was at that time he began his street ministry to what one writer called "desperate, bewildered, addicted, often violent youth.