Mar 3, 2026 – Release Regrets
I woke early this morning with many concerns on my mind that wouldn’t let me settle back in for a bit more sleep; so, I got up and journaled. Getting concerns off our hearts and minds, and into the hands of God, is a great way to start (and end) our days. Once I was relieved of the burdens, I opened the blinds (on the front of the house) on my way to make coffee and realized I was just in time for the sunrise – and what a show it was! As I sat back down in my journaling chair in the sunroom, I noticed God’s sweet gift to me – pink cotton candy clouds wrapping around to the back of the house.
JC – “I love you for who you are, not for what you do.” Thank You. I needed that reminder as I wonder about things I’ve done and not done and what I’ve handled well and not so well. “Many voices vie for control of your mind, especially when you sit in silence. You must learn to discern what is My voice and what is not. Ask My Spirit to give you this discernment…. Walk closely with Me each moment, listening for My directives and enjoying My Companionship. Refuse to let other voices tie you up in knots. My sheep know My voice and follow Me wherever I lead.” [John 10:4] I already feel more uplifted, and even directed.
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4: 1-3
Utmost – Feed My sheep. John 21:17. Chambers writes, “This is love in the making. The love of God is un-made, it is God’s nature. When we receive the Holy Spirit He unites us with God so that His love is manifested in us…. Peter realises now with the revelation of the Lord’s hurting question that he does love Him; then come the point – Spend it out. Don’t testify how much you love Me, don’t profess about the marvellous revelation you have had, but – ‘Feed My sheep.’ And Jesus has some extraordinarily funny sheep, some bedraggled, dirty sheetp, some awkward butting sheep, some sheep that have gone astray! It is impossible to weary God’s love…. If I love my Lord I have no business to be guided by natural temperament; I have to feed His sheep. There is no relief and no release from this commission.”
Power – He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters. He refreshes and restores my life [my self]. Psalm 23:2-3. Joyce offers her comfort, “Your future has no room for your past, and I encourage you not to get stuck in a moment in your life that is over. God is a Redeemer and a Restorer…. When Psalm 23 says He makes us lie down and leads us beside still and restful waters, it reminds me that God wants us to have peace. In order to do that, we need to stop running from the past and simply make a decisions to be still, face the past, and receive healing from God.” I receive….
Prevail #62 – Larson tells us how David was “Promoted Gradually” after being anointed as king and explains that, “David would go back and forth between his father’s house and the palace as he was needed. He learned the ways of the kingdom and he learned to wait on God’s sometimes hard-to-understand timing. Most often, after we’ve received a vision or sense of calling from the Lord, we too will see movement in that direction, only to see it short-lived. Did we hear wrong? Is this all there is? No! More often than not, you’ll go back and forth between the palace and your home until the time is ready for you to take your place. Don’t lose heart. Stay humble. Stay ready.”
Max adds an interesting perspective about not looking to and worrying about past issues and events as he points out that, “The widest river in the world is not the Mississippi, Amazon, or Nile. It is a body of water called If Only. Throngs of people stand on its banks and cast longing eyes over the waters. They desire to cross but can’t seem to find the ferry. They are convinced the If Only river separates them from the good life…. ‘If only’ is the petri dish in which anxiety thrives. Replace your ‘if only’ with ‘already.’ Look at what you already have. Treat each anxious thought with a grateful one, and prepare yourself for a new day of joy.” Look for pink cotton candy!
This makes me think of a page I have taped to the wall of my closet to see each time I go in and out (if I’ll stop to read, or even just look at, it as a reminder). It’s from the June 2008 issue of Charles Stanley’s monthly devotion booklet, Inspiration Today! He starts with Numbers 14:2 – “All the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, ‘If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!’”
Joshua and Caleb returned from scouting out the Promised Land with a positive report which was overshadowed by the hopeless report of the other ten spies. Stanley points out that, “The people caught this negative spirit, moaning, ‘If only….’ With this attitude, we lack confidence and question our decisions. [Yes, indeed we do, still.] We think what could have been, if we had acted differently. This distracts us from our present situation and God’s calling. It encourages us to speculate, and it poisons our minds and hearts. After we have prayed and sought God, an ‘if only’ attitude indicates we don’t really trust Him…. It also can lead us to draw wrong conclusions about ourselves, other people, and the world…. Today, be on guard against this tendency to second-guess…. Start every day and every project by seeking God. Seek His direction for decisions you make. Obey His Word. Trust Him…. Be thankful for where you are right now. Focus on staying faithful and obedient. Be confident that, as you have committed your way to Him, He will direct your path (Proverbs 3:5-6).”
Simpson has a helpful take on the subject of learning hard lessons rather than wallowing in regrets as he tells the people of that time about trolley engines being supplied with electricity, ‘by the revolution of those wheels and the friction they produce…. And so when God wants to bring more power into your life, He brings more pressure. He is generating spiritual force by hard rubbing. Some of us don’t like it. Some of us don’t understand, and we try to run away from the pressure, instead of getting the power and using it to rise above the painful cause.”
Hebrews 12:11 – “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
JA – “MY LOVE CHASES AFTER YOU every day of your life. So look for signs of My tender Presence as you go through this day…. words of Scripture just when you need them, helpful words spoken through other people, ‘coincidences’ orchestrated by My Spirit, nature’s beauty, and so on…. Invite Me to open the eyes of your heart so you can ‘see’ Me blessing you in myriad ways – both small and great…. Thank Me for these ways I show up in your life; write some of them down so you can enjoy them again and again.”
Your beauty and love chase after me everyday of my life. I’m back home in the house of God for the rest of my life. Psalm 23:6
