I Need You, Yes You

This is how the Lord responds:
"If you return to me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve me. If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman. You must influence them; do not let them influence you!
Jeremiah 15:19 NLT

There are so many things I love about being a follower of Jesus Christ. One of the biggies is the forgiveness thing. No matter how much I mess up, as long as I repent and confess, the blood of Jesus forgives my sin every time.

The beauty of this verse to me is it shows a process of how we can go from sin to being used by God again. The first thing we have to do is confess and return to the Lord to be restored. The process of restoration is not the same as rebuilding. Rebuilding is being made to work again from a state of brokenness, but restoration is to be made as good as or better than new. We can not only blow it, but come out better on the other side after God is through with us.

After the Lord has restored us, He will put us back to work for Him. He doesn’t just send us to the back of the line, but if we’re willing to speak good words (that would be words from Him or from His Word), then we can be a spokesman for Him. Have you ever noticed some of the most powerful testimony for God has come from people whose lives have been to the gutter and back?
Every speaker for God has a different story. Some come from homes that loved God and have passed that love from generation to generation and others started their walk with the Lord from a prison cell. Some have had God at the center of their entire marriage while others are turning to God to show the way in their third. The point being it is never too late to turn back to God, even if you feel that He is so disappointed in you because you have made the same mistakes over and over.

My favorite part of the verse is the end. God wants us to influence the people, the culture and those around us. He wants us to transform those around us, not us to conform to them. God wants to take little ole you and me and go out into the big bad world and show them what they’re missing. The way we can do that is by our testimony.

That same life that Christ has turned around is now a testimony for Him that can be shared with others to influence them in a positive way. We’re not out to brainwash people, just point the way to the One who can restore us to a position higher than we have ever achieved before. That stirring in your heart to get back to work for God is the Holy Spirit. He’s not done with you yet. You’re still here aren’t you?

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