What Happens When God, Answers by Evelyn Christenson 

Chapter 9:  When God Answers…Make Restitution

Page 117

Although God no longer holds us accountable to Himself for the sins He has forgiven, we still are responsible to the human beings we have hurt.

After praying, “God, I have sinned,” and taking the steps of repenting and being reconciled to Him and others, are we absolved of all further responsibility and action.  No.  We still have a responsibility to the one against whom we have sinned.

While we must be reconciled to God when we sin, restitution is only made to the persons against whom we have sinned.  There is no way we can repay God for violating His holiness.  All we can do is repent because we have hurt Him so deeply and love Him so much that we will do everything in our power to restore our relationship with him.  Then we can serve Him with a new passion, making up for the lost days of opportunities. But our human relationships are different.  Reconciliation to people against whom we have sinned or committed a crime usually includes making restitution of some kind.

I have tried to live my life trying to build good relationships.  In fact, I cannot stand bad relationships.  I will work at making a relationship right until it is right. 

So, thinking about restitution is a very thought provoking subject.  I think I need to pray about it.

Dear God,

Is there someone in my life that I have wronged and need to make restitution?  If there is, I want to make things right.  Please direct my paths.

Page 117

This is the step of restitution. It is making amends, making good for a loss or damage.  It is giving back to the rightful owner something that has been taken away.  When we have sinned, it is our duty to make amends to the one victimized by our sinning.

Honestly, I have never really thought much about restitution.  I almost feel at a loss for words.  One person has come to my mind.  I wonder if I need to make restitution to someone.  It is defiantly something I need to pray about.

Page 130

Closing Prayer

Oh, God, forgive me for being insensitive to those I have hurt.  Forgive my selfishness.  Father, bring to my mind all those to whom I need to make restitution.  God, I will wait in silence for You to bring to my mind the steps You want me to take.  Please give me Jesus’ love for them and Your courage to be obedient to Your expectations of me.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.  

What Happens When God, Answers by Evelyn Christenson 

Chapter 8:  When God Answers…Be Reconciled to Others

Page 101

Complete reconciliation to God is not possible without a willingness to be reconciled to others as well.  Why?  Because one of the clear commands in the Bible is that we be reconciled to others.  As long as we are not obeying God’s scriptural commands, we are sinning—and thus not reconciled to Him.  “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20)

Page 103

First John 2:9 clearly states, “The one who says he is in the light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now.” (NASB)

Thus, being unwilling to be reconciled to other people is a sin, which must be confessed, repented of, forgiven, and turned from if we are to be reconciled back to God.

Do I need to restore any friendships?  Do I need to be reconciled to anyone? 

“Forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against any one; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.”  Colossians 3:13.

Many years ago I was hired to work in a church as the Secretary.  I was excited about this opportunity, until I met the former secretary and realized that she would be working with me.  I tried my best to be happy and work together with her, but it was so hard. 

My boss would tell me to do something and I would do it, but she did not like it that he told me and not her.  She would be angry at me.  Our working relationship was very strained.  I did not even want to talk to her.

The day finally came that she retired.  I was so happy to have her gone, but God continued working in my heart that I needed to be reconciled to her.  I did not care if I was reconciled to her, but God kept prompting me to talk to her. 

Finally one day I decided that I should ask her to lunch and just talk about the past.  She joined me at Tony Romas and we enjoyed a great lunch together.        I was praying that if God wanted us reconciled that he would help break down the walls from the past.

Page 111

Isn’t it amazing how the admonition in Ephesians 4:31-32 really does work?  “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander to put away from you, along with all malice.  And be kind to one another, tender-hearted forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” 

In addition to forgiving another secret of reconciliation is love. In our “What Happens When We Pray” seminars, we have practiced the scriptural reconciliation formula in 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 for years, with remarkable results.  After forgiving someone, we ask God for all the love He wants us to have for that person, wait in prayer to feel it come, and then go home to confirm that new love.

God is so faithful when we are obedient to what he wants us to do.  Through our lunch together we forgave each other and then God reconciled us to each other.  It was so beautiful as we let go of the past and began a new fresh relationship together.

Page 116

PRAYER

Father, I’m sorry for living as if my broken relationship with people did not matter to You.  Please forgive me.  Help me to make reconciliation as far as it is possible for me to do.  I promise to pray for those who have despitefully used me.  Thank You that Jesus insisted on the reconciliation of members of His body, not so that we could become one, but because we are one.  And I promise to seek out the real body of Your Son, Jesus and practice the oneness He died to give us.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

    

What Happens When God Answers by Evelyn Christenson

Chapter 7:  When God Answers…Be Reconciled to Me

Page 87

When we pray, “I have sinned,” God not only answers, “Repent,” but He also includes in His answer, “Be reconciled to Me.”

Reconciliation is necessary only because a relationship has been broken.  And all human sin breaks the relationship between God and the one who has sinned.

While this reconciliation to God actually comes simultaneously with true repentance and forgiveness, there are two sides to the transaction. So this is why God’s forgiveness as we repent must include our reconciliation to Him.

OK, I know what reconciliation means, but I want to have a dictionary definition to make this clear to me. 

RECONCILE MEANS RESTORE FRIENDSHIP

So when I sin, I need to repent and be restored to God. 

Page 88

Why does God insist on reconciliation?  Because He, too, is angry at our sinning.

God does get mad when I sin?  I try to ask God’s forgiveness when I sin, but do I really think about him being mad at my sin.  What does he think about those same sins that I do over and over?  The Bible says that God forgives my sins, but how must he feel when I keep doing the same silly sins over and over again?   I should remember that God can help me with those sins that I keep doing over and over.  I just need to ask him, repent and then be reconciled to Him.

I THINK THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT I NEED TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT MY SINS.  I can live my life thinking of God as a loving God and that he always forgives my sins, which he does, but it is easy to forget how much he hates my sins. 

Page 92

God loved us enough to send the means of reconciliation—His own son Jesus.

Page 100

The only reason God convicts us of sin and demands repentance is so that we can be reconciled to Him.  It is so that we can step into that room marked His Holy presence. 

“Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?  And who may stand in His holy place.  He who has clean hands and a pure heart.”  (Psalm 24:3-4a

Closing Prayer

Oh, God, I confess that I have violated Your holiness and, thus, our relationship is broken.  Please, God, cleanse me from all known and unknown sin.  And thank You, Father, for being holy enough to be angry at my sin—but loving enough to forgive me and to reconcile me to yourself.  In Jesus’ Name Amen.

What Happens When God Answers by Evelyn Christenson

 

Chapter 6:  Repent

This chapter says so much.  I cannot go on sinning when God has shown me that something I am doing is a sin.

You know, does this work with overeating.  Do I know I should stop eating or drinking too much soda, but I still keep doing it?  I need to quote several paragraphs from Evelyn’s book because I cannot explain it any better than she has.

Page 72

When we have prayed, “Father, I have sinned, “how does God answer us?  Does He say, “Now that you have confessed the fact that you have sinned, it will be all right”?  Oh, no. God commands us to “Repent!”

A bewildered wife called me asking for prayer.  She said that her husband was sleeping with another woman, then getting up the next morning and asking God to forgive him.  He told his wife it was OK because God always forgives us when we ask Him to.  “Is this true?” the wife questioned.  “Does he have a right as a Christian to live this way?”

“No,” I replied and then shared a part of Romans 6 with her:  “Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase?  May it never be!” (vv.1-2)  “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God” (vv.12-13, NASB)

After we have identified a specific sin in our lives as sin and have admitted it to God in prayer, we humans are prone to say to ourselves, “Now, just forget it,” or “Oh, that’s really not a sin.”   Or we may say, “You really didn’t mean to hurt anybody,” or “That’s not such a bad sin.”  But God says, “Repent!”

Wow, God is speaking to my heart.  I believe he told me years ago that having too much soda in my life was sin.  ( Actually, anything in excess can be sin.)  I tried hard to run from that thought, but there was always a nagging that something wasn’t right.  Caffeine in my soda was controlling me.

I have asked God over and over to forgive me for my addiction to a certain soda.  I would repent and try and change for awhile, but eventually it went back to normal.  I was consumed by my soda.

I have been wondering lately why it seemed like my prayers were not going anywhere.  Could this be why?

Page 75

The first prerequisite for prayer power in our lives that we study is “no known unconfessed sin in the life of the pray-er.”

If I want the power of prayer to be evident in my life I need to confess my sins regarding my soda controlling me.  Then I need to repent and turn from it.

It is interesting because I am doing another blog called, www.insideoutsidemakeover.com The Journey with God that we will be doing next week is “Do I Really Want to Give Up My Craving?” 

It is so like God to bring these two blogs together so my eyes are opened to the unconfessed sin in my life.

It is time to surrender and pray.

Dear God,

Please forgive me for allowing soda (does anything control you?) to control me instead of you.  I want to obey you and repent of my sin and then turn from it.  I will need your help to resist my temptation.  Thank you for what you are going to do.  In Jesus name, Amen.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 5: You Have Not Fulfilled My Requirements

What Happens When God, Answers by Evelyn Christenson 

Page 60

Have you ever wondered why God answers no to some of your prayers?  He may be saying, “You have not fulfilled my requirements.  You do not qualify for My answer!”  This is the greatest secret of unanswered prayer.

Many Christians sincerely desire to have power in prayer, prayer that produces changed people and circumstances here on earth, but they are bewildered when nothing happens.  They pray earnest, fervent prayers; but God does not seem to answer.  However, when his answer is no, He may be saying, “There are some missing qualifiers in your life.”

God decreed these “if,”  “when,” and “because” conditions in our lives before the foundation world, and His no answer may actually be, “When you do, then I will.”

The words of Evelyn really speak to my heart today.  I have been praying for a long time that God would direct me in my life, but he doesn’t seem to answer.  The peace in my life has been missing for some time now. 

BUT, I can remember back to many years ago when I believed God called me to a place that I did not want to go.  I had my own plans for my life and this was NOT where I wanted to be, but I did obey and go.  The problem is that I was kicking and screaming all the way.  I questioned why God would want me in this direction.  I worked at it, but was more faithful in my plans.  I wore myself out and finally I quit the thing he had called me to do.

I have spent many years now following all kinds of my plans, but nothing has seemed to come together.  Until recently.  The direction that God had called me to and I ran from, opened again in my life.  I was shocked and somewhat angry.  I do not want to go in this direction, but the door has opened. 

The words of this chapter I read this week are really speaking to me.  “When you do, then I will.”   Maybe it is time to submit to this direction in my life and trust God.  Honestly, my heart is not in it, but it is opened miraculously in front of me.  I must obey. 

Please pray for me because following this direction will be hard and humbling for me. 

 

 

What Happens When God, Answers by Evelyn Christenson 

Chapter 4:  I Prerecorded That Answer

Page 46

Why can we get specific answers from a book whose closing words were written almost two thousand years ago?  Because the Bible is the only book on this planet earth where the Author is always present while it is being read.

I am continuously surprised at people's reaction to having the actual author of a book in  their midst.  Some stand in awe, wondering if they might touch us, while others question if we are human. Yet, the very God of the universe is present with us every time we read His book.  But how few of us treat the Bible that way!   How little awe or excitement do we display by having its Author, the very God of heaven, actually speaking to us about our personal needs and desires.     

God is right there with me every time I read the Bible!

I understand this, but as I read it again my mind pictured God sitting right next to me as I read the words of the Bible.  This thought touched my heart.  I cannot describe how I felt after I read those words. 

I have been a Christian for many years and I have prayed a lot and read my Bible a lot, but have not actually thought too much about the God of the universe being present with me every time I read His book.  I am excited to think more about him being present with me every time I read the Bible.

Page 46

How does God answer us by His Word?  There are four basic ways.

1.   It was the night before my first prayer seminar in Japan when God used where I was reading devotionally to influence not only me, but all my audiences throughout the Japanese prayer seminar tour.
2.  God brings words to my mind that direct me to His answer.
3.  Bringing to my mind a book of the Bible, a chapter,  a verse, or a place on the page.
4.  Then there are those very rare instances where his prerecorded answer is on the page of the Bible to which I randomly turn.
 

God has used all of these ways to answer me.  There is nothing more exciting than to be praying that God will give you an answer and then he does in a random way. 

While we were waiting on God to direct our path into missions, we had a prayer that we needed answered.  We had to decide if we wanted to serve God in Africa, where Dave’s skills of construction could be definitely used or should we go to the Philippines and work in church planting.  We had no experience in this, but we had been doing a lot of work in our local church that might have prepared us.

So one morning, Dave was downstairs in our family room reading his Bible and I was upstairs in our bedroom reading mine.  .

While I was reading I came across a verse that struck my heart.

2 Timothy 1:9

Who has saved us and called us to a holy life, not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.

God spoke to me though this verse that we could not make our decision according to Dave’s skills in construction and go to Africa because God could have something else for us.  So I believed that we were supposed to go to the Philippines and work in church planting.

A few minutes later Dave came upstairs and God had led him to the same verse and gave him the same thoughts.

We had our answer.  God was calling us to the Philippines.

Throughout our missions experience  I have learned that I can have all the plans I want for my life, but God’s plans for us are perfect.

Dear God, 
Thank you that you speak to me in so many ways.  Please help me to take the time to listen.

 

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

I'm sorry with the busy holiday, I forgot all about doing my blog.  I will be back next Tuesday.

Happy New Year to all of you.

Robin