OUR GOD IS A GOD OF RESTORATION

God has not yet finished with you.  You have a long way to go in order for him to give up on you.  You may start doubting me murmuring in your heart that, ‘Rose, I wish you know what I have done in my life and the many sins I have done.  Ooh!  Can God really even want to look at me?’  I will tell you, you are not the only one.  I got saved when I was in form two.   I have backslid so many times.  I have done things I have never imagined I would do in my life but still I have never given up on my God who is so forgiving.  I have also not given up on myself as I know God is a God of many chances and He is excited when I fall and wake up and not when I fall and sleep there.  Salvation is a journey and for me to reach to the mark point, I will fall many times, but when I am focused on the mark, I will do all it takes in order to finish my race even if it will take me how long.  I have purposed even at my very weakest point, I will still wake up and continue with this journey as I know I am not alone, God is with me.  

The Lord has given you so many chances so that you can repent and come back to him.  You might be in church or you used to be in church and there are those things that made you go back because of the shame that brought about a  disconnect between you and God, I will tell you, my dear friend, come back to the Lord and He will restore you and make you whole.  It does not matter what! 

I have always talked about my stories, but today I will talk about a story I heard on Family Radio 316 today the 8th May 2015, about God restoring one, Ann.   I may not exactly say what Ann said, but I will write what I can remember about her story to speak to you who is struggling and wondering, can God really hear my cry, forgive me and restore me really?   I will tell you once again, yes! He is capable and very willing to restore you.    You only need to identify with him and tell him the truth that you admit you were wrong and you got short of his glory but this time round if you really mean it, you want to go back to him.  He will restore you.

Ann was a Pastor’s daughter. To make the matter more juicy, she was a last born child of 4 siblings.  You can imagine she was the cream of the family. Everyone adored her in the family as a last born.  This girl was all it takes to be a good sweet girl.  She was able to pass her exams and she went to this good school.  Ann was doing well in school.  As a Pastor’s girl, she was a role model as she was entrusted with responsibilities as a leader in her school as a Christian Union (CU) secretary at some point, when she was in fourth form.  But while she was in form two, she remembers very well she met this handsome boy who was a neighbour at home and started a relationship.  I know to many young girls and boys  and those who remember their youthful days, this is the period we all start knowing who we really are.  In form one, we are usually so naive and new to the secondary school environment and we are there starting our new life with no clue what is awaiting us. But after form one we can make choices on what we really want in life and this happens mostly when we join form two.  It may drag for those who are slow and come in at form three and four but for the fast ones like me, it can really dawn on you by the time you are realizing, you are kilometers away.    But thank God the grace of God is sufficient.  This is the stage we make good or bad choices that will influence our future.  Ann the good girl,  was thrilled by this relationship and kept it very cautiously.     Not forgetting the man was not born again.  She did not mess at all.  The foundation she had from her background as a Pastor’s daughter, enabled Ann to keep her purity as many of girls manage, though others get overwhelmed and thus lose their dignity and virginity that time.  For her, it was a walk over. One time while she was in church, her Pastor did something that he never used to do in that church where he called people to go on stage for prayers and Ann was one of them.  While they were praying the lady who was holding her hand on one side after the prayers, told her, ‘I have a word for you, there is a man in your life whom you should cut links with.’  Ann was shocked as how come this lady was able to know that and it has always been a secret as she knew there was nothing bad she had done so far with him?    She doubted the woman and felt that, the word was not from God but thought she was malicious and suspicious just like most of the time we get such utterances from people and think they are purely malicious and suspicious.    To make it even worse, she imagined she does not even know her nor did she know her that much, though she always saw her in church.  She wondered, ‘How could she think badly about me?’   Those thoughts, made her not take her word seriously but went on with her life and never bothered to cut the links with her sweet boyfriend.  Most of the time we do not want to be told something like that.  I have been there and I tell you the truth as a woman when you are engrossed in a relationship whether it is working or not, no one can remove you from it. Until something terrible happens to you, then you realize, such a prophecy that Ann was given should have beckoned to her some red light somewhere.

  

Anyway days passed and she managed to finish her fourth form successfully with no hitches.  The relationship went on well from form two and this time round after school, it became so intense to the point that it was hard to separate them.  The young man joined campus and things were flowing well and the woman’s prophesy of doom did not pass and this kept on encouraging Ann that, she was still in a good relationship.  Unfortunately, something happened to them that they fell in sin and got pregnant.  This time round, the woman’s warning became a reality to her and said truly I have fallen I hope this will not bring punishment from God to me for I have fallen?  Still she couldn’t imagine the shame to her parents and all those who knew she was born again.  She went down.  Lucky enough, she was bold to tell her parents who did not judge her nor ignore her as she feared from her thoughts how the message will spar anger on them.  They gave her all the support parents give their children but they were also overwhelmed with the shame and the talk that culminated from this state the daughter had because everyone knew they were Pastor's and wondered why would a pastor's daughter get pregnant a situation that befalls many pastors children.  Posting it that, they should be the last people to be seen sinning and yet they are human like any of us who are not pastor's children.  We should stop pinning down pastors children with giving them so much ratings just because they are pastors children.  THEY ARE ALSO HUMAN AND CAN FALL JUST LIKE ANY OTHER PERSON.    Nevertheless, they did not give up on their daughter but stood with her until she got her baby, a state that made her not even step to a church solely when she was pregnant as she felt unworthy and very ashamed.  Even if she would go to church once in a while, she would not really be the one going but taking either a friend or a cousin just to please and make them happy after a long struggle to invite her to church.  Ann was happy with her baby but the shame and anger that went through her mind could not allow her be in a relationship with God as she used to in the past. Things drastically changed in her life and she was no longer the same girl she used to be, the one who loved God with all her heart, soul and mind. 

She continued with the relationship though it was not really easy as the young man was in campus and he could not much.  The parents to Ann are the ones who took all the responsibility of bringing her child up, not excluding her.  Things were going on well with the support from the parents.  Unfortunately, she fell again in the same trap and got pregnant with the same man, but this time round, it was even tougher for her as she didn’t know what to tell her parents.  She used her friend to break the news but to her shock, her parents still did not ignore her or reject her for making the same mistake.  They told her there is nothing that will hinder them from loving and taking care of her and her children.  So she should not think this will change who they are to her.   I really see God in this scenario that, our God is not a God who will give up on us that easily.  He will always have mercy on us and especially if there is a lesson he wants you to learn the hardest way so that he can use the same testimony to take you to the next level and use you as a role model to others and a mentor so that they cannot take the same route you took.   Back to her story, so it was so hard for Ann to fathom the second mistake and it overwhelmed her health-wise, as this time round the second pregnancy was not as interesting as the first one was, as she had many challenges to a point that when she was giving birth, doctors detected something that they were not very sure of that they hid about her baby as she could see from their gestures when attending to her.  God did a miracle as that baby was born normally not forgetting the way she prayed to God so earnestly as it was evidenced in the hospital because she was ministering and praying to other women in the hospital. Her ministry of being an intercessor that is a worshiper and a prayer worrier was born from what she was going through during that time.  That is the time she can vividly attest she earnestly prayed and fasted and saw God’s hands throughout the pregnancy.  Imagine that is the time she was supposed to be eating well for the sake of the baby, but it was the other way round as she prayed and fasted as often as possible.  Let me say, she was filled with the Holy Spirit as she was praying and ministering to women she was with in the ward though she was in pain and wanted a miracle too in her hospital bed as she was giving birth.   God did a miracle.  She got her baby safely in a very good condition.  She could not hide her joy as she was able to overcome that battle.  She left the hospital and went on with her life but she did not go back to the Lord still as she felt even filthier.  She went through a lot of anger, pain, depression and ulcers.  Every time she would hear someone preaching from anywhere, name it Radio, TV, Church or around her on anything that touched on her failures she would switch off as she really condemned and walked in guilt.  Fortunately, there is this one time she had guts and listened to someone’s testimony who had a very bad accident though he survived it, but  the Lord spoke to him while he was in ICU.  He said God spoke to him and told him its either he repents or he will surely die and go to hell.  He is giving him the last chance at ICU to repent so that he can serve him or else if he refuses then he will not make it.   This guy could not hesitate but gave his life to the Lord and he was healed.  He purposed to live for God when he got out of hospital. That testimony spoke to Ann’s life that she also resolved to go back to her God.   Today, Ann is a servant of God.  She is an intercessor and a missionary who ministers to young people in Schools, Churches and all over.  Currently God has restored to her even though the man who she gave birth with  finally rejected her when she got pregnant with her second baby.  She purposed not to tell him that she was pregnant because she did not want him to take her because of mercy now that she was pregnant for the second time.  She took the bitter herb to be a single mother with her two children.  The young man married someone else who was non other but her good friend.  She tried to justify the relationship by abusing and intimidating Ann, calling her names and saying her boyfriend was not the father of her children, a challenge that she also managed to handle with the help of her parents who have always been there for her.  Ann today is a student at St. Paul University, where she is undertaking her first degree.   I guess If I heard her well saying on Counseling and Psychology if I am not wrong and if I am, for those who heard correct me and let us understand that my main point here was to tell everyone reading this, that, God restored to her, her joy by going back to the Lord and now serving Him with all her might.  Today she is living her purpose as she is now in school studying for a bigger course.  This encourages you that, it does not matter all what you have gone through, what you missed out or anything you lost.  When God comes calling you to go back to him do not hesitate, take the opportunity and He will restore you to a point that you will be left amazed.  There is a saying that I hear many people say, that, it does not matter so much how you started but what matters most is the way you end.  

 My dear friend, there is hope; you should not give up on yourself neither on God.  God is our restorer He is always waiting to restore you and make you all what He has always wanted you to become.  Last Sunday I took a bold step to go at the alter where the man of God was preaching.  I was overwhelmed with the summon and what the Lord told me about starting a fresh with him and surrendering everything to him.  That summon made me respond to the call.   That is the best thing that the Lord did to me,  as not many days later after that,  I was given an assignment to preach in Church on the Mother’s day on 10^th May 2015 that is coming.  What a joy to be back in the Lord and to be used of him.  It is such a sweet and good restoration that i thank my God for.    To me, I believe God commissioned me to start the Ministry he has been cooking in me.  I give him all the glory and honour because he is a good God to me.  He can also restore you as he did to Ann and me.  Won’t you give him a chance to receive him and renew your relationship with him today?  Just say this prayer and you will be ushered to his Kingdom once again.  Or if you have never given your life to the Lord before, then you can say this prayer as well.  Believe in your heart that God has forgiven you and accept that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Saviour, that He died so that you can have life and have it abundantly and reconcile you back to God. 

Lord Jesus, I come to you today, I am a sinner, please forgive me.  Wash me with the blood of your Son Jesus Christ and write my name in the book of life. Help me to walk in my new walk with you and let me not be the same again.    In Jesus Name I pray. Amen!