I dated this man for nearly six months, and by the end of
it, I felt almost completely broken down. I made so many bad decisions and was
disobedient to God and those I loved, that after it was ended I felt how could
God ever forgive me? Even though I’ve been a born again believer of God for
over five years and have studied to know Him more than I even studied in
school, I had been knowingly disobedient all because of my emotions. I’ve
learned in my years of study that God loves us no matter what we do, that He
forgives us of every sin, and He forgets them. But in this, for some reason,
the devil kept making me think Could He really forget the way I’ve acted, and
the bad decisions I have made? Can He really speak to me again and wrap me in
His presence again after how I’ve acted? Will He reveal His heart to me again
after what I’ve been? The devil tried to tell me no. But you know what? God
stepped in to tell me the truth, as He always will if we’ll just refuse to
listen to those lies from hell and start listening for Him.
I asked Him one night as I laid in bed, “Father, please let
me know that even though I may have done wrong, you still have great things for
me.” And this is what He said.
“Remember the prodigal son.” Now I’ve read this parable many
times, but I’ve never truly had a deep revelation of it, but now I do, and I’d
like to share it with you. We begin in Luke chapter 15 starting in verse 11
through 24.
“And he (Jesus) said, A certain man had two sons: And the
younger of them said to his father, Father give me the portion of goods that
falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the
younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and
there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all,
there arose a mighty famine in the land; and he began to be in want. And he
went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his
fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks
that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself,
he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare,
and I perish with hunger? I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto
him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee. And am no more
worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy servants. And he arose, and
came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him,
and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son
said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am
no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring
forth the best robe, and put it on him: and put a ring on his hand, and shoes
on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and
be merry. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is
found. And they began to be merry.”
Now here this father is and his young son asks him for his
inheritance. The son asks for what his father has laid up for him. And the
father gives it. Then the son decides he wants to live life his own way and
leaves the comforts and benefits of his father’s house. The young man
completely wastes all that his father had given him, and, after a famine
ensues, comes in to an agreement with a man not from his own country. The son
makes a covenant with someone outside of where he belongs, and not only does he
do that, but he takes a job feeding pigs. This is completely disgraceful for a
Jewish man because the Mosaic Law classifies pigs as unclean animals. So the
son goes against everything he has ever learned or lived by. But, he finally
comes to his senses and realizes the mistakes he has made. He’s heartbroken at
what he’s become, so much so that he doesn’t even feel worthy to step into his
father’s presence as an equal, but as a servant. He feels completely worthless
as a human being, a disgrace to his father. But he goes home, knowing that was
the one place where he was safe and had provision. He’s ready to tell his
father this great speech of his unworthiness, how his dad should just make him
a servant, but his father sees him while he’s approaching their home. Notice
this, his father sees him, not his
decision to go out on his own, not his bad choices or mistakes, he sees his
beloved son, and he runs to his boy and falls on his shoulders, overjoyed that
he has come home. The man doesn’t even let the boy finish his speech when he
begins to tell his dad how unworthy he is. No. The father tells his servants,
go and get the best robe that we have and clothe my son in it, go get the ring
of our family and put it on him, go get some shoes to put n his feet, and bring
that fatted calf that we’ve been saving and kill it so we can have a party, for
my son was gone and now he’s home!
And there’s something
more to that fatted calf than just meat for their party. In the Old Testament,
in order for a person’s sin to be covered, blood had to be spilled. God killed
an animal in the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve sinned so it’s blood could
cover their sin. He put in the books of the Law that sacrifices had to be made
in order for the peoples’ sin to be covered by the blood. Isn’t that beautiful?
Now think of this story in light of the father being God and the son a believer
that decides to go his or her own way.
We say to God, give me all that you have laid up for me,
Lord. And because He’s a giving God, He gives it. But then we make the decision
to leave, to go our own way, listen to our own reasoning, being led by our own
will rather than His. We waste the wisdom and knowledge He bestowed upon us,
waste the blessings and financial provisions He’s always given, until we
completely forsake everything He had taught us. But then one day we come to our
senses, our eyes are opened and reality sets in. What am I doing?!?! I had
everything in my relationship with God! He taught me from His Word and gave me
the ability to produce wealth (Deut. 8:18), He healed me, cared for me, led me,
clothed me in His righteousness and gave me right standing in His sight! What
have I done?!?! And then the devil sets in on our minds, telling us, You know,
you’re not worthy to be called a son of God anymore. Not after what you’ve
done. So we begin to feel unworthy, but we know that being in that place with
our Heavenly Father was the only place we actually had true peace and joy and
full prosperity, complete wholeness so even though that shame and guilt is
weighing down our consciousness, we go back to Him. We go ready to say Lord I
messed up. I messed up so bad that I don’t think I’m even worthy for you to use
me anymore, but please, Father make me your servant.
But God in all His goodness, sees us afar off, and runs to
us. He meets us with open arms and says to us, My son, my daughter. You are my
beloved, my precious child. I see you, not your sin or what you did. I see you.
And He tells those ministering angels (Hebrews 1:14), those servants of His, to
go, get the best robe, get the best that we have and clothe my child in it. Go
get that ring, that symbol of being in My family and place it upon her finger,
go get those shoes of peace, that symbol of a harmonious relationship with Me,
and place them upon his feet, and go, bring forth my Son, the One Who shed His
blood for this one’s sin, in order that it may be completely washed away, that
I may remember the wrongdoings no more. For my son, my daughter was dead, he
was out of correspondence with Me, but now he’s home, he’s found, and he’s
Mine!
That’s awesome to me. That’s how God sees us, my friends.
Even after we sin, even after we go our own way. When we come back to Him, He’s
ready to receive us. He’s ready to pick up right where we left off and bring us
into all the glorious plans that He has for our lives. So don’t allow the devil
to place guilt and shame upon you when you make a mistake. Remember the truth.
Remember the prodigal son, and remember the love that your Father has for you.
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