Receiving Forgiveness and the Choice of Hope – Purity 1808
Purity 1808 11/07/2025 Purpity 1808 Audio Podcast
Purity 1808 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of the sun, situated between clouds and the mountains on the horizon, shining its light of the recently harvested farmlands off of Waite Road comes to us from yours truly as I captured this bright scene yesterday morning.
Well, it’s Friday, thank God and as I look forward to the weekend at my countryside home with my wife, TammyLyn, I am rejoicing this morning because the Lord has provided for my needs and because He forgives me for my sins because of my faith in Jesus Christ.
Tasked with the burden of significant home repairs the Lord has reminded me that He has my future and so I can trust Him to provide for me then as I take money from my retirement account today to pay for my new roof. Rather than taking out a loan and going into debt, I got the impression that I was to release my funds from savings and I look forward to moving that money into the contractors hands later today. The Lord has provided for my needs and I trust that He will continue to do so going forward. It’s a great relief to be able to let go and to let God at times like these.
As for my sins, I haven’t really done anything horribly wrong recently but as I have contemplated my lack of discipline and poor food and entertainment choices as of late, I decided to go to the Father this morning in prayer to ask for His forgiveness. I have been condemning myself lately for the things I have done and for things I have left undone and as I was working out this morning, I was reminded of Romans 8:1 which tells me that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, and if I was condemning myself, as I have been, I needed to ask the Lord to forgive me, receive His forgiveness, and move on! ‘
So all things done foolishly, sinfully, intentionally, or unintentionally in the past, has been newly covered by the blood of Jesus, again, and I will be moving forward starting today. Yes, I wish I didn’t make the foolish choices I have made. Yes, I wish I had used my time off from work more productively. But I can’t change the mistakes of the past, I can only try to learn from them and move forward with God and according to His wisdom and ways. The weight off my soul is palpable this morning and I have a real hope that I can move forward with renewed strength to undo the consequences of my poor decisions and to forge a new path through the holiday season that will be based on God’s truth and love.
Speaking of having real hope for the future, the In Touch with Dr, Charles Stanley devotion from the other day spoke about hope, so I am sharing it on the blog today to encourage us all to make the choice to trust in the Lord and to hope for good things. Dr. Charles Stanley writes:
“Hope Is a Choice
In times of discouragement, remember God’s faithfulness and choose to trust Him.
Acts 27:13-26
Life doesn’t always go the way we want. Even when making plans according to God’s instructions, we may run into delays and obstacles. Frustration over these hindrances can lead to discouragement and even hopelessness.
Think about Paul’s voyage to Rome. When a bad storm arose, the sailors worked to save the ship. But they couldn’t control the weather and gradually gave up hope of being saved (Acts 27:20). However, no one was lost. God was sovereign over their violent weather just as He is over our upheavals, whether we’re facing a job loss, a loved one’s death, or a devastating diagnosis. In such situations, feelings of hopelessness may overtake us at times, but we can trust the Lord to act for our ultimate good.
Postponed or unfulfilled dreams can dishearten us, as was the case for Hannah (1 Samuel 1:10-11). Year after year, she was dejected because she longed for a child but faced “hope deferred” (Proverbs 13:12). When things do not go as we desire, we may experience emotions like hers, but the same powerful God who ultimately fulfilled her longing also knows our situation.
In times of discouragement, we have a choice: Focus on circumstances or on our loving heavenly Father who will carry us through every challenge just as He’s promised.” – Charles Stanley
Amen. Life is hard. In every life there are struggles, disappointments, and frustrations that would naturally lead us to become angry, anxious, or depressed.
But the Christian has an incredible advantage over their non-believing neighbors. We know that God is in control and that He has made peace with us through our faith in Jesus Christ. Although negative circumstances would tempt us to believe that we are alone in our trials or that everything is against us, we know the truth that when we are in Christ we are never alone and that God is working all things together for our good. God is not only on our side, He loves us and He will help us to face whatever calamity we are going through with hope, the hope that is based on the certainty that God will be with us all the way through the darkest valley until we make it to the other side.
So if you are feeling forgotten or forsaken, remember that is a lie. God is with you and will help you through each day and all we have to do to make it through is to lean on His strength and follow His ways.
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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/.
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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.
(While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling By John G. Kruis on Amazon )
This morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Persecution.
2 Corinthians 11:23-29 (ESV) 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?
Today’s verses are the second of two passages of scripture that fall under the seventh point of our counseling reference guide resource section on Persecution.
7. One need not get depressed due to severe persecution. Paul testifies to that.
Today’s Bible verses are Paul’s testimony of persecution, trials, and hardships that remind us that servants of Christ are not always showered with the blessings of prosperity. Paul is simultaneously telling the truth and boasting in jest about what he had been through as the Apostle to the gentiles because others claimed to have more authority or spiritual street cred that him.
I would say that Paul wins when it comes to suffering for the Lord but as much as we may be removed from the times in which Paul suffered all that he did, the world is still a dangerous place and persecution can and will find those who stand for Jesus.
Paul’s example should inspire us to be faithful but it should also remind us how the world hates those who follow Jesus and prepare us to endure the sufferings that come our way because of our faith.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “Day by Day Along the Way” By Jay E. Adams.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Adams’ books for your own private study and to support the late author’s work. This resource is available online for less than $20 at many sites.
Day 307
Then when [Barnabas] had come and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord. – Acts 11:23
Barnabas was favorably impressed by what he found in Antioch. He spent some time encouraging the new believers and urged them to remain true to the Lord. Barnabas is said to be a “good” man for he was full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. His work in Antioch was said to be fruitful (v. 24)—many were brought to the Lord. It is interesting that we see no hesitancy on Barnabas’ part to preach to the Greeks. It was part of his lifestyle to be an encourager, and that is precisely what we see him doing from the outset. Are you sometimes discouraged? Are there others near you who are discouraged? Do they think they have failed? It is important to encourage them (and yourself), giving hope. There is every reason to be encouraged when they finally determine to try what the Lord’s Word says. Look around and notice the grace of God in your own life and in the lives of others. Encourage them not to trust themselves or even you, but the Word of the One Who never fails.[1]
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[1] Jay E. Adams, Day by Day along the Way (Cordova, TN: Institute for Nouthetic Studies, 2020), 315.
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