“I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.” (Hosea 14:4)
Half-time in the game is for rest and assessment. It’s a time to regroup — to evaluate how things have been going and decide what adjustments need to be made for the rest of the game. Often a team may look like they’re losing at half-time, but by the time the game ends they’ve turned things around and won. Until the final whistle sounds, the game is still up for grabs. And the same is true in life. If you’re still here, the game of life isn’t over for you. Your clock is still ticking. You have a life yet to live. Not only that, but the first half doesn’t have to determine the outcome of the game.
Maybe you’ve made mistakes, experienced disappointments and failures. Maybe life has dealt you a harsh blow here or there. But you are still here — and as long as you are, the whistle hasn’t blown and it’s not too late for God to take you straight to the plan He has for you. You see, God looks at your future while the enemy tries to keep you focused on your past. God says, “You can, in spite of what’s been done!” But the enemy says, “You can’t, because of what you’ve done.”
God will never define you by your past, whereas the enemy will try to control and confine you by using it against you. Whether the good, the bad, or the ugly dominated your first half, Satan’s goal is to keep you chained there. God, on the other hand, wants you to learn from your past — not live in it or let it define you.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for being a God who gives us new chances each day. Let me live in the present, focused on the future with You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Stay encouraged!
Pastor Mike
