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What To Do When You Are Sorry For Your Actions

2/24/2015

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Gen. 6:6-8 -The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 The LORD said, " I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them." 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.  NASU

  • God Was Sorry For His Actions
In the text above we can see that God was sorry about creating mankind. He was sorry about His actions to the point that He was grieved in His heart.

  • God's Plan Was To Start Over
He was going to blot out man whom He created (vs.7). When I was reading this text I thought that is exactly what we need to do once we realize we have done something and we are sorry for our actions. We need to start over again. Once we have done what we are sorry for put it behind you and move forward. Start a Fresh!

Are you able to mentally accomplish this type of forgetting?

  • 1st Make A Confession
We need to make a confession that we are sorry for what we have done. This is a confession that comes from the heart. God was grieved in His heart because of His actions.

When your heart is grieving because of what you have done, own it. Openly confess to those who are your friends. Confess it to anyone who will listen. If no one will listen confess to God because He is always listening.

Let Him know you feel like He did after creation of mankind, sorry for that which you have done.

  • 2nd Start A Fresh
God was going to blot out the people that He had made and start a fresh. You and I need to blot out the memories of what we did that we are sorry for. This is going to be harder to do than you realize but you must stop thinking about the action that is causing you the sorrow.

This is known as "stinking thinking" when all you do is think about that which you can't change.

They say that when a quarterback throws an interception that he must forget about it. He must put it behind him and get himself mentally ready to come back out on that field again and play like it never happened.

  • 3rd Look For The Person Who Is Different
Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Noah was different than all the other people around him. He was a believer. He trusted in God. He listened to God and joined in the plan that God was going to initiate.

God was going to start over and His plan included Noah.

Sometimes we need to start over and start over with new people. These new people will be people willing to listen to God's Word.

Noah listened to God and found himself building an ark which I am sure looked like a fairly crazy thing to be doing.

When you partner with God you may find yourself doing some outlandish things, but partner with Him anyways. It will be the best thing you have ever done.

Think on These: 

There are two kinds of fools: those who can't change their opinions and those who won't.

We should forgive and then forget what we have forgiven.

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word

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Leaders See Things Before They Become A Reality

2/17/2015

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Picture
I Kings 18:43-45 - He said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go back” seven times. 44 It came about at the seventh time, that he said, “Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’ ” 45 In a little while the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower. 
  • Not Everyone Will Believe In Your Dream
One of my dreams came true this past week. I having been visiting my daughter's family this past week in NC. My son-in-law, Cary, knows about setting up websites and has helped me set up my own website. On this website will be all of my past and future Pump Up devotionals. I hope that you will share this site with others.

Please and thank you for visiting and recommending this site to others for me.

www.SeragosPumpUps.com

Having people not believe in your dreams is a commonplace experience. In our text above Elijah had a vision or a dream where the Word of the Lord came to him.

In this vision God had told him that it was going to rain (vs.1). Now no one else knew it was going to rain. Everyone had been programmed to not believing it was going to rain because it hadn't rained in over three years.
  • Elijah Could Hear And See A Storm Coming.
While Elijah was on Mt. Carmel he knows a storm is coming but only he is able to see and hear it. He says to his servant (vs.43) “go…look towards the sea.” The servant does as Elijah said, but when he returns he informs him he saw nothing.

They go through this ritual six times and each time his answer is the same, “There is nothing.” Imagine going through this same routine six times and coming back with the same answer, “There is nothing.”
  • Elijah’s Servant Was Not Able To See What Elijah Saw.
God said in (vs.1) that He was sending rain and Elijah believed him and he could see the rain coming. He didn’t see it physically but he saw it spiritually. Elijah’s servant on the other hand didn’t hear the Lord nor did he believe in what Elijah was telling him.
  • How Many Of Us Have Seen Something That No One Else Was Able To See?
What comes to your mind when I ask you this question?

What were you able to see that no one else could see?

Did you see yourself winning something or becoming something no one ever thought you were capable of winning or accomplishing?
  • We Believed In It But No One Else Did.
Quite a few of my Pump Up readers are college coaches. They, many times, can see their athletes as champions, but the problem is some of their athletes can’t see it.

In 1997 at the Freestyle Wrestling Championships the USA’s 57 Kilo wrestler pulled out of the competition.  This left the spot open for the number two wrestler, Tony Purler, who was traveling with the team but was 22 lbs. over weight because he wasn’t expected to wrestle. He was traveling with the team to be a wrestling partner for the number one wrestlers.

When the number one wrestler pulled out Tony had a few days to lose the 22 lbs and make the weight.

When others couldn’t see it happening Tony, his coach and a few teammates were able to see it. He made the weight and wrestled in his first World Championship. Why?

He was able to see what others couldn’t.
  • So What Are You To Do When You Can See What No One Else Can See?
  1. You Keep On Displaying Your Faith In What You Believe.
Keep visualizing what you want to see happen. You are to keep moving forward.

At least that is what Elijah did and on the seventh time his servant came back with a different answer. A don’t get your hopes up to high answer. He says, “Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand…”

The servant doesn’t have much faith is this little cloud. In fact, he says it is a “small” cloud. It is only the size of a man’s hand.

Now if you think about that for a moment, physically speaking, that size of a cloud isn’t going to do much.

That is what makes this story all the more fascinating.
  • God Uses This Small Cloud To Rain Down Heavy Showers (vs. 45).
You might have a vision or a dream and you have shared it with your family or friends and they all think you are “crazy” or worse yet they even call you a “dreamer”.

All I can say is keep believing or having faith in your dreams. Elijah did and in the end he was right and they were wrong.
  • You May Be The Small Cloud That God Wants To Do Great Things With Today.
  • Will You Let Him Use You? 
Think On This: 

Small minds are the first to criticize large ideas.

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago



Minister of God's Word


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I Was Just Like Jonah One Day.

2/11/2015

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 Jonah 1:1-3 - The word of the LORD came to Jonah....saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me." But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
  • Jonah Wasn't Interested In His New Job Assignment  
God wanted Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach. Jonah didn't want to go to Nineveh and preach. Why wouldn't a prophet want to go and preach? This was a major part of their job description. 
 
Was Jonah afraid of the people?
 
After all God said, "Their wickedness has come up before Him." No, Jonah wasn't afraid of them. That wasn’t the problem?
 
Jonah believed the people of Nineveh would repent. What?
 
You heard me correctly. He didn't want this job assignment because in his mind if he preached the people of Nineveh would repent, if they repented God would forgive them and he didn't want them to be forgiven.
 
WOW!  
  • The Time It Happened To Me 
I was just like Jonah one day. Please forgive me when I tell you this but I experienced a similar situation while in the ministry.
 
I was asked to go to a prison and visit a convicted child molester by a family member who was a member of the church.
 
I DID NOT WANT MY JOB ASSIGNMENT. I was like Jonah.
 
I didn’t want to go visit that person in prison. I was like Jonah.

I will tell you this I did go but it took me allowing the Spirit of God to work on my spirit because my flesh didn’t want to visit that person. 
  • What About Your Experience? 
When was the last time you weren't interested in your new job assignment?
 
Maybe your assignment was from God, your parents, your spouse or your employer.
 
You know you should do it but the only thing on your mind is running from your obligation. 
  • So What Is A Person To Do When Faced With This Type Of Situation? 
1. Do Some Introspection. What has been going on in your life? Have you been sick or stressed out in other ways? When we're tired we have a tendency to allow things to bother us that usually never do. Do yourself a favor and get some rest. 
 
2. Don't Make Any Hasty Decisions. One of my favorite passages of scripture is "And it shall come to pass..." What you're going through has a life span and it'll be over before you realize it.
 
3. Do Your Assignment With The Best Possible Attitude. Remembering that everything we do is to bring glory to God.
 
Can you imagine how difficult it would've been to listen to Jonah's messages?
He would have been preaching with an attitude and not a pleasant one, I might add. The scripture says he was angry.
 
Jonah 4:1-2 - But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the LORD and said, "Please LORD, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.  
  • God Wanted The People Of Nineveh To Change 
God was giving the people of Nineveh a chance to hear His Word and repent.

God has given us a chance to hear the Gospel and repent. He also wants us to give other people the opportunity to hear the Gospel and repent.
  • Have You Ever Had A Job Assignment You Didn't Like?
I am quite sure we all have had a job assignment that we didn't like doing. The next time one arises in your life try to remember this Pump Up.

God always wants us to be the best we can be especially when doing job assignments we don't like.
 
In what ways today does God want us to change so that we can be like the people of Nineveh?

Think on This:
 
When looking for faults use a  mirror, not a telescope.

The man who thinks he has no faults has at least one.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago


Minister of God's Word
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We Learned This When We Were Very Young

2/4/2015

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James 4:2 - "…You do not have because you do not ask."  NASU 
  • We Learned How To Ask For Help 
You and I both know we learned how to ask for help from our parents, grandparents, teachers and even siblings. Can you remember asking for help to tie your shoes or lift you up so you could get a cookie? 

So what happened? What changed our way of thinking?
 
When did we start thinking that we could go it all alone? 
  • It Started For Me When I Was 14 Years Old 
I was one who associated with guys who were older than me. In Ohio you could buy 3.2 beer (3.2% alcohol) at 18 years of age. So by the time I was 14 yrs. old I had already been drunk numerous times.
 
I really didn't see what the big deal was at the time. Needless to say my parents were not happy with my behavior and they enrolled me in a military academy in Staunton, Virginia. My dad said the military helped him grow up and this is what I needed.
 
I remember watching my parents and siblings drive away and I was left behind on that blacktop driveway. There was an emptiness in the pit of my stomach for about 30 seconds and then my mind entertained this question, "Now what are you going to do?"
 
That is when I said, "It is me against the world." I said some other things but I would not put them in print. There wasn't any emptiness in my stomach now. It was filled with determination that I will show them. I will show the world. I can survive. I can go it on my own.
 
That is when I started avoiding asking anyone for anything. If I wanted something I would get it. If I couldn't get it without asking someone I would do without it.
 
My life plan became plain and simple. If you can't get it by yourself do without it. 
  • It Ended For Me March 2, 1975 
That was when I asked God for help. I asked Him to forgive me of my sins. The forgiveness of my sins was something that I really wanted and there was NO way that I was going to be able to acquire that without the help of God's Son, Jesus Christ.
 
So I confessed Jesus to be my Lord and Savior and was baptized into Christ. I have never regretted making that decision. I have made plenty of bad decisions that I have regretted making, but asking for God's help has never been one of my regrets.
 
So as the scripture says, "…You do not have because you do not ask."  So I asked for Jesus to be the Lord of my life. Since I became a Christian on that day I have been asking for help ever since.
 
It really is the better way to live. When I need something I ask God for His help to acquire it. If I am supposed to have it God will see to it that I receive it. If He doesn't want me to have it I will not get it. I know He will supply me with what I need.
 
If He doesn't give it to me there is a reason. I can better serve Him without it.
 
So is there something you don't have?
 
Then ask God for it. If He wants you to have you will. If He doesn't want you to have it this is for your own good.
 
Think on This:
 
You can buy education, but wisdom is a gift from God.
 
God often tries us with a little to see what we would do with a lot.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago


Minister of God's Word
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