Job 42:6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

As I listened to Pastor Bill Glasgow preach repentance on June 2^nd, I saw a vision of a rattlesnake shedding its skin. I thought to myself, how appropriate, that might make a good Lifelines. Think of the old dead snakeskin as sin in our lives. Like the snake its presence is restrictive and uncomfortable. The true nature of what we really are is hidden underneath. It cannot be seen for what it is without shedding sin, the old dead skin.

When it comes to shedding snake skin, there is a great deal of squirming and a struggle involved. We often think of repentance as being an easy thing, all I have to do is turn. That turning is a secondary act, true repentance happens with a change of attitude, which happens in the head, just as a snakes shedding begins with the head. It should be first grievous, just as Job describes it, an abhorance.

It is a process which includes a struggle. The body needs to complete the process, actions have to follow intention and that isn’t always easy, there is resistance. The benefits of repentance are only discovered from the struggle. The refreshing, the restoration, the revival Bill spoke of that Sunday will be as obvious as the glistening snake skin of that rattler. Like the rattlesnake, the true nature of who we are has not changed, the sin is removed and we are restored to His design.

Like the rattlesnake, this is an ongoing process, it does not happen just once and we are done. This process happens over and over again. Now the rattlesnake shows growth thru this process by adding rattles to the end of his body. You can tell how mature a rattler is by the number of rattles. We also give signs of grown, but they are not as obvious as rattles. Our signs of growth is to be a little more like Jesus after repentance. Those who know the Lord will see the change as conformance. Those who do not know the Lord will only wonder about the change. Hopefully they will ask why so that a witness may be given.

John 11:40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

Shed sin so that Jesus might be seen.

Deuteronomy 8:16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;

We have been talking about the seeds we sow in our hearts and the fruits they produce. Today I’d like to address the seed of dissatisfaction. I am using the example of Israel’s grumbling about the manna because it plainly shows the first fruit result in finding fault. The first thing that happens is a false vision of the past, a sense that things were better back in Egypt. They completely ignore the bondage in their desire for a taste of the past. They lost their gratitude for being saved.

There are so many examples that I could give here, but rather than focusing on specifics, I’d ask you to look for examples in your own lives where you have been witness to these symptoms. Blaming others, companies, government, organizations or perhaps even yourselves for a situation or circumstance in which gratitude was lost. Did that situation lead to damage or the end of a relationship? Was trust lost? Was communication cut off?

I’ve never blamed God for my circumstances. It hasn’t hurt my relationship with my Lord.

Ever thought that? Ever said that? During our recent study in Ephesians we learned that all spiritual blessing have been placed in Christ in heaven. Our access to those blessing is through Him. Our access to those blessing requires us to enter in and the attitude that gains access is gratitude, which we gave up in blaming, grumbling and murmuring.

Psalm 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

 When we allow things rather than God to be the source of our satisfaction, we injure our relationship with God and cut off access to blessings that rightfully belong to us because of our relationship with Jesus by faith.  

Psalm 17:15  As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.

My favorite verse in the bible reminds me that God is my satisfaction, not things.

Heavenly Father who takes care of all our needs, may we never forget to look to You in the midst of our circumstances to see what You are doing in us. AMEN