A Positive Side Of Cancer Is Facing Godly Regrets That Changes Lives.

Before we begin today I would want you to know that we understand what you are going through and h

Before we begin today, I would want you to know that we understand what you are going through and have a genuine interest in helping you through your journey with cancer. That is the reason why we started “Hope Through Cancer” outreach and the cancer support group at “Seacrest Presbyterian Church” in Delray Beach, Florida at 7:PM Wednesday night.

So we saw last week that having cancer has its positive side, like facing mortality, which in turn brings us to the hard fact that life is brief. That alone usually changes our whole outlook on life and what is important. But when facing the end, it not only makes us realize the brevity of life, we are faced with regrets. Two subtitles would be 1.Godless regrets. 2. Godly regrets.

1. Godless Regrets (The Regrets In Life).

"For godly sorrow produces repentance to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death." 2 Corinthians 7:10

It could be said that regret is a normal reaction, when considering the end of ones journey and to the fact that life is very short.

Since we don’t have the guarantee of tomorrow, and the fact we are only human beings with fragile characters with many flaws, having left a trail of wrong doings and mistakes, we are prone to easily regret some or many of the things we have done in the past. Now some of the regrets can hinder our progress to the end if it is something that should be dealt with to be able to move on.

It is surprising to hear famous people say that they do not have any regrets of what they did during their life time. Yet if compared to perfection, how can one not see things that are not regretable? How can they not see the importance of change and the desire to do better and be better?

“Many people we consider legends, such as Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry, remain so scarred by scandals, injustices and regrets from decades earlier that they're barely able to appreciate their accomplishments.” By Neil Straus.

If we look back and regret our wrong and it doesn’t turn us to God to change our hearts, we therefore have regret with out God. Godless! Many regret getting caught for doing wrong, but they do not regret the wrong they did. We need Godly regret.

2. Godly Regret.

Everyone experiences a certain amount of shame and regret over sins committed in their past. The Bible has much to say about shame and regret, and there are numerous examples of people in the Bible who experienced them. Take this one for example, Peter. John 13:37-38 describes the night of Christ’s betrayal. Right after the Passover meal, Peter tells Jesus that he would lay down his life for Him. Jesus responds by telling him that on that very night Peter would deny three times even knowing Him. Later that night, out of fear of losing his own life, Peter denied ever knowing Jesus. After Peter’s denial of Christ that night, we see him go on and grow in his faith, eventually becoming one of the founding fathers of the early church in Jerusalem. He did indeed “strengthen his brothers” after turning back to Christ, as Jesus had foretold. While he must have lived with much shame and regret over his very public denial of Christ, his deepened understanding of the person and work of Christ overcame his emotions and feelings of failure. He realized that if Christ would not hold anything against him, neither should he hold anything against himself. Romains 8:1 says “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

So, once we have confessed our sins, both past and present, we needn’t continue to live in shame and regret over them. God has forgiven us and forgotten those sins, but often we have to remind ourselves of that fact in order to forgive ourselves and move forward in newness of life.

Here is a list of some regrets that have haunted one that is a survivor.

1. Not having spent quality time with children or parents.

2. Wasted So much time on themselves and not others.

3. Having a grudge with a family member and never having settled it.

4. Not living for the Creator.

5. Having not been forgiving to others.

 

Even though He(God) is willing to forgive and forget, we are left with consequences that we must accept and deal with, to be able to continue our life in a fulfilled way. To be fully liberated one must turn to God.

For many who are severely bound up with things that may have occurred in the past –realize that God is inviting to you to come to Him for forgiveness. Many will need an inner healing from the Lord on certain issues. God wants you to let go of your past so you can fully fly into what He has in store for you in this life.

 

a genuine interest in helping you through your journey with cancer. That is the reason why we started “Hope Through Cancer” outreach and the cancer support group at “Seacrest Presbyterian Church” in Delray Beach, Florida at 7:PM Wednesday night.

So we saw last week that having cancer has its positive side, like facing mortality, which in turn brings us to the hard fact that life is brief. That alone usually changes our whole outlook on life and what is important. But when facing the end, it not only makes us realize the brevity of life, we are faced with regrets. Two subtitles would be 1.Godless regrets. 2. Godly regrets.

1.Godless Regrets (The Regrets In Life).

"For godly sorrow produces repentance to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death." 2 Corinthians 7:10

It could be said that regret is a normal reaction, when considering the end of ones journey and to the fact that life is very short.

Since we don’t have the guarantee of tomorrow, and the fact we are only human beings with fragile characters with many flaws, having left a trail of wrong doings and mistakes, we are prone to easily regret some or many of the things we have done in the past. Now some of the regrets can hinder our progress to the end if it is something that should be dealt with to be able to move on.

It is surprising to hear famous people say that they do not have any regrets of what they did during their life time. Yet if compared to perfection, how can one not see things that are not regretable? How can they not see the importance of change and the desire to do better and be better?

“Many people we consider legends, such as Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry, remain so scarred by scandals, injustices and regrets from decades earlier that they're barely able to appreciate their accomplishments.” By Neil Straus.

If we look back and regret our wrong and it doesn’t turn us to God to change our hearts, we therefore have regret with out God. Godless! Many regret getting caught for doing wrong, but they do not regret the wrong they did. We need Godly regret.

2.Godly Regret.

Everyone experiences a certain amount of shame and regret over sins committed in their past. The Bible has much to say about shame and regret, and there are numerous examples of people in the Bible who experienced them. Take this one for example, Peter. John 13:37-38 describes the night of Christ’s betrayal. Right after the Passover meal, Peter tells Jesus that he would lay down his life for Him. Jesus responds by telling him that on that very night Peter would deny three times even knowing Him. Later that night, out of fear of losing his own life, Peter denied ever knowing Jesus. After Peter’s denial of Christ that night, we see him go on and grow in his faith, eventually becoming one of the founding fathers of the early church in Jerusalem. He did indeed “strengthen his brothers” after turning back to Christ, as Jesus had foretold. While he must have lived with much shame and regret over his very public denial of Christ, his deepened understanding of the person and work of Christ overcame his emotions and feelings of failure. He realized that if Christ would not hold anything against him, neither should he hold anything against himself. Romains 8:1 says “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

So, once we have confessed our sins, both past and present, we needn’t continue to live in shame and regret over them. God has forgiven us and forgotten those sins, but often we have to remind ourselves of that fact in order to forgive ourselves and move forward in newness of life.

Here is a list of some regrets that have haunted one that is a survivor.

1. Not having spent quality time with children or parents.

2. Wasted So much time on themselves and not others.

3. Having a grudge with a family member and never having settled it.

4. Not living for the Creator.

5. Having not been forgiving to others.

Even though He(God) is willing to forgive and forget, we are left with consequences that we must accept and deal with, to be able to continue our life in a fulfilled way. To be fully liberated one must turn to God.

For many who are severely bound up with things that may have occurred in the past –realize that God is inviting to you to come to Hime for forgiveness. Many will need an inner healing from the Lord on certain issues. God wants you to let go of your past so you can fully fly into what He has in store for you in this life.