On Sunday my sister fell walking to the car. She laid there for a moment because not only was she in pain, she was shocked. In a sense she was wondering, “How in the world did this happen?” I asked her if she was okay and I’m glad that I was there to comfort her and encourage her to get back up. Immediately after the fall, she was in pain but she managed to go on with her day, even though the pain was a constant reminder of the fall. 

That incident reminded me of a post that I delayed on posting last year. So today I get to post it! Here goes:

How often do random thoughts bombard your mind? Do you take those thoughts that appear to be random into consideration? Well one day while I was at work, this happened—I took a random thought into consideration. Initially, I started laughing but then I realized there was a message in the whole ordeal.

Do you remember the Life Alert infomercial? The slogan was, “Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” I can see the elderly woman on the floor crying out for help. Bad acting if you ask me, but we got the point. She had managed to fall and there was no one around to help her get back up. But this invention would allow her access to emergency services and at the push of a button help would be on the way. Very convenient right?

Sometimes when one falls, it’s hard to get back up and move forward. One has to deal with the effects of falling and sometimes these things are not so easy to overcome. For instance, that person will have to deal with guilt, shame, condemnation and whatever else (stay tuned for the next post titled “Girl, get up!”).

From the fall, there are several things to point out:

1. The pain! Even though the pain represented in the story was physical, when Christians fall, we often experience a deeper pain after realizing we’ve done something that is outside of God’s will. I pray that it is our desire to not break God’s heart in any way. 
2. The questions! “How in the world did this happen?” “How did I allow this to happen?” “What could I have done to avoid this?” Questions bombard our minds when we find ourselves in a fallen state.
3. The reminders! This is the time when we often hear the enemy’s voice so loud and strong. He constantly reminds us of our mistake(s) and continues to hang it over our head. We begin to believe his lies and allow the guilt, condemnation and shame to make us believe we aren’t forgiven and that God doesn’t love us. Sometimes we end up believing that our fall disqualifies us from what God has called us to do. 
4. Getting up again! Repentance is key. We have to acknowledge our sin, confess it, ask for forgiveness, and get up again! In the process we have to change our mind and constantly renew it with the Word of God so that we don’t get caught up in that kind of situation again!

What if we stay clear of things that could possibly trip us up and cause us to fall? That would be awesome right? But temptation is something we face on a daily and we have to be able to say no to it and take the way out.

As children of God, we have Holy Spirit Who leads and guides us. If we are in a situation that could cause us to stumble, I’m sure He’ll give us an unction of warning. But sometimes we don’t pay attention and then we find ourselves in a situation that could’ve been avoided. For one, we should avoid situations where we are likely to compromise.

God’s Word reminds us that “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23) Not only that, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

God’s grace is sufficient but shouldn’t be used as an excuse to sin!

Have you ever been in that place, where you fell and it seemed like you couldn’t get back to the place where it was just you and God? Here’s the thing, there are ways to prevent one from falling.

1) Say NO to the temptation. WALK AWAY FROM IT! Flee! If you say no, you won’t have to compromise your relationship with Christ! Not only that, you won’t have to deal with the guilt, shame, condemnation, feelings of worthlessness, and also the consequences of said action. JUST. SAY. NO.! Look for the way out.

2) Remember you’re NO longer who you use to be. You are a NEW creature, therefore you don’t have to continue in those old habits you had before coming into relationship with Christ. Walk in the NEW man daily.

3) Work out your salvation! Your life depends on it so stay guarded and walk God’s path of righteousness. 

Holy Spirit is your Helper and Comforter! “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” —John 14:26 KJV

So today, avoid those situations that are likely to cause you to fall. Rely on Holy Spirit’s strength to help you overcome any temptation!

Until next time, remember you are loved and you are very precious to the Father!

–Shameka Nicole