GET BACK AT IT



When recovering from the failure of sin, there is a time of contrition, a time of mourning, so to speak. And then there comes a time when you put it all behind you, and begin to move forward again. David spent seven days fasting in intercession for his sick son. When his son passed away, David got up and continued his life. The Bible says, Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate. (2 Samuel 12:20)

It is significant to take note of the phrase presented here in the text — "Then David got up from the ground." There comes a time when — after you have confessed your sin, after you have accepted responsibility for your actions and have surrendered again to the Lordship of Christ —to get up and get on with your life. If you want to survive the failure of sin, repentance isn’t your final step—it’s your first step.

After you repent, continue your walk. That’s what David did. He got up, he washed, he went to house of God and worshipped, and he went home and went back to the business of being king.

This isn’t easy to do. After a sinful catastrophe most people just want to wallow in misery, saying, "Oh, woe is me. I’m so guilty. I’m so wretched. I’m such a failure. I’m no good to anybody." To be honest, these feelings are natural in the aftermath of failure. But there comes a time when it’s time to get up and go on. You continue your life. You continue your walk. You go back to being who God called you to be and doing what God called you to do.

Do you remember the story of Jonah? God told him to go preach in Ninevah. He refused and ran in the other direction. He got thrown out of a boat and swallowed by a big fish and the fish spit him out on the beach. So what did God say? "That’s it for you? You can just stay on the beach and feel guilty from now on?" No, the Bible says...
Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. (Jonah 3:1)

God didn’t take Jonah out of the ministry. He sent him back to Ninevah. He said, "You just go back to doing what I called you to do."

If you’ve lost the battle with sin, you may be tempted to think that God is finished with you. It’s not true. The problem is not that God gives up on his people. The problem is that his people give up on themselves. You need to remember this verse. The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. (Proverbs 24:16)

That’s what it means to continue your walk. Does it mean there won’t be painful consequences to deal with? No. Does it mean there won’t be feelings of regret? No. It means that when you fail — even if you fail more than once — God isn’t finished with you. No time is the right time to quit. If you want to survive the failure of sin, there first needs to be a time of confession; afterwards, you continue your walk. You get back at it and do what God called you to do.

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