SECOND CHANCE GATEWAY

I love the song composed by Chris Tomlin, “This is our God.” I love the fact that, as the Place of Second Chances, we are in the process of “painting” a clear and accurate picture of who God is. The song affirms that God is a Refuge for the poor, a Shelter from the storm, a Father to the orphan, a Healer of the broken, a Fountain for the thirsty, and a Lover of the lonely. Simple songs like this do more than inspire our worship; they combat all sorts of inaccurate depictions of God. A lot of people don’t know or have never been introduced to the God of the second chance that the Bible talks about. In other words, there are so many misconceptions about who God is. On the other hand, it has always been my belief that once a person gets an accurate and full image of God through Jesus Christ, they will surrender their lives to Him. You see, God is a God who inspires us to worship and serve.

One of the pictures of God that means the most to me and many others is that the God we worship and serve is the Healer of the Broken. Brokenness is something that every single one of us has experienced in life. That’s why we need to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is the Healer of broken hearts, lives, emotions and people. In fact, sometimes it is God Himself who leads us to brokenness and offers us a second chance.

Sooner or later, every person who wants to seriously wants a second chance must follow Jesus and face the fact that God is going to have to allow something to break you so that you will let go of the stubborn vice grip you have on your own heart and life. In order for God to guide you the way He wants, you’re going to have to be broken. You are going to have to be broken from self-reliance in order for God to heal and restore you to the place where your trust and reliance is on Him.

Personal brokenness is God’s way of moving you into a new identity and a new life, your second chance. Because God is the Healer of the broken, you can trust Him to put you back together when you’ll never be able to put yourself together on your own. Psalm 51 verses 16 and 17 are the doorway to your second chance. “You would not be pleased with sacrifices, or I would bring them. If I brought you a burnt offering, you would not accept it. The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise.” This is where you start your healing.

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