When You Blow It, Don't Hit the "Backspace"

Recently I spoke without thinking, and my words were sanctimonious. 

I apologized to the person and asked God's forgiveness, but I was disappointed in myself.  I should have known better since I occasionally get self-righteous comments on my blog posts and know they aren't helpful.

Sometimes when I blow it like this, I feel I've hit the backspace button on my spiritual growth. But God is helping me understand that we only hit the backspace if we fail to honestly repent and learn from our failures.

We can choose to deny, excuse, or justify our sins. In fact, if someone confronts us we can call them judgmental and self-righteous and attack them. If we do this, we definitely hit the backspace. And if we do it continually, we eventually lose our sense of shame (Ephesians 4:17-19). 

I don't want that. I want to be like Paul who honestly addressed his sins, admitted he still blew it at times, but said he was moving forward—not hitting the backspace:

"Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14

Of course, this wasn't the only time I blew it:

I Admit It: I Was Foolish

I Blew It—How Could I Set It Straight?  

Confession Is Good for the Soul 

What To Do When We Blow It 

Would you like to "watch" the first devotion in my book Wisdom for Life? Just click the image below to do that!

BLN