WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
AUGUST 26, 2024
TOPIC: DON’T PROGRAMME YOURSELF FOR FUTURE REGRETS (2)
BY T. O. BANSO
“Sensible people will see trouble coming and avoid it, but an unthinking person will walk right into it and regret it later” (Proverbs 22:3 Good News Translation).
As I said yesterday, human beings occasionally face disappointments when their expectations are unmet because of unforeseen circumstances despite their best efforts. But this is not the focus of this devotional. The focus is on when people foolishly make decisions that sometimes others know will result in regrets and may even warn them. This is what I call programming oneself for regrets.
Yesterday, I said ways people programme themselves for future regrets include:
1. They live in denial of what will create a problem tomorrow.
2. They downplay or rationalize the danger posed by a problem today.
3. They have false hope and comfort.
I also discussed two ways not to programme yourself for future regrets, namely:
1. Always make the right choices based on the Word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit.
2. Trust in the Lord always.
I want to discuss other ways not to programme yourself for future regrets:
3. Be established in God’s love for you and love yourself. You must know that God loves you and you must love yourself, too. God’s love is not dependent on your valuables, performance, or worldly achievements. He loves you because He created you in His image (Genesis 1:26). You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). He is mindful of you (Psalms 8:4, 144:3; Hebrews 2:6).
If you are established in the love of God, you’ll have no problem loving or accepting yourself. By self-love, I’m not talking about selfish love or egotism. I’m talking about appreciating who you are based on God’s love. If you don’t appreciate yourself, how can you appreciate others? Some people are not pleased with themselves. Therefore, they wrongly assume that if they can go into relationships – marriage, friendship, etc. – others can supply what they think they lack. That is a faulty ground for going into a relationship. Such people are only programming themselves for future regrets. They will discover that their desire is not satisfied. Nobody can provide the deficit of self-love in another person’s life. You must love yourself if you’re going to benefit from any relationship.
You’re not perfect, and nobody is. But you must accept who God has made you. Identify your strengths, develop them, and use them while working to improve your weaknesses. Everybody has strengths and weaknesses. If you don’t love yourself, anybody’s love for you won’t be sufficient – you’ll still feel unloved. Love yourself because God loves you. You don’t need people’s validation and approval. Self-love is the foundation of robust self-esteem.
Significantly, the Bible first predicated loving others on self–love – love your neighbour as yourself (Leviticus 19:18, 34; Matthew 19:19, 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8). Those scriptures command loving others and not self-love. The Bible takes it for granted that human beings love themselves and should love others as they love themselves. But the Bible later teaches that the followers of Christ should love one another as Christ has loved them (John 13:34) and husbands should love their wives just as Christ also loved the church (Ephesians 5:25).
Future regrets await those who don’t love themselves and engage in sinful practices for others to accept or love them. Some people bleach their skin because they don’t like their complexion and want to be attractive to others! But a time will come when they have nothing to bleach again. When they begin to suffer the health side effects of skin bleaching, they will regret it. Be established in God’s love for you and love yourself.
Be rooted in the truth that God loves you and do love yourself, too. Don’t destroy your future because of others’ affirmation or acceptance.
4. Face the reality of your life or condition with honesty. Don’t live in denial of whatever you are going through. Don’t programme yourself for future regrets by denying or ignoring the danger signs in your business transactions or relationships with others. Some people ignore signs of future dangers in marriage relationships and consolidate the marriage only for them to regret it later. They ignore evident signs of unfaithfulness, a controlling and abusive husband, a nagging and violent wife, etc. but regret it later. They say, “Love is blind” but that’s not love; that’s foolishness or obsession.
In Numbers 22:22-35, Balaam strangely ignored the sign of his donkey talking. He didn’t stop because of this but was hell-bent on going on a journey God disapproved of. He went on that journey all the same. Although he couldn’t curse the children of Israel, he taught their enemy how to cast a stumbling block before them to eat things sacrificed to idols and commit fornication (Revelation 2:14). Consequently, twenty-four thousand Israelites died in the plague God brought upon the Israelites for committing harlotry with the women of Moab (Numbers 25:9). However, the children of Israel later killed Balaam the son of Beor, the soothsayer, with the sword (Joshua 13:22).
5. Be patient. Romans 8:25 says, “But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently” (New International Version). Impatience can make one go for or settle for anything, which one will regret forever in some cases. For example, those who become impatient and marry any man or woman may appear to have satisfied their desires but will regret it. Some people rushed into marriage in the past and rushed out! Some didn’t rush out but have continued to endure a miserable marriage because they were impatient.
Those who reject the counsel to be patient regret it later. Some who made this mistake in the past now use their lives to counsel others. Don’t be impatient; be patient. Don’t programme yourself for future regrets.
6. Don’t procrastinate. There are decisions you must make now. Failure to decide is itself a decision but a foolish decision. Postponing the making of the right decisions at the right time is unwise and will result in future regrets.
Have you made a decision concerning Jesus? Have you given your life to Him? The Bible says now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2b). Why don’t you invite Jesus into your heart now? Stop procrastination.
When will you make those godly decisions concerning your family, business, career, ministry, education, relationships, etc.? When will you reconcile with your spouse and that friend, relation, or neighbour? When will you quit that sinful behaviour? When will you start the course you’ve been talking so much about? When will you start that business or project?
You’ve delayed for too long. It’s time to act now or you will regret it later. Don’t deceive yourself that you have all the time in the world to do it or can do it any time. Any time is no time. Do what is right today; don’t procrastinate and programme yourself for future regrets.
Conclusion: Someone who doesn’t know where he is going will get somewhere somehow. No matter what happened in the past, you can decide today not to programme yourself for future regrets. Do this by following what I discussed yesterday and today. Don’t sow the seeds of future regrets.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. Take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You must join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: I shall not sow the seeds of future regrets in Jesus’ name. Holy Spirit, help me to live by the Word of God and make the right decisions.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
