Believing a lie about someone has two possible outcomes. You can continue to believe it and live with the result of that belief, or you can examine your belief to make sure it is true.
I offer the case of Manasseh, King of Judah.
Manasseh began his reign when he was 12 years old. His father was Hezekiah, a good king. Hezekiah did what was right in the eyes of The Lord. He tore down all the worship places of the other gods. But Manasseh did not follow in his father's footsteps.
Manasseh built UP the altars of the other gods and did evil in the eyes of The Lord. Yet, despite all the evil that he did, this happened.
God spoke to Manasseh and his people but they would not listen so God punished them and sent and army against Judah and they captured Manasseh and took him away. As Manasseh lay in prison this is what he did. He prayed.
"12 In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 13 And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God." - 2 Chronicles 33:12-13
There is a lesson for us to learn here. Many of us go through life doing whatever we want. We're basically worshiping our own gods. God then teaches us a lesson. At that point we have a choice. What will we choose?
Manasseh chose to pray and repent. After that, Manasseh did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. His people, however, did not.
The key to Manasseh's story is his realization that he had sinned. He then repented and was forgiven. That story can happen to anyone. God is willing to forgive ANYONE as long as that person comes to The Lord humbly and honestly and seeks that forgiveness.
Is there something you need to repent of today? Pray. Seek God's forgiveness. If you do so honestly and truthfully, God is mighty to save.
Mighty To Save - Michael W. Smith
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