7even

Proverbs 24:16

"...for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,

    but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes."

Happy third week of the year beautiful people! I've seen some amaaazing things pop off for a few people in my connections so far and I couldn't be more geeked for them!  Especially for those whom I've witnessed their toil and watched them sow in tears. 

It's a dope thing to see people reap from their hard work. It's been fairly quiet for me for the most part, minus some occasional warfare. But none of that is going to deter me from enjoying the beauty in my wait. If it's been quiet or rocky for you, listen we still have 349 days to see some natural fruits of our faithfulness. 

In the meantime in between time, stay encouraged and continue to stick to the directives that's been laid out before you for this year. And know that natural fruit is great but spiritual fruit is better. 

Wait-time cultivates spiritual fruit. 

In other words, chill out! Ok? 

 Last week, I should have got on at least one of your nerves. If I didn't, wait for it! Ha! 

What did we discuss? Hmmm...

Oh yeah, I shared that the health and vitality of the church is predicated on the health and vitality of its individual members. If God's bride has eyeplankitus, it's because the individual members that make up the church, are blind to their own personal faults, engaging in blasphemous hypocrisy, and almost certainly are hearers of the word and not doers of the word. 

Furthermore, whenever God has to confront you by pointing out something you're doing or not doing by saying in some way, "Thou art the man," chances are, prior to His confrontation, you were suffering from spiritual cataracts and in dire need of them being removed in order to correct your posture.
God is likely in some cases to expose your position when you are unaligned and follow up with some instructions to correct your posture.

And now we're here. 

Proverbs 24:16 is another one of those heavily abused scriptures by the saints. It's one of those I've observed that many have used as a blanket for their mistakes and errors carried out in the flesh likening it to a cat having nine lives. 

 How absolutely absurd it is to believe that you have 7even "get out of jail free cards," for when you do something that is not condoned by God. That's not how grace works and that's definitely not what this scripture implies. 

What this scripture shows is how there is a space made available for one to rise back up if he/she should fall or meet an unfavorable situation. 

NOT a space where one is allowed to fall on purpose and stay there. 

Because if you think that you can fall as many times as you want deeming this a part of the package of salvation, I wonder, did you really rise the other times? 

The key reason why I stamp this as truth is the second part of Proverbs 24:16, 

"but the wicked stumbles when calamity strikes." 

The NLT version puts it this way, "One disaster will overthrow the wicked." 

We're 7 for 0 here folks! 

How? 

While grace is epitomized in this passage, the foundation of grace is set in place by one's posture. 

When one's posture is correct, meaning if he or she is in right standing with God and is approached by a fall, this person will not be overthrown by it. 

Thanks to grace being there to assist them in rising up.

Singing: Like a good neighbor, God's grace is there! 

Yet if one's posture is not correct, meaning he or she is not in right standing with God, if ever he or she is approached by just one fall, then this person will most certainly be overthrown by it since grace will not be accessible to them.

You see when you become saved, you automatically give God permission to periodically peel away a part of you that re-shifts your posture so that you will be open to conviction. 

If nothing convicts you, then everything and anything can cause you to stumble. 

This is why God gives grace to the humble and resists the proud. (James 4:6)

This is why then, if the righteous man falls he will rise up but the wicked will stumble after a calamity. 

I remember when I first backslid. I'd been saved for a little over a year and I'd been abstaining from premarital sex the same amount of time. 

Somehow I'd reconnected with situation-bae. 

I honestly don't know how this happened. But it did. 

I do remember being very eager to show him that I was someone he should have never discarded as trash. I wanted him to experience my evolution. 

I wanted to reapply for his heart. 

#Tragic 

We would start off by flirting via Facebook. To me inviting him over my house to cook for him and entertain him. Looking back I have to cringe. I was trying so hard for this buster. Didn't even know I was setting myself up for a trap! 

Envision a little mouse walking into a snake aquarium. 

I was a babe in Christ on fire for God but with no discernment. 

I gave myself to this man and boy did it hurt. I was convicted so bad that I curled up on the floor after the act, in a naked fetal position crying my eyes out. And here's how I knew it was a trap. The man responded to my weeping, 

"You know it doesn't hurt as bad after you do it a few more times." 

As if there would be another time with him! 

But within a span of 3 to 4 years, I would fall two more times in a similar way and I would feel terrible. It didn't feel better. It felt worse because I knew better. 

The last time I told God I was turning away from this type of behavior for good which was the first time I'd made this vow. 

Here's what I've discovered, repentance should be triggered when you fall. If this doesn't happen, then it's a sign that you're not postured right and therefore not able to receive the grace needed to get back up. 

There are so many right now who have fallen, think they've gotten back up but it's their hearts that's still laying where they fell. 

Repeat offenders are those who never repented. They just told God sorry, thanked Him for His forgiveness, and left their hearts in the place that they put before Him.

 Only to find themselves wondering BACK to that place.

For where your treasure is, your heart is there also. (Matthew 6:21) 

Romans 2:4

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

If you treasure God, no matter how far you fall you will return back to Him because this is where your heart will be. If you don't treasure God, then you will not return back to Him because your heart will not be with Him. The reason God extends grace to the righteous fallen is because He wants to give them enough room to make a U-turn. The wicked and unrepentant disqualifies themselves from receiving grace which sets them up for something far worse that they won't be able to overthrow on their own. 

I feel led to extend an invitation to anybody who is reading this post right now whether out of curiosity or you're a returning visitor, just in case you may have fallen or fell into something that you know God disapproves of, take this as your invitation to make a U-turn. If you truly love, cherish, and treasure God you have not strayed too far away to be received by Him. 

Look at this! He's erased the period your mistake made and placed a comma there instead. 

He does not mind finishing where you all left off. 

No matter the reason why you fell, it's not over.