Ruth 1:2-18, Mark 14:72, Matthew 6:33, Ruth 3:9, Luke 5:18-26, Heb 12:5-11, 1 John 1:9, Psalm 32:1-2

Men and brethren, the emotional burden of an injury is often heavier than the actual injury and takes longer to heal. When a person forgives another, it feels as though pressure is released from one’s shoulders. Forgiveness has less stress and more joy, regardless of the pain in their life. I know the subject of offering forgiveness causes some to shy away. It feels like a risk too big to take. When you forgive, it feels you are inviting further injury because sometimes forgiveness can be abused. Therefore, today’s sorrows depending on how you handle it are the seeds that will secure tomorrows success. People often forget that it is not often what you know in terms of information; but it’s the spirit of your flow that makes the difference. Sometime people have information but they are so obnoxious that they can’t enjoy the blessing. To communicate in the spirit, you must adorn yourself with humility in such a way that it has become the usual.

Right where you are, sin always turns fruitfulness into famine and our song into sorrow. It brings nothing but barrenness and emptiness. Indeed, in Ruth 1:21 Naomi confessed “I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty”. Peter following the Lord afar off, we read Mark 14:72 “he wept”. Jonah doing that which was right in his own eyes we are told that “he paid the fare thereof”. There is a price to pay for backsliding. It will cost you your fruitfulness and it will turn your prosperity into poverty and your gladness into grief. That way you are about to take outside the will of God may seem better than God’s way but never forget there will be a price to pay later. Don’t leave your duty Post. Stay by the Rivers of water and God will referesh you.  Be blessed.

The scripture gave us the analysis of what happened to the man called Elimelech, rather than looking away to the Lord he looked towards the land of Moab, the land of the heathen, and these things happened to him:-

Number One: He failed To Fulfil His Profession: Being of godly stock we read in Ruth 1:2 “And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi”. In Bible times names were deeply significant. Elimelech means “my God is king”. God is not looking for reputation but reality; a living up to our profession. We are called servants but are you serving the Lord? We are called sheep but are you following the Lord? We are called ambassadors but are you speaking for the Lord? We are called disciples but are you a sitting at the Lord’s feet? We are called saints but are you holy? Are you living up to your name? Is he your king? This is where backsliding begins. We must stay by the Rivers of water to get our daily refreshment. may heaven empower you. 

Number Two: He Failed To Face His Problems: Failing to trust the Lord to provide for his wife and family and instead of repenting and living up to his name Elimelech; he now decided to emigrate to Moab. What was he doing? He was trying to run away from his problems. But rather than escaping he only ran into far greater problems; problems of sickness and death. While running away from your problems may seem the only solution, but it is no solution. It will only multiply them. Jonah 1:3, Jonah ran away from his problems and he ran straight into a storm. it is only at the river of Waters that you can confront your confrontations and be victorious because your strength will be renewed like the Eagles.  Be  empowered. 

You will never find yourself by running away from yourself. You can change your job and your location and even your church but you will never escape your problems. It has been rightly said “a change in geography will never overcome a flaw in your character”. While you can run away from your responsibilities you cannot run away from your heart. Rather than trying to run away from your problems run to the Lord and sort those things out. Otherwise things will only get worse.

Number Three: He Failed To Fight His Passions: Putting his and his family’s physical welfare before their spiritual welfare he went astray. That which is material must never take precedence over that which is spiritual. The needs of the soul must always come before those of the body. Matthew 6:33.

Number Four: It Cost Him His Home: He went and to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. Setting his heart upon Moab he did not travel alone. He brought his wife and his family with him. Dwelling in Moab his sons going even a step further married out of the will of God. The consequences of backsliding are contagious. They infect those around us. Paul reminds us in Romans 14:7 “ For none of us liveth to himself”. When you backslide you do not backslide alone. You cause others to backslide with you.

Number Five: It Cost Him His Harvest: Naomi said Ruth 1:21 “I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?” They had gone out of Bethlehem full but now returning Naomi confessed all was gone. As well as losing their goods she lost her sons. That which they put before God was now gone. The Lord our God is a jealous God. He will not tolerate idols in our lives. An idol is anything you love more, fear more or serve more than God. That which you put before him he will eventually smite down.

Number Six: It Cost Him His Health: Ruth 1:2 “the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah”. His sons were called Mahlon and Chilion. While the first name means sickly the second means pining or wasting away. Surely in his sons God was giving him a message. He was saying if you do not turn back you will waste away. Refusing to listen we find him dying in the following verse. But if you have the courage today to take a step into the unknown God has the power to perform the impossible. If you keep offering people the stuff that they don’t want to take, it is not them that is in the wrong place but you.

“Then she (Naomi) arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread. Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah” Ruth 1:6-7. While Orpah had kissed her mother in law and left back to land that was curse by God; Ruth had a strategy “And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee” Ruth 1:16-18. Therefore, in order to shed light on your dark circumstances you need divine strategies: creative tactics for spiritual warfare. You need divine insight on how to solve the situation; the strategy is not going to prove a point or impress but that the enemy might be depressed and hell might be defeated. God has open up the door of repentance, he gave us the grace to check things, and he put us around the right people to influence us and gave us an ear to hear what we used to make fun of because he chose us. Get intimately connected in a world that is strange to you. You came into the new world; it is time to let the new world come into you.

Men and brethren, remorse over sin, daily confession, and a continual attitude of repentance are marks of a healthy Christian life. Your trespasses need forgiveness and cleansing by the blood of the Lamb. What’s the benefit? The bible says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”1 John 1:9. Forgiveness and cleansing-those promises are as refreshing to the sinner as a cold drink of water to a thirsty man.

David testified to the power of confession “When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.” Psalm 32:4-5. The guilt of David’s sin affected him physically-he found relief only through full confession.

In a very practical sense, God’s righteous anger over your daily sins demonstrates His love for you. That’s the thought of Hebrews 12:5-11 where some form of the word discipline is used seven times. Divine displeasure over your sin brings discipline, reproof, and scourging. That’s a good thing, not only because it helps rid your life of sin, but it also shows His love for you and confirms your relationship to Him-“those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives” (v. 6).

God’s discipline-sometimes involving punishment for disobedience-is painful; no one will argue with that. But you must remember: He is causing you to share in His holiness (v. 10); He is training you (v. 11); He is producing in you the “peaceful fruit of righteousness” (v. 11). So when you have sinned, humble yourself, confess your sin, and submit to His loving discipline.

Christ died for all our sins past present and future but this does not negate us from asking forgiveness and being cleansed by the blood. In fact the bible states that for us to walk in the light we MUST confess sins to be cleansed (1 Jn.1:6-9). God says, No confession- no cleansing.

Confession means agreeing with God that something was sin. Of course one cannot confess everything they think or do wrong but they can what they do know, and God expects this from mature spiritually minded saints. If we confess what we know, He is faithful .. and will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He cleanses all of them, even the ones we don’t know. It’s about having an attitude of wanting to be cleansed and right with others. It has been said, the quicker one confesses the more mature they are

We do not have to make daily sacrifices for sin because Christ’s sacrifice is once for all and effective, but we do need daily confession of what we know we did wrong (intentionally or even not intentionally) for cleansing. Cleansing is not just a onetime act at salvation, the atonement is.

We do not want to be one that is spoken of in V.8 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” He then repeats the idea V.10 “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” “have not sinned” is of sins to the present time: not merely sins before, but since salvation. Notice that John continually uses the word IF. It’s a conditional word that questions our actions. Sins are committed because of the old nature is still with us. This one reason Peter says “For he who lacks these things is short-sighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.” 2 Peter 1:9

We should be encourage and assured by what John further writes. 1 John. 2:1: “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

John clearly taught as Paul did, as Peter did, that we do still sin and we need to be aware of sin to confess them, that we are cleansed by the blood. Our fellowship will be restored by means of confession. It is a cleansing for a clear conscience and being useful for the Lord. He will not use those who are in continual sin and will not turn from the practice.

Ephesians 5:14-17: “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” The only way to be wise in this manner is to know what sin is and avoid it, and if it is done, to confess it. The quicker it is done our conscience will be cleansed and this being practiced will bring spiritual growth.

The Bible promises the following benefits of God’s forgiveness:

• Happiness. When we know God’s forgiveness, we are blessed Psalm 32:1-2
• God chooses not to hold our sins against us. Another result of forgiveness is that God doesn’t keep a record of our sins; He does not hold them against us. Because the blood of Christ covered our sins, God chooses to put them out of His mind. Isaiah 43:25
• God removes our sin from us. Psalm 103:12
• We can forgive ourselves. When we are forgiven, we can forgive ourselves and go on with our lives. Philippians 3:13-14
• Forgiveness of sin can bring suspended miracles back to you. Luke 5:18-26

Forgiveness is your key to action and freedom; it is the evidence that your miracle will come in your due season. The journey of your life when you are not carrying your past is much easier because God has forgiven you.

Finally, you must connect to what you have been visiting. Now is the time for you to embrace your dream. It may seem strange to you, you may not have previous contact with it. What makes life exciting is that every time you get to the top, and you desire to start a new level, you have to go start from the corner. Ruth 2:7. I challenge you today that whatever you want to become; start going to bed with your dreams. Stop rehearsing what you had already accomplished. Stop listening to what you have already consumed. And start getting something that is fresh and new, something that makes you nervous again and something that put butterfly in your stomach. Go to bed with your dreams, surround yourself with all the materials and start going to where you can learn a new thing: and if you keep making yourself available to opportunity, opportunity will cover you with his skirt Ruth 3:9. Opportunity cannot cover you if you are not there. You must make yourself available to the next level of living; which means you have to make yourself invisible to where you came from because you cannot be available to both sides simultaneously. This is your grace season, therefore, don’t die in Moab. Return to the River of Water

Before I share testimonies and the concluding prayer. Please ignore fake profiles of Uma Ukpai Breakthrough Prayer or Rev uma ukpai jnr or any WhatsApp group.. We dont have Ophanages or use WhatsApp.