Carol J German

Did you happen to watch Erika Kirk’s speech at her husband’s funeral on Sunday? If not, I highly recommend that you do. It is the most powerful speech given! Here is a young woman who is in the depth of great sorrow over her husband being murdered. She is left behind to care for their two small children and has stepped up to keep her husband’s ministry moving forward.

The way she walked onto that stage, to her posture throughout her talk, to how she left the stage was nothing short of a broken spirit surrendered to Jesus. Just 11 days after Charlie was killed publicly, she spoke very poignant words, “I forgive that man.” Her flesh didn’t want to, but God led her to a place of healing where, only by the power of God, could she speak those words.

Forgiveness is God’s turning point. God uses it as the catalyst to take you from despair to His presence.

Read Psalm 13 and see how David was in despair. While heartbroken, God led him to a turning point where he could rest confidently in God’s love even in a difficult situation. The first 4 verses show David’s feelings of being ignored by God, perhaps forgotten. He had lost his fervor in the Lord. When life throws a set of hard knocks your way, it’s easy to diminish God’s presence and focus on your circumstances.

But God…

The faithful, loving, merciful Father of ours always offers a turning point. There is never a circumstance on this side of heaven that Jesus cannot redeem and save! Ever!

Notice the change of heart in David, “But, I will trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because You have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because He is good to me.”^5,6 What did David do differently in these 2 verses? He took his eyes off of his sorrow and remembered God. He looked up rather than within where his feelings are fickle. Proverbs 28:26 ESV says, “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but He who walks in wisdom will be delivered.”

David was a man of wisdom; read Acts 13:22, 1 Kings 15:5. Even in wisdom, David sinned. Yet, he knew what to do when life got hard, whether being attacked by the enemy, temptations surrounding him, or he took matters into his own hands rather than trusting God, he remembered God. Then, he did a pivotal action that made his faith in God become powerful.

Read Psalm 32 and pay attention to David’s response to God offering him a turning point. “Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the Lord. And You forgave me! All my guilt is gone.'”⁵ Every child of God must confess their guilt to God. No one trusts God completely on this side of heaven. The 3 enemies I mention often keep you from walking like Jesus.

Psalm 32 takes you through God’s process of redemption so you become more and more like Jesus. Take the time to study this psalm and learn how to return to God. Your faith will deepen as you learn to live this way. Your trust in God will strengthen. The next time you turn from God, you will turn back quicker. The Holy Spirit will remind you.

God’s turning point always leads to surrendered obedience.

Anything short of it leads to religious behavior that doesn’t cut it when it comes to God’s Kingdom. Think about this quote from A.W. Tozer/A Man of God, “If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95% of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95% of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference.”

It’s time to step up and be about the Lord’s business. The enemy is gaining too much territory within God’s Church.