Navigating Answered Prayers and Second Chances

What should you do if God answered your prayers and gave you another chance in 2010? (No…this isn’t a trick question.) Incredibly, here are three examples of what you absolutely should NOT do:

1. Get so happy that you don’t come back to say Thank You! Nine out of the ten lepers healed by Jesus never even bothered to come back and thank Him (Luke 17:12-19).

2. Be so shocked that you refuse to believe it! That’s what happened when the church prayed for Peter’s release from prison. A servant girl ran to tell the church that Peter was at the door, but they said, “You’re out of your mind…it must be his angel!”(Acts 12:5-16) …Wow!

3. Believe that God answered your prayer because you think you’re so “SPECIAL!” After God healed King Hezekiah, “his heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him.” Then, when God gave him 15 more years to live, he fathered Manasseh, one of the wickedest kings Israel had ever known! (2 Chron. 32:24-25, 31-33)

Bottom line…if God really answers your prayers, or gives you a second (or more) chance, or does a miracle for you…don’t waste it! Here are a few ways you can say, “Thank You” to God:

♦ Follow Jesus and start a brand new life…like a panhandler did (Mark 10:46-52)

♦ Make things right with people you’ve hurt…like a corrupt businessman did (Luke 19:2-9)

♦ Live a life of faith and raise up children who will serve God …like a prostitute did (Heb. 11:31; Matt. 1:5-6)

♦ Have compassion and help others who desperately need a breakthrough…like God does(2 Cor.1:3-4)

♦ Recognize God’s destiny for your life, repent and pursue it …like a terrorist did (Acts 26:11-20)

So, what am I saying? When the Lord does a miracle for you, use it as an opportunity to fulfill the purpose for which He redeemed you. Line up your life with His gracious intentions. Stop some things; start some things; and do some things differently (Eph. 4:17-32). The best way to thank God is by living a forgiven life for the world to see.

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