"The Acceptance" -2

"Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice. Selah." (Psalms 20:3) I am sorry for that little rant yesterday, but I needed to get that off my chest. As I was saying, before being interrupted by the political rant; if you read this Psalm as a prayer for those that are leading others, whether that be in that of a king, employer, teacher, or parent, it is set towards that person being equip to lead as a spiritual leader. These first three verses are all the same sentence; with one asking that he in which he is praying for to be right with God, and that he is able to lead as one who is governed by principles set towards pleasing God. When it comes to being right with God, our biggest problem in that area is believing that we are forgiven, if indeed we have asked for His forgiveness. If we truly come to God with a heart that is repenting of the sin that we have committed, then God is faithful to forgive us; therefore, the main ingredient in receiving the forgiveness of sin, is for repentance to take place; which makes offerings or sacrifices of none affect, if they are not offered with a heart that is repenting of those sins. Offerings unto God were meant as a covering for the sins that were committed, that God would wink upon those sins and not judge for them; however, if an offering was given with out remorse and repentance, then God would not accept the offering which was given, and the offering was given in vain. It is also the same principle with our faith in Jesus Christ, because the sin in which we are forgiven for must be sin that we have repented of, and we have turned towards God; no longer letting that sin have dominion over our lives, but living as a child of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! His acceptance of our sacrifice, which is that turning towards Him, is based upon our acceptance of His forgiveness; the forgiveness that has washed us totally from that sin, and has placed us upon a path of righteousness that has been established in Jesus Christ. Therefore; in this first sentence of this prayer, the prayer is for God to hear him because there is a relationship that has been established; that God's reputation would be his guild in that relationship; that any help received by God would purify him and draw him closer to the holiness of God; and that God's forgiveness would be established by his offerings that were given with a heart that was repenting towards God. In the midst of this, we have the basic prescription for victory to take place in our lives as a believer in Jesus Christ, and for the taking down of strongholds that might have us bound and unfruitful for His kingdom. Our first act of believing is to open the door of our heart and to ask Jesus to come into our lives; after which, we accept His gift of cleansing and the eternal life that comes with it, based upon that which He has established; receiving new life in Christ Jesus, we are purified and justified in Christ, no longer separated from the Father; and the forgiveness of our sins has been guaranteed by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ upon the cross, providing that we have repented of those sins, and they have been left at the cross. Now then; if we are dealing with something that has us unfruitful and unfit for God's kingdom, then we need to figure out which one of these steps we are leaving out, and make it right, before we get left... "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." (Romans 12:1)