[CS-FSLUG] "Your Defiant Comeback"

[Fred A. Miller]

A WORD WITH YOU
By Ron Hutchcraft
#4690 - "Your Defiant Comeback"
Micah 7:8 

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        It was the final event of the men's gymnastics competition in the 2004 
Athens Olympics. American Paul Hamm's hopes for the gold medal seemed to come 
crashing down as he made a lopsided landing and actually toppled into the 
judges' tables. That gave him a disappointing 9.137 score that virtually 
doomed his chances for a first place finish. After some moments of what he 
described as "depression," he decided to fight back - with what would have to 
be the best two performances of his life, just to win the bronze. Paul took a 
deep breath and he began to move powerfully through the air with a routine 
that was filled with technical challenges. It was a nearly perfect 
performance with a solid landing at the end. His score: 9.837. At first, he 
didn't know what that meant in terms of a medal. Then he heard his coach 
screaming, "Olympic champion!" The gold medal was his. 

        I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about 
"Your Defiant Comeback." 

        Paul Hamm messed up, but he didn't give up. He fell down, but he 
didn't stay down. Maybe that's a picture of you, or it's going to be a 
picture of you. Because you've messed up. You've made some mistakes. That 
failure could be final - if you let it be. Or you can get up and make a 
defiant comeback. Which is exactly what the devil is counting on you not 
doing. He got you down, and he's hoping you'll be so discouraged, so 
defeated, that you'll stay down. This is your day to say, "No way, Satan! I 
belong to Jesus, and in His strength, I'm coming back!" 

        That kind of comeback defiance is powerfully expressed in our word for 
today from the Word of God in Micah 7, beginning with verse 8. "Do not gloat 
over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in 
darkness, the Lord will be my light." Getting up again, coming back is a 
choice - one you need to make this very day. Serve notice that the devil's 
victory is a temporary victory. You're not staying down. 

        Micah goes on to say, "Because I have sinned against him, I will bear 
the Lord's wrath, until he pleads my case and establishes my right." You 
can't recover unless you repent. The comeback trail begins at the cross of 
Jesus where you acknowledge your sin and remember that it took the death of 
God's Son to pay for it. How will He respond? Hebrews 7:25 says, "He is able 
to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives 
to intercede for them." He pleads your case, and your sin is erased from 
God's Book. After a horrendous sin of immorality, here was David's turning 
point: "I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord - and You 
forgave me the guilt of my sin.'" 

        Out of the darkness. Back it into the light. Micah's announcement of a 
spiritual comeback continues: "He will bring me out into the light; I will 
see His righteousness. Then my enemy will see it and will be covered with 
shame." The devil's been trying to bury you in shame. You need to get up; 
remove whatever junk might bring you down again, and then declare, "Lord, I 
am going to make the devil sorry he ever messed with me. I'm going to push 
back the darkness and I'm taking prisoners away from him! He's going to be 
the one covered with shame!" 

        You can be walking, talking proof of the grace, the love, and the 
restoring power of Jesus Christ; turning your fall into a mighty testimony 
for Jesus Christ. The voice that's telling you, "It's over. What's the use? 
God doesn't love you after what you've done." That's the voice of hell, and 
those are lies! The truth is that "where sin increased, grace increased all 
the more" (Romans 5:20). And because of God's amazing grace, your fall does 
not have to be final. You went down, but you're not staying down. You're 
coming back more of a winner, and more of a warrior than ever before!

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"A Word With You" by Ron Hutchcraft is a daily radio challenge, with 
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Copyright (c) 2004, Ron Hutchcraft. Reprinted with permission. "A Word With 
You" is a radio outreach of Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.

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