Welcome to your Bounce Back...

I just want to encourage you today. I know it’s been a rough season. You’ve worked hard, you’ve waited, you’ve suffered and you are tired. You are ready for things to turn around and for all of the promises to be manifested. This season has taken a toll on even the most seasoned saints. There have been days when you questioned your faith. Days where you were so tired that you just wanted to sleep the day away. Oh yes and those days where your emotions were completely out of control. Some days you really wanted to quit but you knew that you couldn’t. Today is a new day! I’m here to remind you that God is faithful even in this! Today is the beginning of your bounce back!

According to The Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, bounce back means to start to be successful again after a difficult period, for example after experiencing failure, loss of confidence, illness or unhappiness.  Are you ready for that? I hope so because there is no one better at bringing your spirit back to life like God!  So as He was ministering to me this morning, I asked Him to show me in the Word how to bounce back after this difficult season. He led me to the book of 1 Peter.  

Before I even got to the scripture, God reminded me of when Peter denied Christ in the days leading up to His crucifixion. You remember the story. Christ prophesied that before the rooster crowed, Peter would deny Him 3 times. And he did. But the story didn’t end there. When Christ appeared to the disciples at the Sea of Galilee after His resurrection, Peter has a bounce back moment. “After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.  Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.” “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.  A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.” (John 21: 15-17) Jesus asked Peter 3 times whether he loved Him. It seems to me it’s a perfect offset to the 3 times that Peter denied Him. It felt like a restoration from guilt. Peter didn’t have to remember his last physical interactions with Christ as being a negative but rather an affirmation of his love for Him and obedience to His commands. That’s a bounce back!

So Peter set the stage for us. He showed us that there is restoration after a rough season and then he seals it in 1 Peter 1: 3-9 with a word of hope. I love the NKJV version of this scripture but The Message really made me feel it this morning. “What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole.  I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.  You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you’ll get what you’re looking forward to: total salvation.”  If you aren’t shouting, read it again! Though you have gone through every kind of hell, you are coming out of the fire purified and genuine with the victory and total salvation!  That’s a bounce back!

So here you are at the brink of a bounce back. You have pushed and pulled, fought and run, cried and prayed but it’s time to get up now. God has made you some promises and He does not go back on His word. You are coming out and bouncing back! These present sufferings do not compare to the glory which shall be revealed in you! You survived that attack on your ministry…BOUNCE BACK! You survived that attack on your marriage…BOUNCE BACK! You survived that attack on your health…BOUNCE BACK! You survived that attack on your mind…BOUNCE BACK! It’s an assurance, you’re coming out stronger, better, and wiser! Welcome to your bounce back…