Pastor Bell's Words To Live By

Then the LORD said to Joshua: “Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood (Joshua 20:1-3 NIV).

He restores me soul

Within our fellowships there must be places where those who have done wrong can go to be restored.  The fact that our God is compassionate allows for him to cater for those who do the wrong things accidentally and are condemned for it. This is an exhibition of mercy. In most of our economy we have no such concept of mercy. Once the wrong has been committed the penalty for that wrong must be paid, and for a charge of manslaughter or murder, it is often death.

For us in our day we need a place where those who wittingly or unwittingly wound people with their actions or their tongues to be restored. This does not mean that there should be no discipline, on the contrary part of the discipline is the process of restoration, where the offended and the offender is given a grace period to repent and to be restored. Because our God abounds in steadfast love (Psalm 145) his remit is to see people delivered, revived restored and set free to fulfil their purposes.

Today even if you have made a mistake and have been ostracised by your community, God still yearns to forgive and restore you. So stay a while in the place of refuge, be healed and then step by step find your way back home to the arms of father God!

Read Joshua 20