FORGIVE YOURSELF

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

^1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

I spent some time this week in counsel with an “old friend”. I have known her since my high school days. We weren’t overly close then. She was part of a different sect at school. But now, given what I do, where I have been and where she is, we have been reunited of sorts.

She is a dear girl.

Granted some really poor choices and a struggle with addiction have done their best to dim the light in her eyes, but I can still see it.

The trouble is...she can’t.

Old guilt haunts. Past wreckage nips at her psyche. A damaged past that still insists on bleeding into her present is keeping her stuck, frustrated, on the edge and defeated.

It is sad. Quite sad.

She has TONS to offer. Her options for service are limitless. Her heart is huge and though the enemy has done his best to squelch her effervescence, it still bubbles through the tears in her eyes and the anguish in her voice.

I pray she would FORGIVE herself.

But that is a tough order some days isn’t it?

Days when we mess up; those times whenwe look more like sinners than saints.

And then there it comes like a freight train barreling down and we are strapped to the tracks. What you ask?

That locomotive named guilt.

We try to pry loose, but can’t and the train just seems to keep on coming; determined to run us over and leave us mangled and mauled.

But can I make a suggestion? Break free!

If that is you, if you too are struggling as my dear sweet friend, then do what I told her to do. Forgive yourself. GOD already has.

Romans 8:1

So now, those who are in Christ Jesus are not judged guilty…

Hebrew 10:12-14

But Christ gave himself to God for our sins as one sacrifice for all time and then sat down in the place of highest honor at God’s right hand, waiting for his enemies to be laid under his feet. For by that one offering he made forever perfect in the sight of God all those whom he is making holy.

You see my friends Jesus has opened the door to forgiveness for you. Most if not all of you know that. But the enemy does his dead-level best to blur truths like this. He does his best to lace our minds with lies that try to tie our performance to our grace and freedom; to re-tie us to that track!

Don’t believe him.

Believe the truth!

If you have unresolved sin, confess it. GOD then deals with it.

1 John 1:9

…if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing.

“Purge us of ALL wrongdoing”John says. “ALL!” You get that?

Past, present and future!

FORGIVENESS!

This passage has been liberating for me. My sins are MOST definitely as the old adage goes, like scarlet. And for years I allowed my poor performance to dictate my freedom in GOD’s grace. And while I still sin (in fact I know I did yesterday) and while I still struggle from time to time with my ineptitude and filth, I am so grateful that I can FORGIVE myself thanks to JESUS!

So don’t remain pinned down by guilt today.

Embrace His forgiveness and…

FORGIVE YOURSELF!

1 John 2:2

…Jesus Christ, righteous Jesus. When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, HE SOLVED THE SIN PROBLEM FOR GOOD—not only ours, but the whole world’s.

Have a blessed day…

I love you all!

Freedom Church

Pastor GDelaney