Because His grace is greater than your past...
… I eventually found God’s grace for every person who had ever left me, let me down, or offended me in any way. But forgiving myself for the poor choices I’d made throughout my life seemed to require far more grace than I could muster. Whenever I would reflect on what I’d done, I would think, I can’t believe how stupid I’ve been. I should have known better. No-one could possibly love me if they knew all the things I’ve done. One day as I was beating myself up for yet another emotional affair, my best friend interrupted me with these sobering words: “Do you know what you are saying about the blood that Jesus shed for you when you refuse to forgive yourself for your past? You are saying that His blood wasn’t good enough for you. It didn’t have enough power to cleanse you.” She was right. Underlying all.. was the belief that what Jesus did for me couldn’t possibly be enough to rid me of my stain. I needed some special miracle to set me free & until I got that miracle, I had to beat myself up as an act of penance.
If this rings true for you as well, then guess what? The Holy Spirit is telling you the same thing.. Jesus opened your prison door. It’s up to you to walk out! How do you do this? By forgiving every person who has ever brought you pain, including yourself. If God does not despise you for the ways you have tried to fill the void in your heart, neither should you despise yourself.
Paul preached “Righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God, & are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus’ (Rom 3:22-4).
In other words:
* Righteousness does not come from perfect living, but as a gift from God
* We receive this gift not by our worthiness, but simply by faith in Jesus Christ
- and in His blood shed for redemption of our sins
* We are justified by God’s grace.
So why do we continue beating ourselves up? Why do we allow our misery to affect our mental & physical health? You don’t have to carry all that emotional baggage. Surrender your pain.., guilt & shame; it is only making you tired… Travel light & let the joy of the Lord be your strength!
Forgiveness is essential not just for emotional & physical healing, but also for true worship (Matt 5:23).. God desires our reconciliation with one another before we come to him in worship. I believe that not only does He desire our reconciliation with one another, He wants us to be reconciled to ourselves as well.
When we don’t forgive, we are blocked spiritually. We can’t grow (2 Cor 2:10). Paul warns that satan uses unforgiveness as a tool to bring about destruction. Forgiveness foils satan’s plans to stunt our spiritual growth.
* Acknowledge your anger & hurt. It is very real & God knows that it is there.
* Realize that holding onto this pain only holds you back.
* Consider the source of your pain - pray earnestly for those who hurt you:
ask God to heal the wounds that cause them to hurt others.
As I was typing this out, I had Matt Redman's Facedown playing (: danger zone song!!) ... My reading over EWB made me think anew about the lyrics... God loves us, wants us to draw near to Him & wants us to ask for His mercy & support ... and as the Hebrews passage shows, we didn't be ashamed or hang back in the shadows in order to receive that.
Welcomed in to the courts of the King
I've been ushered in to Your presence
Lord, I stand on Your merciful ground
Yet with every step tread with reverence
And I'll fall facedown, as Your glory shines around
Yes, I'll fall facedown, as Your glory shines around
Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we might obtain mercy & find grace to helpus in our time of need.
If this rings true for you as well, then guess what? The Holy Spirit is telling you the same thing.. Jesus opened your prison door. It’s up to you to walk out! How do you do this? By forgiving every person who has ever brought you pain, including yourself. If God does not despise you for the ways you have tried to fill the void in your heart, neither should you despise yourself.
Paul preached “Righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God, & are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus’ (Rom 3:22-4).
In other words:
* Righteousness does not come from perfect living, but as a gift from God
* We receive this gift not by our worthiness, but simply by faith in Jesus Christ
- and in His blood shed for redemption of our sins
* We are justified by God’s grace.
So why do we continue beating ourselves up? Why do we allow our misery to affect our mental & physical health? You don’t have to carry all that emotional baggage. Surrender your pain.., guilt & shame; it is only making you tired… Travel light & let the joy of the Lord be your strength!
Forgiveness is essential not just for emotional & physical healing, but also for true worship (Matt 5:23).. God desires our reconciliation with one another before we come to him in worship. I believe that not only does He desire our reconciliation with one another, He wants us to be reconciled to ourselves as well.
When we don’t forgive, we are blocked spiritually. We can’t grow (2 Cor 2:10). Paul warns that satan uses unforgiveness as a tool to bring about destruction. Forgiveness foils satan’s plans to stunt our spiritual growth.
* Acknowledge your anger & hurt. It is very real & God knows that it is there.
* Realize that holding onto this pain only holds you back.
* Consider the source of your pain - pray earnestly for those who hurt you:
ask God to heal the wounds that cause them to hurt others.
As I was typing this out, I had Matt Redman's Facedown playing (: danger zone song!!) ... My reading over EWB made me think anew about the lyrics... God loves us, wants us to draw near to Him & wants us to ask for His mercy & support ... and as the Hebrews passage shows, we didn't be ashamed or hang back in the shadows in order to receive that.
Welcomed in to the courts of the King
I've been ushered in to Your presence
Lord, I stand on Your merciful ground
Yet with every step tread with reverence
And I'll fall facedown, as Your glory shines around
Yes, I'll fall facedown, as Your glory shines around
Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we might obtain mercy & find grace to helpus in our time of need.