Topic: Self-Kindness
Text: Psalm 51:10-12
“10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.” (NKJV)
Let’s admit it. We all have a sin problem. Before you deny this, think about this for a minute; from time to time we may find ourselves acting out of character. Speaking hurtful words towards others because we lost our temper? How about when we willingly went ahead and did that which we knew was wrong? Or how about those times we made plain dumb mistakes?
Yes, we all make mistakes, that is why we are human. Romans 3:23 makes this sin problem evident by stating that we all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory.
Knowing that His imperfect creation (man) will need a recall at certain times in life, God through His love makes forgiveness available to us; that act of pressing the re-start button to let go of the past and start afresh.
Right from Sunday School, many believers learn the concept of forgiveness and how God through His son Jesus came to die to forgive our sins. We sing songs about God’s forgiveness. We listen to sermons about God’s forgiveness. We even evangelize to unbelievers about God’s forgiveness. YET, many of us find it hard to forgive ourselves when we sin!
The guilt we feel when we sin can be overpowering. Often so overpowering that we begin to doubt God’s ability to forgive us. This is a tragic lie from the enemy! Do not be deceived. Doubting God’s ability to forgive is the enemy’s trick to keep us bound in the chains of our sins.
In 1 John 1:9, we are told that there is absolutely nothing we can ever do that will cut off God’s forgiveness towards us. God’s forgiveness is ALWAYS available to remove the guilt, shame and remorse of our sins. We must not and should not willingly stay in the bondage of our sins when we can extend forgiveness to ourselves.
What past sin do you still carry in your heart? What past mistakes hunt you? Let it go today because Christ is always extending his arms to receive and free you from your past.
Today, pray and:
· Ask God to grant you the courage to forgive yourself for sins in the past, present or those that may occur through your walk with God
· Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of God’s power and His undying love and grace
· Ask God to help you meet the standards and expectations He requires from you
Be encouraged and encourage others!