I am so thankful that Jesus is the place of beginning again. All of us have things which we wish we could change. However, Romans 8:1 tells us, that if we are genuine Believers, “there is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.”
Now that doesn't mean we'll be perfect, or that we won't be caught up in the temptations this world offers. However, when we truly confess that sin to Christ according to 1 John 1:9, we are cleansed and restored.
One of the most debilitating and harmful things in this world is self-condemnation. Christian men and women are crippled by it because they consider their past too heinous to ever be truly forgiven and restored. They live in a kind of perpetual purgatory, never enjoying the freedom which God’s forgiveness brings. This self-condemnation wrecks relationships, destroys health, and prevents real happiness.
Such people are unable to forgive because they can’t conceive of themselves having been fully forgiven. They are constantly afraid they will be “found out” and their attempts at a new life destroyed.
Scripture teaches that God doesn't condemn us, the devil can't condemn us, and we're so blessed if we enjoy the happiness which comes when we genuinely accept God's forgiveness and don't condemn ourselves.
A word of caution. The enemy will often use those you most care about to attack you because he knows that it is only through such that he has a chance of gaining ground in your life. Recognize it for what it is, and do not respond in anger to your loved ones. Examine your life to see if there is unconfessed and unrepented of sin which can give credence to the accusation. Claim 1 John 1:9 in the matter, purpose to right any wrong at the earliest opportunity, and accept God’s forgiveness. Be careful, lest an attitude of bitterness and defeatism rise up in you robbing you of the opportunity to become the person and instrument God is molding you into.
From "A Word For Living" by Mike Rasberry
© Mike Rasberry 2013
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