I AM FORGIVEN. LESSON 2 OF 40

I have some breaking news to share with you. Ready for it? Here it is, we all make mistakes! We have all done things that we are not proud of. That’s a fact! But, what do you do when the mistakes from your past seem to constantly haunt you and you struggle to live in the here and now? What happens when past sins are constantly on replay in your mind and the shadow of your past is always present. I am very familiar with the mental torment, the regret and the shame attached to past mistakes.

However, one of the things that I have learned on my road to being forty is that I AM FORGIVEN SO I MUST FORGIVE MYSELF. I don’t have to carry my baggage from the past into my future. I don’t have to live condemned. IF (and this is a big IF here) if I come to God and sincerely repent, He forgives me (1 John 1:9). If God has forgiven me, I must also make the choice to forgive myself. The scripture tells me that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus(Romans 8:1) and that I am a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)! The game changer in all of this is JESUS! He makes it possible for me to unload all of the burden and shame of past sins, but again I must first come to Him. I love how Jesus is about making all things new, so on my road to being forty, I have made the choice to join Him in this newness movement. I am living in the reality that I AM FORGIVEN! How about you? Do you find that you struggle with receiving forgiveness from God and yourself for past sins? Leave me a comment, I would love to hear from you. Below are some scriptures to encourage you in this area.

Be Blessed
Anika

Isaiah 43:25
“I–yes, I alone–will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.

Psalm 103:12
AAs far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

1 John 1:9
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

2 Corinthians 5:17
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Romans 8:1
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

Forget the past and move forward (FOCUS Part 1)

I had the privilege of speaking at my church last weekend and I will share the notes with you over the next few weeks. I spoke on F.O.C.U.S. There are many things in life that can distract us and cause us to lose focus and miss out on the promises of God.  I pray that what the Lord gave me blesses you!

 F-Forget the past and move forward!

I discussed two ways in which we can look back on the past and lose focus.  We will explore the first point today; looking back at our past with regret.

 Looking back at our past with regret

The devil loves to remind us of who we used to be, causing us to lose focus.  When you think back on your past sins, you feel unqualified/unworthy of operating in your gifts that are NEEDED in the body of Christ. You lose sight of who God has called you to be.  You begin to rehearse all your past sins and condemnation imprisons you. “I made too many mistakes for God to use me now,” become your normal thinking pattern.  The shame from your past haunts and cripples you from moving forward. Yes you sinned but if you have repented, God has forgiven you. It is time to move on! Stop focusing on who you used to be, that person is dead! 

You must resist the temptation to look back.   Instead focus on the truth that you are now forgiven. You are redeemed. You are new!  Once I really got the revelation that I am forgiven and I don’t have to live in condemnation the devil’s reminders of my past lost their influence on my mind and spirit.  There was no Velcro on me for his accusations to stick to.  Don’t waste your pain by looking back.  When you focus on today, you will begin to see how God is masterfully redeeming your live from destruction. 

Reflect on the meaning of the following scriptures as you spend time with God this week.  Are you living in the reality of these scriptures?

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Romans 8:1(NLT)

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

 

 

VICTORY!

 

I was driving the other day and began to reflect on my past and the tears began to flow.  Tears of regret.   I began to think about some poor choices that I made and the consequences that followed; some of which had an impact on me even after I came to Christ.  I began to play out different scenes in my head and the more I thought on them the more depressed I became. The enemy began to accuse and mock me.  He reminded me that I should have known better and how could I?  I allowed myself to receive the accusations.

Now mind you, I had long repented of these sins.  However, in that moment I began to relive them.  I allowed the enemy to trick me into feeling condemned. I had to make a choice to SNAP out of this and claim the victory I had in Christ.  The Anika that played out in those scenes in my head was dead.   I no longer knew this person and by the grace of God, that old Anika will never be resurrected!  I have the victory but I had to claim it at that moment of condemnation, it wasn’t an automatic thing.   I am in a war and I had no choice but to engage and fight the devil with the truth of God’s word.

I had to remind myself of the NEW & IMPROVED ME!  The New blood bought, sanctified, forgiven, victorious, swimming in God’s grace me!  I am all for telling others about what God has done in me, but sometimes I have to testify to myself. The more I stood on who I now am, the devil had to get off my back.  He had to.  I am sure he will revisit again but I thank God that I have the ammunition to fight and to rebuke.

Do you find yourself living in condemnation?  What triggers these moment of condemnation?  Do you wallow in self-pity or do you stand on the truth of God’s word and fight?  If you have repented, don’t hold on to shame that is no longer yours. Don’t let the devil take you back, move forward in who you now are in Christ!

If any man is in Christ He is a new creation.  Old things are passed away and behold all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

Below are two links to remind you of the new you.  Be blessed!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQfc7iQecw8