Breaking the grip of guilt

I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins . . . I will remember no more. — Hebrews 8:12

Can you think of anything too hard for God to do? Put yourself in the shoes of a fellow Christian who has committed a sin so awful that the person simply cannot imagine that God would forgive it. Think about what he or she considers to be impossible for God.

In an article on forgiveness, Pastor Charles Stanley wrote about talking to a teenager who was having a hard time believing that God could forgive her sexual sins. She told him she was a Christian and had asked Jesus many times to forgive her. Even though she knew the Bible says God had forgiven her, she still felt dirty in her heart.

This teenager thought she had found something that was too hard for God to do — forgive her. When we tell ourselves that our sin is so bad God won’t forgive us, we are doubting His power. We are robbing ourselves of the great gifts of a clear conscience and fellowship with God (1 John 1:5-10).

Does guilt for sin have its icy hands around your heart? Is it strangling your joy and making you forget that God’s forgiveness is not based on what you do but on what Christ has done? Ask for His forgiveness. Then thank Him for it, and moment by moment remind yourself of the wonder of God’s grace. — Dave Branon

Thinking It Over

If you’re struggling with accepting God’s forgiveness for something you’ve done, meditate on these verses: Psalm 32; 51; Ephesians 1:3-8; Colossians 1:13-14.

READ:1 John 1:5-2:2

When God forgives,

it’s time for us to forget.

The Bible in one year:

• Acts 22-24