August 16, 2022

Rhonda Patterson
“The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
Psalm 103:6-12

Why do you suppose it’s so hard for us to forgive ourselves and receive the fullness of God’s grace over a particular transgression? To be able to release it and move forward, free from the guilt and shame the enemy heaps upon us? As a follower of Christ, this psalm along with other passages makes it clear that God no longer remembers our sin. If God has moved on, who am I to say “Nah, I’ll just camp out here in shame?!” In doing so, I’ve in essence crawled up onto the throne of my life and said “I know better than God and this sin was unpardonable!” But if that were true, then what was the point of the Cross? The truth is, the Cross was enough for my darkest moments and it was for yours, too.

When I find myself ruminating on a past failure, because the Lord loves me He has taught me to stop and come to Him with it. He reminds me that I have been forgiven and cleansed by Him. If there are remaining consequences from that sin, I choose to trust Him with them. Laying it all at His feet, I too can move forward, unhindered by the enemy’s tactics to hold me down. Is there something holding you back today? Let’s move forward together to all that God has for us today, unencumbered by our past that God has already redeemed.