I was talking to a friend the other day, and she expressed some grief over a sin that she had committed many years ago. I’m talking 40+ years ago. She had repented and moved on with her life. However, there were some people that knew her then that were still bringing up from her past.
We know that the Bible teaches that the devil is the accuser of the brethren. But it’s something else when the brethren become accusers of the brethren, always bringing up the past. Not allowing a person to move forward in their forgiven state.
I was grieved for my friend because what those people thought of her held her hostage to her past even though God has freed her.
We may all have some knowledge of the story of David in the Bible. Even though God used him in a mighty way, David didn’t have a pretty past. And oftentimes, when David is mentioned, we still mention him along with the sins he committed. But even with David committing what we would call “big sins”, in 1 Samuel 13, God says that David was a man after His own heart.
Psalms 32:1 Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
This verse let us know that we are blessed because we have had our sins and our transgressions forgiven. But we have to understand that repentance proceeds forgiveness.
Romans 8:1 …there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…
You can be confident that you have been forgiven of your sins if you are in Christ Jesus and have been covered by His blood. This is the part that some of us can shout about. God does not hold your sins against you. He does not count them against you. Even when people hold them against you and won’t let you live down the things that you have done, God does not.
Psalms 32:3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
Some of us aren’t walking in the liberty we have in the forgiveness of God because our secrets are making us sick. I’m not saying that you have to tell anybody. But you haven’t even talked to God about it! And if you haven’t talked to God about it, you have not repented of it.
The Bible teaches us that the blessings of the Lord are rich and adds no sorrow to it. Forgiveness is a blessing. When you walk in the forgiveness of God, you don’t have any shame. There’s no shame because God has removed it. But you won’t experience this liberty when you are consumed with what other people think about you, and with what other people are saying about you. You have to consume yourself with what God is saying about you.
Psalms 32:5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Confess your transgressions to the Lord. This is the only way we can experience the forgiveness of God and freedom from guilt. If you can’t confess your sins, you won’t repent of your sins. David confessed his sins. And God forgave him.
Psalms 32:11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!
We want an upright heart before the Lord. We don’t want a wicked heart. Does this mean that you have to be perfect and sinless? Absolutely not. That’s impossible. The goal is to pursue holiness and righteousness. The goal is to resist Satan and sin. God will honor our sincere efforts to do His will, even if we fall short. His grace is sufficient and the blood of Jesus continues to cover us.
Romans 3:23-24 reminds us that everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God freely makes us right in His sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the impurity of our sins by sacrificing His own life for our sins.
Did you hear that!?
We all fall short. Because we all fall short, we all need the grace and mercy of God. So don’t let anyone make you feel like you’re beyond God’s forgiveness. You can joyfully walk in the forgiveness of God. You can tell everyone that keeps bringing up your past that you’re not worried about where you’ve been because you know where you’re going.
Tell them, “I am forgiven!”.
*Tressa Jo
BeyondSeeLevel 