Forgest the past

The basic principle for any victory over sin is to understand that God is tender, full of love and goodness.

"Thus saith the LORD : Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the strong boast of his strength, let the rich not glory in his riches. But let him who is willing to glory glorify himself with understanding and knowing me, to know that I am the LORD, that doeth kindness, and righteousness, and righteousness on earth" (Jer. 9:23). 24).

If you walk with the Lord, no matter how long, you have probably encouraged others by saying that God is merciful and quick to forgive. Now, let me ask you, when you commit a sin before the Lord, is it always the same ? Do not you find yourself fighting terrible feelings of guilt and shame ?

You may wonder : "Is not it normal to experience this when we fish ?" These feelings are the natural result of sin. But as children of God, we are not supposed to continue to think for days and weeks that our Father is angry with us. Because of what Christ did on the cross, all guilt and condemnation can be removed quickly.

That said, even after we have repented, we may feel the need to repair our mistakes before God. Like the Prodigal Son, we can be embraced by the Father, who places a ring on our finger and a dress on our back. He tells us to forget the past and enjoy the feast He has prepared for us.

But, within ourselves, we protest : "I am not worthy ! I have sinned against the Lord. I have to show Him that I'm sorry."

Many Christians find it easy to believe that God has forgiven His great sins. We have no difficulty in accepting that He forgave Nineveh in the Old Testament, or the brigand on the cross in the New Testament. But, oddly enough, it is difficult for us to grasp that, from the moment we turn to Him in repentance, He accepts us quickly and lovingly, as if we had never sinned.

David Wilkerson