The 28 Day Forgiveness Challenge — Day 8
I received Christ when I was twelve. For the next eight years, my thoughts about God and Christianity and faith in Jesus were all directed toward finding answers to two questions:
- How do I stop sinning?
- What am I supposed to do when I sin?
Since I couldn’t stop sinning, the second question concerned me the most. I believed I was supposed to confess, repent, and then ask God to forgive me. And, IF I really meant it, God would forgive my sin. But I was never sure that He had. My formula for forgiveness didn’t work.
A pattern developed in my life. The patterns always started with a sin. The sin caused guilt and an intense fear of punishment. Out of this fear of punishment, I pleaded with God for forgiveness and promised him I would do better. And then the next sin came. I would go through the same process all over again, but I never felt forgiven. My formula for forgiveness didn’t ease the guilt or cast away the fear.
Soon I wondered if I was even saved. So I added to the formula. Confess, repent, ask God for forgiveness, and ask him to come back into my life. It was like my heart was a revolving door.
I was desperate to know God’s forgiveness. But with all my begging, pleading and promising, I never felt forgiven. Back in those days, I was desperately trying to earn something that had already been given to me by grace. I had already received the gift of forgiveness the day I believed on Jesus’ name.
The same is true of you.
Forgiveness Challenge #8 – Have you ever thought that God would one day unleash all his anger on you? Have you ever looked deep inside and recognized fear as the driving force in your life? Consider this: fear turns grace into a reward. Ask God to reveal the truth of Hebrews 10: 17, 18 into your heart.
“Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more. And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.”
Well put Bob, all I have to add as if anything needs to be added, is as I went through that desert as well, I saw perfect love casts out all fear, and tried hard to cast out sin, and couldn’t until I saw it was fear in my way of God’s (Yeweh’s) perfect love through Son Jesus (Yeshua), and then started learning it is all God, I am nothing more than a participant in the righteousness of God. A responder rather than a creator in me being the one to not sin, for if I am to take any credit for any righteousness, thhen I would be playing God over God
Thanks Bob, hoping others get it, which I know by Yehweh they will, Thanks to Yeshua. The onlt way to be free and relieved as I now see, yet this body of ours does not like or want death does it?
Col 1:21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because off your evil behavior.
Col 1:22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—
If one believes the word of God then they do not see themselves as sinners but as saints, clothed by the righteousness of Jesus.
There is nothing to fear when you know the truth of how God see’s you in Christ.