Above & Beyond: How God Exceeds Our ExpectationsSample

Forgiven

Shame and guilt are overwhelming and debilitating. They cripple our ability to move forward into the full calling and purpose God intended for our lives. The verse in 1 John 1:9 is all the clarity I need to believe in the blank canvas of my clean slate. Despite my colossal failures and sins, God says if I confess, He is faithful and to forgive and cleanse me of all unrighteousness. Why do I still carry the guilt and shame if that is true? Why am I still carrying it if He has freed me from that baggage?

The Bible says He forgives us as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). I believe we struggle to receive that unconditional love and forgiveness because we are sometimes incapable of extending that same love and forgiveness to others. How can we receive something we can’t give? God’s grace and mercy go above and beyond what our human minds can conceive. I’m reminded of several men in the Bible who committed terrible acts or violated the law but were used by God in a mighty way. Despite adultery and murder, we know David was considered a man after God’s heart. We know Jesus identified Peter as the rock on which the church would be built, despite denying Christ three times.

Turning from sin and evil opens the door for God to step in and wash us clean. Continuing to carry the weight of guilt and shame is insulting the goodness of God’s nature and the depth of His love for us. Loving and forgiving ourselves is vitally imperative for walking in freedom.