Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Most of us have that one down, though at times it can be difficult to forgive certain transgressions done against us or our loved ones.
What is often overlooked in the Lord's Prayer is the necessity of forgiving ourselves.
Many of us have trouble forgiving ourselves, getting over our sin and shame. It can be quite a trial. We must remember that sin and shame and guilt have the power to keep us from receiving God's blessings and guidance.
There is good news!
The Lord is
ready to forgive.
He wants to forgive you all your sins, and will do so the
moment you confess and repent. Psalm 103:8 says 'The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy.'
Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted.' (2 Corinthians 7:10)
So experience that godly sorrow, let it lead you to repentance. Confess your sins to God and He will forgive you, leading to salvation.
The moment you repent, you receive His forgiveness. Even for the same sin, committed over and over again, if you are truly penitent and confess it before God, genuinely seeking His grace to help overcome that weakness of the flesh, He will forgive it--seven times seventy-seven!
At that point, you receive His grace, you must receive it to free you of your guilt and shame, for He has wiped it out: 'As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us' (Psalm 103:12).
Do not dwell on your sins, your shame, your guilty conscience; do not let these things rule over you. If you do not release them to God and receive His grace, they will have power over you to keep you in bondage to the evil one.
Sin is bondage
Forgiveness is freedom
You must not allow yourself to be a slave to the flesh, to these fleshly experiences. You have confessed and repented, you are forgiven. Know it! Receive it! God does not hold it against
you. If you allow yourself to dwell in guilt and shame when God has forgiven, then you will never advance in your walk with God. Colossians 1:10 warns against a stagnate faith, advising us to increase our knowledge of God. Do this by:
- Acknowledging your godly sorrow
- Repenting
- Confessing before God
- Accepting His forgiveness
- Moving forward in your walk with Him
If you dwell on your shortcomings instead of on the merciful
grace of God’s forgiveness, then you are still letting the flesh rule over you.This is a doorway for the devil to taunt you. He will tell you that you are not
good enough to be forgiven, that God cannot forgive such a sinner, and that you
will just fail again. Leave it all at the cross; there is room at the cross. He
died for you. He lives for you. Abide in this truth and let your mind and heart
and spirit abide in the mercies of our everlasting heavenly Father. 2 Corinthians 5:21
Take joy in this truth, my fellow believers. You can have joy again, and you can have the peace of the Lord, which is unlike anything this world can offer. John 14:27. See also Romans 8:1
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