Forgiving Yourself

Sharon JaynesA Sudden Glory, Forgiveness, General Inspiration, God's love, Living Free, Living Fully 47 Comments

 

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness,” (1 John 1:9 NIV).

 

An email comes to me hundreds of times every year. The names are different, the situations are varied, but the underlying theme is the same…I can’t forgive myself. Grace just doesn’t make sense. I don’t deserve to be forgiven.

And these women are right…grace doesn’t make earthly sense. We don’t deserve it. We keep reliving the Garden story with ingratitude and believing Satan’s lie, and then grace shows up with an outstretched hand. “I don’t deserve it,” we cry. And we’re right. Grace, by its very definition, is unmerited favor from God or a gift we don’t deserve. But until we accept God’s grace and forgiveness, Satan will hold us in the vise grip of guilt, and we will miss moments of sudden glory as we hide in Eden’s bushes of shame.

After King David’s affair with Bathsheba, he was held in the shackles of guilt, unsure if he could ever be set free. But mercy came with the key of forgiveness and flung the prison door open wide. David then had to take the necessary steps to walk out of the prison and into the kingdom of grace.

No matter what you have done, God has made a way for you to be set free—a very costly toll has been paid for the road to your restoration. [tweetherder][/tweetherder]Jesus gave His life that you might have not only eternal life after physical death, but life filled with moments of sudden glory beginning at your spiritual birth.

I in no way want to diminish the seriousness of sin. Neither do I want to lessen the truth of grace. Refusal of the Christian to repent and dogged determination to continue a lifestyle of sin spits in the face of what Christ did on the cross. Unconfessed sin draws the shade on God’s glory. Confession with repentance raises the curtain once again for God’s glory to shine through.

When we say, “I don’t feel forgiven,” that is like saying that what Jesus did on the cross is not enough. Why should we require more from ourselves than our Creator requires of us? “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus….” (Romans 8:1). None. God’s grace river washes away the devil dams of shame and condemnation that block the flow of the glory life.

If you are feeling condemnation for past sins that you have already asked God to forgive, that condemnation is not coming from God. Once you have repented and asked God to forgive you, it is finished, over and done with, wiped away. If feelings of condemnation persist, they are a result of listening to the accusations of the enemy as he tries to keep you behind those bushes and away from union and communion with God. Believe the truth. Walk in the truth, and it will lead you to moments of sudden glory all around. Without accepting God’s grace gift, in Him we live and move and have our being will be nigh to impossible to become a reality in your life. A life saturated in grace makes it so.

Satan knows that the slightest whisper of guilt is easily received by a fragile heart plundered by life. Do not let him convince you to remain in hiding. If you have been crouching in Eden’s bushes of shame, listen closely. That sound you hear is God walking your way. Whispering your name. Do you hear it? Singing love songs of grace. Inviting you to stroll with Him in the garden of your heart where He has taken up permanent residence.

 Where are you? I want to commune with you. I want to show you glimpses of my glory. Where are you?

I hope you will say with me… “Here I am Lord. ‘Come, Thou Fount of ev’ry blessing. Tune my heart to sing Thy grace.’”

Let’s Pray

If you are having trouble forgiving yourself, then pray this prayer…

Dear Lord, I come before You today, confessing______________. I am truly repentant and sorry for my sin against You.  I ask that You forgive me and cleanse me.  Right now, I receive Your grace and forgiveness.  I believe that You have forgiven me and will no longer hold my sin against me.  I accept the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for my sin and thank You that my debt has been paid in full.  Thank You God for forgiving me.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Now, dear one, I want you to picture your sin nailed to the cross. It is finished. Don’t let Satan try to convince you otherwise. And believe me, he will. Satan is called “the accuser” who accuses Christians day and night (Revelations 12:10). I picture him walking back and forth with our mug shots before the throne of God, saying “look at her! She’s guilty as sin!” And in response our Heavenly Father says, “I know her. She’s my precious child whom I love! Her sentence has already been taken care of. She’s forever forgiven and  free.”

Now It’s Your Turn

I don’t want to give you any extra work today. You’ve got a lot to think about. But I do want you to write down Jesus’ last words on the cross (John 19:30) and say them often throughout the day.

If you prayed the above prayer for yourself today, I want you to let me know. Click over to my blog page at www.localhost/sjold or my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sharonjaynes and say, “It is finished.”

Want More?

Today’s devotion came from my book, A Sudden Glory: God’s Lavish Response to Your Ache for Something More. God wants to commune with you, but sometimes we hide in shame like Adam and Eve in the bushes. God asks… “Where are you?” He knows what you’ve done and He still pursues a relationship with you. Are you ready to come out of hiding? Perhaps reading A Sudden Glory is a great place to start.

 

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Comments 47

  1. Good morning! I can’t believe the timing of your devotion today. Thirty-three years ago today, my husband kissed me good-bye, along with our two children, and went to work, or so I thought . He traveled to California and took his life.

    I want to say “It is finished”, and have tried many, many times to let go of the guilt, but beat myself up because I didn’t know and/or see the signs. Talk about GUILT! I’ll never know the reason this tradgey happened, when there were other options, so I came to believe that I must have had something to do with this.

    It is finished?? Maybe in God’s eyes, but not in mine – yet.

    Thank you so much for your ministry. I enjoy it every day!

    1. Anna. I pray you will LET THIS GO. Sweet one, you must. Did you know that Kay Arthur’s first husband also took his life? The fact that you are responsible is a lie from the enemy. He is the one whispering in your ear that it was your fault. Don’t let him have victory. Don’t listen to him one more minute. Rather listen to Jesus.

  2. Thank you so much! I was dealing with this over the weekend and I open my email this morning and I received confirmation that it is finished!!

  3. Sharon,

    This was a great devotional today I felt like this for a long time I was saved in the late 80’s and lived real close to the Lord but, something happened, and I turned my back on him and went back to my old ways. Finally I woke up, and repented of my sins that I committed after I left the Lord, and is now living for him more and more. Thank God he has forgiven me I know he saved me for the first time, and I was always his i’m sealed with his promise. However, I couldn’t continue to live like I had Lived before. I was a mess miserable. knew I was doing wrong. I was guilty I didn’t deserve any forgiveness because I left the Lord and went back to my old ways. Now I praise the Lord , and Love him soo much. It is finished. Praise God…… He loves us so much …….

  4. Wow. I know that God wanted me to read this devotion today. He answered my private questionings and has reassured me that I am His.

    There are ways that God grabs my attention that just makes me wonder… Only He can know how to truly love me!

  5. Thank you so much!! IT IS FINISHED!!! In the last two years my life has been turned upside down by illness. I went from an active, joyfully serving Christian, to being home and wheelchair bound. Reading your devotion this morning opened my eyes to the fact that I have been holding anger in my heart. My prayer today is to begin anew, to not let this situation be for nothing, to let others know that my King is still on his throne, and some day I will sing and dance for HIM every day. God bless you! Thank you so much!!!

  6. It is finished! This devotion was not by accident but by Gods perfect timing! His grace is trully so amazing!

  7. It’s Finished. Thank you Jesus for dying for me on the cross and for forgiving all of my sins. Past, Present Future- all though I will always strive to do what is right and just I am human and will make mistakes and for this am so grateful of your mercy and grace.

  8. It is finished! Praise God, that instead of shame or disgrace, I will rejoice in my inheritance, that I will inherit a double portion in my life, and that everlasting joy will be mine, as You restore what Satan came to destroy.

  9. it is finished….Thank you Jesus..I am sorry that you suffered for my sins and I am so happy that you did. Thank you will never be enough.. I want to praise your name from every place you lead me…

  10. It is finished! Thank you Jesus for dying for my sins.. I am sos sorry but I am so glad that you were willing to do this for a person such as me.. Draw me closer and nearer to you each and every day.Use my hands, guide my feet, and live in my heart… Praise your Holy name

  11. It is finished. Amen. A poignant message on my birthday, a day when I have experienced several moments of sudden glory from the God of surprises.

  12. It is FINISHED! I had an abortion 31 years ago and have asked God for forgiveness. Forgiving myself is a continual process. Living with the consequences of my actions is something I deal with daily. Thanks you God that IT IS FINISHED!

  13. It is finished!! This time I will not keep taking it back because I don’t feel like I’ve been punished enough. It is finished this time. Jesus died for those sins, and so that I would not have to be punished. Thank you Dear Jesus. I am so not worthy, but thank you so much for forgiving me, and for letting me forgive myself!! <3

  14. It is Finished! Well that’s what I said back in September of last year. I was at a women’s retreat and I finally gave myself and asked for forgiveness for somethings in my past. It was so completly liberating! I wrote two poems about it and went public with it to my family, who hadn’t known about it. If you hope on over to my blog there will be two poems dated in September or October of 2012 enttitled “She wants to leave. and Frozen in Fear” These were my releases of sins that were holding me back from true intimacy with God.

  15. It is Finished!!!! I have worked through a behaviour of super analysing due to unforgiveness and guilt!! which was so destructive it destroyed 2 marriages,and an engagement!!! its been a long day and I thank God for the personal loving way in which He reveals these deep painful giants in my life!!!! Praise & Glory To My Abba Father!!!! I cant thank Him enough for restoring me!!!!

  16. Never thought I had to finish… Never thought there was a guilt. But today, as I saw the morning rush shatter me to pieces, this devotional opened my eyes to the main reason why I’ve past the last 7 years in opression. I had thought my travel from USA to southamerica had been a missionary call. Despite the church not supporting my trip, I challenged both my children and my own future to failure as I stepped-out into the lonely desert. Today, a marriage later, an 8 month baby and a new pregnancy on its way, I found myself far from evangelizing and deep into scrubbing floors, homeschooling my 13 and 16 year olds, while suffering the troubles of my husband not producing a cent, since I met him and drove him to the cross of Jesus. His salvation is credit, but Jesus’ and my entire life have been the pay. And I should never have taken JESUS’ great sacrifice on us all, myself. Jesus us our all. We shant try to do more than HE already did. Today, It is finished!

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