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Joy of Forgiveness
There is a tremendous joy in being forgiven – in being
guilt-free, shame-free and have no self-condemnation. In order
to
experience the joy of the Lord in its fullness, we need to practice living in consciousness of divine forgiveness.
“The kingdom of God is… righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).
I would encourage you to treat guilt as your worst enemy. It won’t help you to become a better person, no matter what
some people say about it. Even if it may motivate you to improve yourself, it will ruin your self-esteem in a process. God doesn’t need guilt to correct you, He has a better way. Every message that is filled with guilt, of makes you feel guilty, is not inspired by God, and you don’t need to listen to it. Guilt paralyses, and God does not want to see you paralyzed. He is saying to you:
“Rejoice, for your sins are forgiven!”
“Rise up and walk in the newness of life!”
When a prodigal son came back to himself and returned to his father, filled with guilt and shame, the father (who is the
symbol of God) didn’t want to listen to his apologies. He rejoiced over his child’s return and invited all people in his household to share this joy. He wanted the son to be confident that he is loved and accepted, as if he never left the home!
“Bring the fatted cow here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry, for this my son was dead and is alive again, he was
lost and is found. And they began to be merry” (Luke 15:24).
“It was right that we should make merry and be glad” (Luke 15:32).
The lesson of this parable is that God is more willing to forgive us that we are willing to accept His forgiveness.
Recently I’ve seen a discussion about “an unforgivable sin”, the one that Jesus mentioned in Matthew 12:31-32. Different people expressed different opinions of what can it be, not agreeing with each other. But I think those who really understand the nature of God and our relationships with Him, will easy find the correct answer.
What cannot be forgiven is our refusal to accept forgiveness, our rigid attitude that says it is too easy or it cannot be for us, because our sins are too heavy and we need to be punished for them. This is not true. God has no interest in judging our sins, but we can judge ourselves, either through self-condemnation, or through attracting to our lives negative and harsh experiences. The choice is given to us.
When we know God, we know that there is nothing easier for Him than to forgive sins.
“Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives ALL your iniquities;
Who heals ALL your diseases”
Psalm 103:2,3
The fact that we at times need forgiveness does not make us unworthy sinners. When a child stumbles and falls while learning to walk, he continues to be a child of his parents. Even when we fail, we continue to be children of God.
Although we make mistakes, we continue to be guided and supported by His love.
My joy comes from being forgiven and guilt free. I am exceedingly glad, realizing that there is no condemnation for me when I abide in Christ consciousness. As I embrace forgiveness, I set myself free from every conscious or subconscious desire to punish myself. Being in Christ, I clear my mind from negative self-image which is based on my
past failures. I declare that now I am a new creation, and I leave my past behind.
Joy is my inheritance, and I experience it every day as I continue to live in God’s kingdom.
Andrei Yashurin is a non-denominational minister, author,
translator and an Internet publisher from Russia. His ministry
in 2 languages reaches more than 3,000 people every month. He
can be contacted at: yashurin.geo@yahoo.com
http://www.your-time-now.com
Written by: Andrei Yashurin
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