Accepting Forgiveness

“Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.” Psalm 32:2
Many years are spent regretting sins from our past. These sins can hurt others and us. Day after day we replay our decisions. The sting of our past sin still holds on. God had forgiven us; we’ve told Him about our sin and asked Him to pardon us. So why can’t we accept the freedom of His forgiveness? We want so badly to believe we are the person David mentions in Psalm 32:2, “Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.” Yet we struggled with accepting that God’s grace can erase our sin, wiping it away as if it never happened.
This can be a hard thing to accept for many of us. It sounds all well and good, but in reality, the weight of sin makes it difficult to believe a perfect God can forgive us. Yet, His Word assures us that God does not count our sin against us. So how can we live in this truth? The first step is to acknowledge our sin: to ourselves and to God. This opens up the door for honest conversations with the Lord and helps us stop hiding from the fear of being found out. The next step is to fill our hearts and minds with truth. Throughout the Bible, God teaches how an unaccepting heart can be changed and softened to accept His forgiveness. The following verses are truth from a loving God who longs to transform our lives through the grace of His forgiveness.
My God doesn’t condemn. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 
My master is grace, not sin. “For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” Romans 6:14 
My Savior Jesus has set me free, therefore I am free. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36
My old is gone; because of Jesus Christ I am new. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 
Are you lugging a load of sin that God has already forgiven? Are you ready to stop living in shame, shackled by regret? Life is too short to exchange the freedom of grace for the bondage of unbelief. Today, allow God to wash the hurt and regret from past sins away with the transforming power of His truth. And let’s pray for an accepting heart that lives in the freedom of God’s grace and forgiveness.
 

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