It's time to forgive yourself

“For if you forgive others their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. 15But 

if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offences.

                                                                         Matthew 6:14-15.  CSB

These are strong words that Jesus was teaching; 

we need to ask and accept God's forgiveness, but, obviously we need to forgive other people theirs, if we hope to be forgiven. This includes ourselves as well. We need to forgive ourselves otherwise, those nagging, guilty feelings will plague us until we do. Jesus also said in Luke 6:37: 

'Do not judge and you will not be judged. 

Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.' 

RT Kendall puts it this way: 'If I condemn myself for my past and refuse to forgive myself, I 

forfeit the wonderful benefit that is promised those who enjoy God's forgiveness.'  

                              Totally Forgiving ourselves. RT Kendall

We have all had those horrible, guilty feelings when we have upset someone or committed 

some kind of sin. The guilt can be like a heavy weight on our shoulders and the regret we feel 

never seems to end. At times like this, we want to stop the world and get off, because, there is nothing we can do to change the situation. We can't go back in time like you can on a movie. It is there before us and we feel that all we can do is accept it and move on. There is something we can do though - forgive yourself.

When we are in a situation such as this, the pressure on our mind can be never-ending. We may have asked Jesus to forgive us and, at that time, we should have accepted His forgiveness. However,

 the devil knows all about what we have said or 

done and, he won't let us forget it. He will make our life a misery, reminding us of our behaviour and whispering feelings of condemnation in our ear. He loves to do this. But that is the moment when we need to make a stand. Romans 8:1-2 tell us: 'Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, 2because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.' Did you hear that? You are not under condemnation, so don't let satan ruin your day. Tell him to leave in the name of Jesus.

And the way to free yourself from these guilty feelings is to forgive yourself and accept this. Don't accept any 'Yes but.’ There are no 'yes but's' you 

are forgiven and are free from condemnation. God's word does not lie; it is the truth so, forgive yourself and accept it and move on. Have a blessed day!

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

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