The Nature of Grace
“I – yes, I alone – will blot out your sins for My own sake and will never think of them again.”
Isaiah 43:25 (NLT)
If God says He forgets our sins, then why would you ever want to dwell on them? Past offenses are a formidable weapon in the hand of our accuser! Satan loves to remind you of your past failures and mistakes. But, when God forgives our sins, He totally forgets them. In Jeremiah 31:34 (NLT), God says, “I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”
We never need to fear that God will bring up our past sins! That’s good news! You are not irredeemable! No sin is too great that His grace cannot cover it! That’s why the Gospel is called Good News! God purchased our redemption through His Son on the cross! Jesus paid it all! The words He spoke from the cross, “It is finished!” literally mean “Paid in full!” So, if the debt has been paid and the sins forgotten, why do we let them haunt our memories and live as though we must still pay for them? Maybe it’s because we don’t understand the nature of grace.
When God forgives us, the past no longer defines us. The Bible says, “the old life has gone; a new life has begun! Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)
Our identity now is in Christ. Not in sin. The new life we experience is the saving life of the Lord Jesus whose death reconciled us to God and whose resurrection life now indwells us by faith! That means that, when God sees you and me, He sees us in Christ; no longer condemned, but declared righteous and get this; Jude adds, “… without a single fault!” Jude 24c (NLT) That is GRACE!
Have you experienced that kind of grace in your life? Or do you still look upon yourself as a failure, a product of your past, defined by your sin, hoping that one day you may get beyond it and move forward? You can move forward! Let this be the day you accept God’s forgiveness! Begin to see yourself through the lenses of grace. Experience redemption! And leave your past behind you.
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.