Accepting Forgiveness

Accepting Forgiveness

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One of our worst problems before we become a Christian was not recognizing that sin stirs God’s anger. One of our worst problems after becoming a Christian, is not receiving God’s forgiveness.

Are you often discouraged about your sins and failures? You may be suffering needlessly.

Some of us are blessed to have had someone who prayed fervently that we would become a Christian. We are born again today because of that heritage.

But all of us have another blessing. Jesus prayed for us!

He said, I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those You have given me, for they are Yours. My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message (John 17:9, 20).

When we feel condemned, helpless, forsaken, discouraged, weak in our faith or even like a complete failure, we should turn to Hebrews 9:24: Christ …entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.

Satan is able to sometimes deceive us that his accusations are coming from God. He is even able to go into God’s presence to accuse us! Revelation 12:10 says, The accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.

We may be one hundred percent guilty of all the accusations that Satan thrusts into our minds. But he always omits one crucial fact – that Jesus has purchased our forgiveness.

Think of it. Jesus is always in God’s presence and every time an accurate accusation comes to God about you, Jesus prays for your forgiveness. He says, Father, they believe in, trust in, and rely on Me.

God’s response is, Son, you purchased them. Therefore, I forgive them. That thought causes something within me to leap for joy. We have been forgiven of so much. For eternity we will thank Jesus for all He has done for us. But why wait? God wants us to trust in Christ’s power now. Every time we see any weakness or failure in our lives, we can immediately declare our faith in Christ.

Whenever you are tempted to feel discouraged about your own failures, shout to God:

“Thank You for what Your Son has done for me. His blood cleanses my guilt. I do not deserve Him, but I love Him.” Heaven will echo with shouts of joy.

Of course, we must be sensitive to the times when the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin. But we need to learn how to recognize His voice and not be tricked by Satan.

God’s grace is the marvelous Good News that Jesus came to give us. If we ignore that Good News, we miss our opportunity to give honor and praise to Him. We are going to always come short of God’s holy perfection. But we come under the protection of the Redeemer.

Yes, we often suffer the natural consequences of disobedience, but when we receive God’s forgiveness, we will not suffer His anger. I urge you to receive that forgiveness and rejoice in His forgiveness! (Reprint from September 1996)

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