You Are Forgiven - Now Forgive Yourself!

I was recently asked the following question:

If the Bible says that if you don't forgive others, God can't forgive you, does that also mean that if you don't forgive yourself for something then God can't forgive you either?

Wow...that's quite a question.  But I think it's an issue more of us deal with than we realize or admit.

Some of you might be asking "Does the Bible really say that God can't forgive us if we don't forgive?"  The answer is yes.  It's found right at the end of the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:14-15:  "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
  
Romans 8:1 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."

"OK, that's fine, but you don't know what I did.  I really messed up, and I knew better, and now I just can't get past it.  I wasn't 'walking according to the Spirit' when I did it.  So does this verse really apply to me?"

Let's look a little further into Romans 8 to answer that.  Romans 8:9 says, "But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His."  

If you're a Christian, if you've called on and received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you are in the Spirit, not the flesh...even if that means you make mistakes from time to time.

So you see, God isn't condemning you.  When we sin, and we all have (Romans 3:23), we simply need to confess it to God, repent of it (turn away from it, reject it), and ask God to forgive us.  And the Bible says in 1 John 1:9 that "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  If God has forgiven us, and He no longer condemns us, then what influence is keeping us condemned?

The Bible calls the devil "the accuser of our brethren, who accused them day and night before our God."   (Revelation 12:10)

The devil would like nothing more than to steal our future from us.  The easiest way for him to accomplish that is to keep our focus on the past.  Like driving a car, we can't successfully reach our destination by looking only in the rear-view mirror.  There's a reason that mirror is so small and the windshield is so large.  Paul said it this way in Philippians 3:12-14, "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

I love how Paul just laid it out there.  He didn't claim to be perfect.  He didn't claim to have it all together.  But the ONE THING he made sure to do is to let go of the past and move forward to the great future that God had created for him.   Instead of dwelling on past mistakes, Paul makes a conscious decision to move beyond it, forget it, let it go, and focus his attention on his future.

Yes, you need to forgive yourself.  And then let that stand. Don't allow yourself to keep bringing up old mistakes.  You're forgiven by God, He loves you and doesn't hold it against you, and He has a life and future planned out for you.  AND He is able to bring peace and stability to your mind so that you're not always feeling like there's a war going on in your brain!  So put your attention, affection, and energy into living life today as a confident and committed Christian.  There's no reason to let your past steal your future anymore!

The simple fact is that God loves you.  You are worth so much to Him that He sent His Son to die for your sins, so you wouldn't need to be separated from Him anymore.  Sounds like God has a whole lot more reason to want to hold a grudge against you for past mistakes.  But He's forgiven you, so you can too!  He sees you as He created you to be, not as you are currently.  Start looking at yourself the way He looks at you! 
 
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.          Philippians 4:8-9

Mind Control

“For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he…” Proverbs 23:7

As a Christian, you have a Spirit-man who wants to do what’s right, seeks after God. You have a Body that constantly wants to submit to the sin nature of this world. And you have a Soul-man, your personality, mind, thoughts, etc. This is where the battle rages on. If your Spirit wins, the Soul desires after Godly things, and your Body has to go along. If your Body wins, the Soul desires sinful things and the ways of this world, and your Spirit is trapped into going along.

If you’re going to realize and live the life that God called you for, then you need to control who’s winning the battle for your Soul, your mind.

So here's a semi-abbreviated version of our message from last week, including Mr. Trailer's 3 steps to making a change and making it stick.

1. Give Up Now

"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."  James 4:7

In order for us to be counted righteous, we must be saved. We must be submitted to Christ. And this is not just a one-time event. We are continually submitting and letting His will be done.
 
“O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”   Matthew 26:39
 
Just like Jesus did, we have to allow God to have the final say in our lives. Adjusting to that way of thinking is the first step in being able to make a change that sticks.

2.  Get Brainwashed

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."  Romans 12:2
 

We have to scrub our thinking. If we're not putting the Word of God as a priority, then we’re constantly going to have problems winning the battle. Put the right thoughts in, then continue to think on those things over and over and over.

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.  So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God."  Romans 8:5-8

“A noble and God-like character is not a thing of favor or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of long-cherished association with God-like thoughts.”  James Allen from As A Man Thinketh

  

"Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies."  Philippians 4:8-9 (Message)

A pretty good list of things to think about, with a great idea to practice, DO, what we've learned, heard, and seen. Which ties in directly to point #3...

3. Move That Body

"...You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you."  Ephesians 4:20-24 (Message)

"Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life."  Proverbs 4:23

We've got to monitor what goes in our minds.  We can’t just let every little thing get in there.  Everything is a seed with the potential to grow and produce something in our minds, and eventually our lives.

“A man's mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind.”  James Allen from As A Man Thinketh

We won’t be able to let our Bodies sit and download everything they want to...not without those things being planted and producing something in our lives.

"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."  Luke 6:45

"So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.” You call out to God for help and he helps—he’s a good Father that way. But don’t forget, he’s also a responsible Father, and won’t let you get by with sloppy living."  1 Peter 1:13-17 (Message)

Our conduct matters.  And by doing the right things it helps us to continue to establish the dominance of Spirit over Flesh (Body).  And when our Souls and Bodies are moving along with God's Spirit in us, we are unstoppable.

The point is this – There are things you will have to give up.  There are things you’ll have to start doing.  But God has provided everything you need to get there.

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."  2 Timothy 1:7

We have power to persevere.

We have the love of God in us, working through us.

We have a sound mind, not distracted and deluded by the world. 

He’s working on things for you, and He won’t give up on you.

"The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands."  Psalm 138:8

"But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you."  1 Peter 5:10

You can do it.  Now get started!

Who Are You?

I remember when I was about 7 years old I was introduced to the world of Super Mario Bros.  Wow.  A superhero plumber, a princess in distress, coins galore, and a giant spiky turtle-dragon villain.  Epic.  And after playing on other people's Nintendos for years, I finally got my own.  The great thing about playing at other people's houses was that they knew all the tricks.  So when I got my own, I didn't have to figure everything out on my own.  (For those of you from that era)  Remember the first time you discovered the warp zones?  Or the 99 lives trick in level 3-1?  Or even something as simple as finding a free 1-up mushroom hidden in a brick block?

What's this got to do with anything?  It's simple:  without knowing it's a possibility, most people just played the game going from one level to the next.  No special tricks.  No special help.  But once you know it's possible, you play the game a completely different way.  This is how life as a Christian ought to be.  Find out what God says you can do.  Find out what God has hidden away for you so that you can go through life with confidence.

God sees you according to your potential and created purpose.

He called you for greatness. 

He created you to be a world-changer.

That's why it's so important to remind ourselves daily who we are, who we are created to be, and what we're truly capable of.

This month we began our study of the book "In Him" by Kenneth E. Hagin.  This is an absolute MUST READ for every Christian.  This book gives a list of over 100 verses that contain the words "in Him", "in Christ", "by Christ", "by Him", "through Christ", and "with Christ." These verses are crucial to understanding exactly who it is that God sees when He sees us.

How can we fully become who He created us to be without knowing what we're capable of and what He intended for us to be capable of?  Luke 1:37 says, "For with God nothing will be impossible."

Dig in to our In Him study.  Find out what God says you're capable of.  Believe it.  Speak it.  Live it.

Be the YOU that God created you to be!