Monday, January 26, 2009

The Uninvited

The hymn "It Is Well With My Soul" states a profound truth . . . "our sins were nailed to the cross not in part but in whole and we bear them no more, praise the Lord."

Are there certain confessed sins that seem to find there way back to you? These uninvited visitors bring Aunt Condemnation and Uncle Guilt with them to try and convince you that you’re still guilty. They’ll rattle your confidence and plant a seed of doubt of whether God has really forgiven you after all. "Okay, maybe He’s forgiven you for some sins" they’ll say "but I doubt He’s forgiven you for these really offensive ones." It reminds me of the serpent asking Eve "did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?" (Genesis 3:1) But as the song says our sins, not in part, but in whole were nailed to the cross that Jesus died on and with His death we were forgiven of ALL of them. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1John1:9) This is amazing news for those who have a true relationship with the God of the Universe through Jesus Christ his son!

Did you know that He forgets them to? "And I will forgive their wrong doings, and I will never again remember their sins." (Hebrews 8:12) So the next time those unwanted guests try to visit be assured they were not sent by God to remind you of their existence so don’t let them in. It’s the enemy trying to trip you up and get you to take your focus off of God. Instead keep moving forward as Paul told the Philippians, "But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3: 13-14)

Be blessed,
Jeanine Black

3 comments:

Alane D. Brown said...

Wow...Very Deep Jeanine.
I enjoyed this post quite a bit.
I love knowing that God "forgets" my wrongs" That I am covered.
You Sis-
Alane Brown

Anonymous said...

Nice weaving of lyric, Old Testament, and New. And so, I suppose, when Satan or self brings forgiven sin to mind, it presents an occasion for worship. "Yes, praise God, thanks for reminding me - that one is covered, too!"

Jeanine Black said...

Bob thanks for reminding us to respond to these negative moments with praise!