God's View:
Eph. 2:4-5 ;
1 John 1:9 ;
Heb. 10:22 -It
is purely an act of God alone, by His grace, that we have been
forgiven of all our sins. We do nothing to earn it, either by
fasting or praying, we simply receive it by acknowledging our
sinfulness. Realize that Christ died for and freely gives redemption
by the forgiveness of our sins, we are made whole and washed clean
in our conscience and kept that way by the water of the word.
Hope:
Rom. 8:12 ; 10:4 ;
Lu. 21:36 ;
Rev. 12:11 -Some
do not receive forgiveness because they are still trying to be
'good enough' on their own merit, striving to be perfect under
the law. Instead we are to be in listening obedience to Christ
and His word, trusting in His righteousness, the practice of His
Presence rather than practice the presence of the 'old man'. It
is by the blood of the Lamb and by our testimony to all that Jesus
did on the cross and in His Resurrection, that our sins are forgiven,
and by His resurrection we live in righteousness. We are to act
forgiven by what Jesus did, receiving this truth is our responsibility,
God will not do this for us.
Ps. 19:12-13 ; 139:23-24 ; Rom. 7:15-20 ; Eph. 4:22-24 -Allow God to search your heart, kneel as sinners before Him, acknowledge and assume that you may have been trying to deal with sin by your efforts, condemning yourself for failing and judging yourself as not 'good enough', or believing that your sin was too gross for God to forgive. Let God deal with these subjective (feelings) focus and change your focus to the objective fact that only Christ can deal with your sin, and that your responsibility is to accept that your are a sinner, and that it is Christ's blood that makes you a saint when you confess and repent. By an act of faith, receive forgiveness by Christ and from that point on act forgiven. Guilt, shame and conviction is to bring us to the point of confession and repentance which brings forth a covering of righteousness. We are to walk in this spirit, the spirit of Righteousness, Christ Himself.
Change:
Gen. 6:5 ;
Matt. 12:33-35 ;
Jere. 17:9 -We
are not only to deal with specific acts of sin but with its roots.
The structure of sin in the human personality originated when
we turned from the truth in God to embrace a lie about Him. As
we respond to life from our darkened heart and mind, sinful thoughts
and deeds flowed forth as water from a polluted fountain. Our
heart becomes a reservoir of unconscious disordered motivations
and responses . We deal with this by no longer living by our feelings
but by our will and our will based on the word of God which, in
time, will change the root of our being.
Eph. 4:17-18 ;
Hosea 4:6-7 ;
Rom. 1:18-23 ;
Eph. 4:22-32 -Ignorance
will destroy you and your family. Indifference will harden your
heart until you feel that you cannot forgive yourself anymore
and give up entirely. Biblical change is a process. Realize you
cannot handle or deal with sin but realize you are completely
dependent on the Lord Jesus Christ. Confess and repent daily,
see Jesus take your sin into and upon Himself , setting you free.
Act forgiven, honor Christ by thinking and doing and being what
the word says to think, to speak, and to act, daily growing into
the image of Christ.