There are so many people on the planet that believe that they are beyond saving. That God could never forgive them for everything they have done. Yet the reality is that God can and will forgive anything. God is the King of Second Chances. Israel, God's chosen people rebelled again and again; yet God continued to have mercy on them and continued to call them back to Himself. Jonah refused God's call and went AWOL, God gave him a second chance to do what He was called to do. God did not take the consequences of His actions away, He only provided Him with another chance to do what God had called Him to do. (You can read more about his story in the book of Jonah in the Bible.)
As you read through the Scriptures and look at the overview of history, you start to see God's heart for people. Jesus' ministry was based on love and forgiveness. Most of the miracles that occurred resulted as the person being forgiven. I believe this is even true today. Stress, guilt, self-condemnation, depression, anxiety and so much more are a result of us not allowing God to forgive and cleanse us. We hold onto our sin as if we deserve to be punished, so we punish ourselves with it instead of confessing it to God and allowing Him to take it from us and set us free. The word free seems so foreign to so many of us because we live in these prisons of guilt that we have built for ourselves. God doesn't want us to live that way. He wants us to be free and reside in that freedom.
It doesn't matter if you are reading this and you are an athiest, God still loves you and is more than willing to forgive you of everything and set you free. It doesn't matter if you are a Muslim and you have been killing Christians, God can still forgive you; Paul did that in the book of Acts and God set him free. It doesn't matter if you have been a Christian your entire life and you go to church every Sunday, you may still need a second chance and God is more than pleased to give it to you. When Jesus was asked how many times to forgive, His answer was 70x7 (Matthew 18:21-22, MSG). If God is our example of forgiveness, do you honestly believe His mercy would be less than this? No, it would be much greater! Jesus dies on the cross for all of the sins of the world, not just some of them.
Now that you know that God can forgive anything, now the ball is in your court. Are you willing to take that step and accept His forgiveness or are you going to continue living in the bondage that you have created for yourself? The decision is yours. I will end with something personal. I have been on a journey of forgiveness myself. God has really been teaching me about forgiving myself. My issue is that I know God has forgiven me, but for some reason I see the open prison doors and remain in my cell of guilt. God has been teaching me that I am free and I can leave it all behind. It has been a long journey and the process is not complete, however the greatest thing of all God is patient and He is there helping me every step of the way. As each day passes it gets easier and easier to forgive myself and move on. If you are in a self-made prison it might be time to check the door and see if it is already open, your freedom might be waiting for you to walk into it.
I will leave you with one last thought, no matter how troubled the waters you are facing, no matter how rough the storm might be; God is always there with His loving arms outstretched towards you! His love never fails! (To read more about God's love read 1 Corinthians 13.)
As you read through the Scriptures and look at the overview of history, you start to see God's heart for people. Jesus' ministry was based on love and forgiveness. Most of the miracles that occurred resulted as the person being forgiven. I believe this is even true today. Stress, guilt, self-condemnation, depression, anxiety and so much more are a result of us not allowing God to forgive and cleanse us. We hold onto our sin as if we deserve to be punished, so we punish ourselves with it instead of confessing it to God and allowing Him to take it from us and set us free. The word free seems so foreign to so many of us because we live in these prisons of guilt that we have built for ourselves. God doesn't want us to live that way. He wants us to be free and reside in that freedom.
It doesn't matter if you are reading this and you are an athiest, God still loves you and is more than willing to forgive you of everything and set you free. It doesn't matter if you are a Muslim and you have been killing Christians, God can still forgive you; Paul did that in the book of Acts and God set him free. It doesn't matter if you have been a Christian your entire life and you go to church every Sunday, you may still need a second chance and God is more than pleased to give it to you. When Jesus was asked how many times to forgive, His answer was 70x7 (Matthew 18:21-22, MSG). If God is our example of forgiveness, do you honestly believe His mercy would be less than this? No, it would be much greater! Jesus dies on the cross for all of the sins of the world, not just some of them.
Now that you know that God can forgive anything, now the ball is in your court. Are you willing to take that step and accept His forgiveness or are you going to continue living in the bondage that you have created for yourself? The decision is yours. I will end with something personal. I have been on a journey of forgiveness myself. God has really been teaching me about forgiving myself. My issue is that I know God has forgiven me, but for some reason I see the open prison doors and remain in my cell of guilt. God has been teaching me that I am free and I can leave it all behind. It has been a long journey and the process is not complete, however the greatest thing of all God is patient and He is there helping me every step of the way. As each day passes it gets easier and easier to forgive myself and move on. If you are in a self-made prison it might be time to check the door and see if it is already open, your freedom might be waiting for you to walk into it.
I will leave you with one last thought, no matter how troubled the waters you are facing, no matter how rough the storm might be; God is always there with His loving arms outstretched towards you! His love never fails! (To read more about God's love read 1 Corinthians 13.)