Devotions from Judy’s heart
There is no limit to God’s forgiveness! Isn’t that the most wonderful news? No matter what we have done, if we are truly repentant, He will not only forgive us but also forget that we ever did it. There are times as I am busy working and thoughts of regrets come to my mind. Why did I say something insensitive or do something thoughtless, or was disobedient to how God was directing me? Even though I have asked God for forgiveness and the persons concerned, those negative thoughts come again. Yes, the Lord has already forgiven me but the enemy loves to bring up things of the past and tries to accuse me again. Maybe we all have that problem at times, for Satan uses accusations to rob us of our peace. We need to reject his lies and instead do what David did in Psalm 51; he first confessed it was really God he had sinned against and asked for His mercy and forgiveness. He then asks for a fresh start and begins to praise the Lord. In verse 15-16 (The Message) he says, “Unbutton my lips, dear God: I’ll let loose with your praise. Going through the motions doesn’t please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered.” Praise is the perfect response to receiving forgiveness. The more we learn to do that, the more we seem to get our joy back. Just as David wanted to be close to God again, let us also deal with our sin that puts a wedge between us and Him. After we humbly confess our shortcomings, we can unleash praise to Him and watch what happens… we feel restored again, cleansed, close to the Lord, and open and reaching out to others with forgiveness. May we not hide our sin but be open before the Lord, confess when we do wrong, and seek forgiveness.
Challenge for today: Spend some time asking the Holy Spirit to search your heart and confess all sin that He reveals to you.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy