Freedom in Christ Course; day 53 Nugget
Forgiving God and Yourself
Forgiving God sounds like a very odd thing to need to do. And indeed, God has never sinned, so he does not need to be forgiven!
Forgiveness, however, is less about whether what happened was actually right or wrong but about how you felt. Many Christians – if they are honest – feel that God has in some way disappointed them, or let them down, or not been there for them in the way they thought He should have been.
We need to let go of these grudges we hold against God, or they keep us in bondage in a very similar way that unforgiveness against another person does.
We may also need to forgive ourselves. Often we continue to punish ourselves for wrong choices we have made in the past. But God says that all of our sin was dealt with at the cross – who are we to say that something we did is just too bad to be covered by what Jesus did? And not forgiving ourselves keeps us chained to the past.
Pray and ask God to show you where you will need to forgive in both these areas so you are ready to do so when you go through The Steps To Freedom In Christ.
Dear Father God,
Please show me by your Holy Spirit where I have been holding a grudge against You in any way. Although it is difficult, help me to honestly admit the ways in which I have felt disappointed or let down by You. Although I know that You have never let me down and will never let me down, my inability to see the universe from Your perspective makes it hard to understand what is going on sometimes. I know that You love me and want me to be honest about what I have felt because You know all about it anyway, yet still love me so much.
Also, please show me where I am still holding myself accountable for things which You have already forgiven me for. When the opportunity comes during The Steps to Freedom, I resolve to choose to let myself off the hook, and truly walk in the freedom You have bought for me at such a great cost.
Amen.
Forgiving God and Yourself
Forgiving God sounds like a very odd thing to need to do. And indeed, God has never sinned, so he does not need to be forgiven!
Forgiveness, however, is less about whether what happened was actually right or wrong but about how you felt. Many Christians – if they are honest – feel that God has in some way disappointed them, or let them down, or not been there for them in the way they thought He should have been.
We need to let go of these grudges we hold against God, or they keep us in bondage in a very similar way that unforgiveness against another person does.
We may also need to forgive ourselves. Often we continue to punish ourselves for wrong choices we have made in the past. But God says that all of our sin was dealt with at the cross – who are we to say that something we did is just too bad to be covered by what Jesus did? And not forgiving ourselves keeps us chained to the past.
Pray and ask God to show you where you will need to forgive in both these areas so you are ready to do so when you go through The Steps To Freedom In Christ.
Dear Father God,
Please show me by your Holy Spirit where I have been holding a grudge against You in any way. Although it is difficult, help me to honestly admit the ways in which I have felt disappointed or let down by You. Although I know that You have never let me down and will never let me down, my inability to see the universe from Your perspective makes it hard to understand what is going on sometimes. I know that You love me and want me to be honest about what I have felt because You know all about it anyway, yet still love me so much.
Also, please show me where I am still holding myself accountable for things which You have already forgiven me for. When the opportunity comes during The Steps to Freedom, I resolve to choose to let myself off the hook, and truly walk in the freedom You have bought for me at such a great cost.
Amen.