True Forgiveness

True Forgiveness
By: Michelle Adams

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I think we sometimes forget how much God loves us and how faithful He is to us. We all mess up and make mistakes but when we do we can confess our sins and be restored to right standing with God.
I would never condone sin and I don't believe in intentional, willful, repeated sin. That's not what I'm talking about here. We all have sinned the verses before and after this one tells us this is true.
What I think we often do is fall under guilt and condemnation. We find it impossible to forgive ourselves and we doubt that God will forgive us. This scripture tells us this is not true, if we confess He is faithful and just to forgive our sins.
I have made some big mistakes in my life and I have sinned against God. I have fallen under guilt and condemnation. I did not apply the scripture to the reality of my life. I kept thinking about what I had done wrong. I did not really believe God had forgiven me and cleansed me of unrighteousness. There are some sins I have confessed over and over and over again. Why is that necessary if I confessed and received forgiveness? That's the trouble we don't receive our forgiveness.
Here's what God has taught me, it's really very simple. I did some crazy things growing up, and I did not always obey or honor my parents. I am reminded of an incident in my childhood as I meditate on this scripture.
I was nine years old, my mother made me take a bath and get dressed on a Saturday afternoon because our pastor and his wife were coming for dinner. Across the road from our house was a pond the city had just filled in to build the new water plant. My parents told me repeatedly not to go over there I would sink in the mud.
My parents became occupied with their company and I was outside playing. I went across the road and walked a short distance then I begin to sink in the mud. I couldn't get out, I was stuck and I just kept sinking. I was in mud up to my waist when one of the kids I was playing with ran to get my dad.
Dad came running to rescue me and with him was my mother, the pastor and his wife. There was no getting out of this one. Daddy grabbed me by my arms and pulled me up out of the mud. I had done wrong, I had sinned by being disobedient but my dad loved me so much he came and got me.
This was a big deal at the time, my mother was hysterical standing there watching this. I remember feeling relieved when I saw my dad. I knew that despite what I had done daddy would help me. My parents already knew what I had done, they saw me sinking. They never justified my actions, but they forgave me and pulled me out of circumstances I brought on myself.
If my earthly parents love me that much, how much more does my Heavenly Father love me? Once my dad pulled me out of that mud, he took me back home but I couldn't enter the house with the mud still on me. I had to stop outside on the porch and take off my muddy clothes before going in. I was embarrassed and afraid of what they might do to me once I did enter. Isn't that how we think? God may have delivered me but I'm sure to suffer for this. You will reap what you sow there's no doubt about that. However, once you rid yourself of sin through confession to Christ you are cleansed of unrighteousness and restored to right standing with your Heavenly Father. You are free from the bondage of sin. Beloved when you confessed you took your muddy clothes off at the door of repentance you are now clean.
Believe God is faithful and just to forgive you. Believe that you are cleansed from all unrighteousness. You are now in right standing with your Heavenly Father. Don't allow the enemy to lie to you. God loves you and He doesn't want you to feel guilty for the rest of your life.
Do you think I find it necessary to apologize to my parents and seek their forgiveness all these years later? No, absolutely not. In fact I have only asked their forgiveness one time. The day it happened, I made things right. I confessed my disobedience, I apologized for the grief I had caused them and we moved forward....God has also moved forward. Whatever you have already confessed is already forgiven. Stand on that, know that is true and you simply keep running this race to the finish line.

Heavenly Father, I thank you that you are faithful and just to forgive me when I confess my sin. Thank you for cleansing me from all unrighteousness. Help me to keep this word fresh in my heart so that I won't become my own worst enemy living with haunting thoughts of past sins. Teach me to believe you and take you at your word for it is impossible for you to lie.
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