I want to share a truth with you today that can set you free—free from bondage, guilt and condemnation. It can set you free to live in victory and be everything God created you to be.
This is a truth that is the very foundation of your Christian faith. When you really begin to understand this promise and live in its power, nothing can keep you from experiencing God’s best in your life. No matter what mistakes you’ve made, no matter how many times you’ve fallen short…
Because of Jesus, you are forgiven and free!
When you believe this, really believe it…your entire life will be turned around for His glory. You don’t have to live with the shame of your past. You no longer have to dwell on your faults and failures. You can hold your head high. Every sin has been removed. Every fault has been forgiven. Every failing has been paid for.
In Hebrews 8:12, God makes this promise, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
Not only have your sins been forgiven, God has chosen to wipe your slate clean, forever. He doesn’t remember your sins anymore. God can be merciful to all your unrighteousness and remember your sins no more because the full payment for your sins has already been made by Jesus at the cross.
Forgiveness of sins is by grace—you can’t earn it!
It’s important to see that you can’t earn this forgiveness—there is nothing you can do in order to merit it. Jesus has already done it all. His death on the cross paid the price for your sins…once and for all. So, when God looks at you He doesn’t judge or measure you according to your imperfections. He sees you in Christ, and He sees the blood that has been shed for you.
What’s so sad is that there are so many Christians that don’t believe God has forgiven them of their sins. They believe that He remembers each and every sin they’ve ever committed. In fact, the moment something bad happens, they think their sins have caught up with them. They think the bad things that are happening in their lives are because of the sins they’ve committed.
This is NOT right believing. Any time you are focused on your actions—good or bad—you are living in the old covenant.
The old covenant puts the focus on self.
The new covenant puts the focus on Jesus.
Today, you and I are free from the curse of sin. We are living in the power of the new covenant. It’s not about what we can do…it’s about what Jesus has already done.
You can wake up each day with your first thought being that you are forgiven of every sin, and you can go to bed each night free from guilt or shame. Even if you stumble, know that you are forgiven, pick yourself up and start fresh.
Don’t make the same mistake that many Christians make when they fall short…
When they miss the mark, many believers count on broken fellowship with God. They count on the fact that God must be frowning on them. They count on bad things happening because they assume they’ve lost God’s favor.
Because of Jesus, you are living in new covenant promises. So here is what you can count on today:
You are forgiven and free!
God has forgiven you, not because He has lowered His standards. It is because He remembered all of your sins in the body of Jesus Christ when He punished Jesus 2,000 years ago at the cross.
When you understand the completeness of God’s forgiveness and you begin to realize the depth of His love and approval, it will revolutionize your relationship with Him. Knowing your identity in Him gives you the power to break out of every sin, every addiction and every bad habit.
Always remember that the forgiveness you have from Jesus is a gift. You don’t have to struggle, work or strive to earn His favor. Because of the finished work of Jesus, you are righteous, you are loved, you are forgiven and free!
Lost Shepherds 