HE FORGIVES ALL MY SINS

 HE FORGIVES ALL MY SINS

Ps. 103:3a He forgives all my sins….. NLT

When the Lord in His mercy and grace saves us, there is not one sin left unforgiven. Not one! No matter how big or how small, no matter how old or new, no matter how many or few, no matter if they are hidden or known to all, He forgives them all. Dear friend, no matter what you may have done, there is no sin the Lord is not willing or able to forgive. There is no sin beyond the ability of Christ to forgive. There is no one so bad that He can't forgive. There is no one who does not need to be forgiven.

Don’t overlook the fact that the Lord forgives ALL our sins. When we let Jesus become our Savior, there is not one sin, no matter how big or little it may be, untouched. He is able to do it, and He does. We can't remember many of our sins, but He knows them all. He knows the sins that we do that we don’t know about. By definition, sin is anything that falls short of God’s perfect holiness. We are guilty of an enormous amount of sin, no matter how “good” we, or others, may think we are.

It is too much grace to comprehend. Jesus forgives each and every sin of our hearts! His forgiveness is absolute and unchangeable. Once we are forgiven, God no longer sees our sins. They are covered by the righteousness and holiness of Christ. God will never look beyond Christ to see our sinful hearts.

It does not then give us a license to sin. When we sin, we are showing disrespect towards Christ. We are treating His death on the cross as if it didn’t really matter. We are minimizing the price Jesus paid for our forgiveness. It is why we must always fall on our knees before Him in repentance when we know we sin. He is faithful and just and will forgive us. But when we fail to repent, there will always be a barrier between Him and us that will rob us of the joy of His fellowship.

In order to know you are forgiven there are some essential things you must do. First, you must not hold back from the Lord anything you may have said or done, you must confess them to the Lord. He knows all about your sins anyhow so what is the point of trying to hide them? You must then trust that what He says He will do. He promises to forgive you. Next, you must forgive yourself and when necessary, ask those you have wronged to forgive you. God forgives you, so who are you to not forgive yourself? Then, you must strive to change your behavior and way of thinking. True repentance involves sorrow and a desire to change. Also, you must be willing to rectify the wrongs you have done if the Lord prods you to do so. Finally, you must develop a heart of gratitude to Him who forgives you.

Why would you hold anything back if the Lord promises to forgive you of all your sins? Why would you want to carry around with you the guilt and shame of your sin? Why would you deprive yourself of the peace and joy that comes from forgiven sin? Give them all, give them all to Jesus and He will make your soul whiter than snow.

PRAISE, DO NOT FORGET

 PRAISE, DO NOT FORGET

Ps. 103:2 Praise the LORD, I tell myself, and never forget the good things he does for me. NLT

It is so easy to do, to forget. We forget the good things the Lord does for us. We take for granted His goodness. A good exercise would be to write down each day at least one thing you know is a part of your life that comes from God’s goodness, just one thing. And then when you write it down, just thank the Lord for it. That’s all. It would take you at the most a minute of your time. If you did this little exercise faithfully, you would soon discover a new appreciation for the Lord and what He has, and is doing, for you. If you were to do this, I am confident that you wouldn’t just be able to stop with one thing each day.

If you are struggling and can’t find much good in your life, start by comparing your life with those who are worse off than you. Consider how difficult of a life people have to live in other parts of the world or in the inner cities of our country. Start there, and I am sure you will keep busy long enough until your struggles get better. The important thing is that you start and learn the joy of thanksgiving unto the Lord.

A thankful heart is one who can’t help himself; he must praise the Lord, for he knows from whom all his blessings flow. Thanksgiving breeds praise. We just can't help it. We experience the goodness of God in our lives and understand it's a gift. We don't deserve any of His blessings, but because He is good and loves us, He gives them to us. Gratitude is the natural response to God's goodness and praise is the natural response to gratitude. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

DETERMINE TO PRAISE

 DETERMINE TO PRAISE

Ps. 103:1,2 Praise the LORD, I tell myself; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, I tell myself, and never forget the good things he does for me. NLT

No matter what situation you may find yourself in right now, determine in your heart to praise the Lord. Just do it. Praise the Lord regardless of how you are feeling right now. Praise Him for He is God. Praise Him for He knows what you don’t know about your life. He knows how to use your past and present to make your future. He knows how He is going to help you get through this stage of your life. He has wonderful plans for you and is working things out for you. Praise Him.

Praise Him for the good things that He does for you. You may not think that things are very good for you right now, but if you take an honest look at the good things that have been a part of your life, you have much to praise the Lord for. Praise Him for loving you, for reaching down from heaven and touching your soul. Praise Him for the faithful work of God in you to bring you to your salvation. Praise Him for faithfully supplying what you have needed in life to bring you to today. Praise Him for His mercies, grace, and patience with you. Praise Him for the future He has planned for you, both on earth and in heaven. Just do it, praise the Lord.

Don’t let your feelings or circumstances dictate whether or not you will praise the Lord. Praise the Lord if for no other reason than He is Lord. Praise the Lord and soon you will be focused on Him and not whatever else is going on in your life. Praise Him and let the joy of salvation flood your soul. Praise Him and your soul will be filled to the brim and overflowing as you bask in the glory of the Lord our God.

A daily dose of praising the Lord is good for the soul. Praise Him and the things of the earth will lose their grip on you as you realize that the Lord will see you through and that He is all that really matters. Praise the Lord with your whole heart today and every day as you journey throughout this life. You will never stay under the circumstances of life while praising the Lord.

REDEEMED

 REDEEMED

Ps. 34:21-22 Calamity will surely overtake the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be punished. But the LORD will redeem those who serve him. Everyone who trusts in him will be freely pardoned. NLT

Christians are not immune to life's calamities. We deal with tragedies just like the rest of the world. We go through devastating times of life. We suffer like everyone else. We deal with diseases and death like everyone else does. Life is not easy for anyone.

However, when it comes to our spiritual lives, there is a distinct difference between believers and non-believers. Certain calamity falls on the wicked. In this life it may not seem so, but yet, we don't know the agony of their souls as they try to deal with life. Behind the image, they like to portray lies a very lonely, hopeless, and dark soul. After death, their fate is even worse. They are cast into utter darkness with tormenting fires, agonizing souls, with no help or hope of escape. Eternal alienation from God and anything good will be their punishment.

For the righteous, those who serve the Lord, there is great good and reward for them both in this life and in eternity. In the Lord. we find peace in our souls knowing our sins are forgiven, forgotten, and forever purged from us. In the Lord, we have joy as we live in His presence. We know what it is to love and be loved by God. We have fellowship with God as we serve Him. We have help from God as we go through the calamities of life; He holds us steady and helps up to get back on our feet and keep going. And, after we die, we spend eternity with Him, engulfed in His perfect love, holiness, and glory.

Trust in the Lord regardless of what life throws at you and you will be truly blessed. He will set you free and you will soar like an eagle and not be overcome by life or be afraid of what surrounds you or is before you.

THE LORD'S PROTECTION

 THE LORD’S PROTECTION

Ps. 34:19-20 The righteous face many troubles, but the LORD rescues them from each and every one. For the LORD protects them from harm--not one of their bones will be broken! NLT

Don't kid yourself. Being a Christian does not spare you from the bad things of life. Troubles do come our way. Temptations still come. Turbulent times still come. Terrible times even come our way. BUT, the Lord is with us as we go through them and He rescues us from each and every one of them. Never does the Lord let us deal with life without Him. He helps all who are in Him and who will let Him help them. He doesn't force His help on us, but He is always there for those who want Him.

No matter what you are facing in your life, the Lord is here for you. He wants to help you. He is able to help you. All He is waiting for is for you to let Him. Call on Him and He will answer your call for help. It makes no sense at all to me why we struggle through life and don't call on the Lord for help. He is ready, willing, and able to help you. Why not call on Him right now and ask Him to help you through your troubles?

Even if things are going well for you, you still need the Lord, you need to call on Him. There is never a moment in the believer’s life in which we don’t need the call. When you are accustomed to calling on the Lord when things are going well for you, you will naturally call on Him when you are troubled.

A child of God who lives in constant need of the Lord is an overcomer and there is nothing that will be too much for him to handle with the Lord’s help. He will protect you from failure; He will safely get you home to heaven.

THE LORD RESCUES

 THE LORD RESCUES

Ps. 34:19 The righteous face many troubles, but the LORD rescues them from each and every one. NLT

Anyone who says that the righteous can live trouble-free lives is not reading their Bible. God's Word is full of accounts where the godly endure all kinds of trouble. The way to heaven is a difficult one and very few actually walk it. Why? Because we don't like troubles. We want as little trouble as possible in our lives. We want everything to go smoothly and for everyone to like us. We want as much as possible heaven on earth.

Life is full of trouble for the righteous because we live in a world that is not our home. We are on Satan's turf and there is conflict everywhere. Satan is a master at harassing God's children and he is relentless in doing it. If we stay true to Christ we will always be at war with Satan. If you live a trouble-free life you are not living a life that is pleasing to God.

The good news is that we don't face our troubles all alone. The Lord is with us and saves us from all of our troubles. He doesn't let us alone in our struggles. If He did, we would not make it; we would crumble underneath the pressure and stress of it all. The Lord helps us through our troublesome times. He uses people and His Word to give us the strength to overcome. He whispers to our hearts to reassure us that He is near and we will make it.

The troubles of life are good for the soul. They cause us to turn to the Lord. They help to develop our faith and make us stronger. They help us to appreciate the Lord and His people more. They help us to know even more deeply that every promise of God is true and that He never leaves or forsakes us.

Yes, the righteous face troublesome times. Life sometimes gets very messy and complicated. Sometimes we are so troubled that we see no way out. Yet, the Lord's promise for the righteous is that He will save us from all our troubles. We may stumble our way through them, but we will never crumble if we trust in Him.  

THE LORD IS NEAR

 THE LORD IS NEAR

Ps. 34:18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit. NLT

Some who are reading this today are brokenhearted. Someone you love may have broken your heart by leaving you. Perhaps someone has said or done something that absolutely crushed your spirit. Perhaps you are brokenhearted because of the decision someone you love has made to leave the Lord out of their life. Perhaps someone you have reached out to has turned you away. Perhaps someone has betrayed your trust. It hurts us deeply when our hearts are broken.

There is another type of brokenheartedness, and that is being genuinely sorrowful for the sins you have done against God. When the Lord convicts us of sin and we accept our responsibility before God for them, it breaks our hearts. If we truly love the Lord and understand how much we have hurt Him because of our sin, it crushes us. Understanding the damage sin has done to our souls and how it has affected others, crushes us. Understanding the damage sin does in the world crushes us. We cannot love the Lord without feeling remorse over sin.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and rescues those who are crushed in spirit. No matter what causes the heart to break, the Lord is near and can heal it. The Lord comforts the brokenhearted. He gives us the soul strength to move forward instead of lingering in our brokenness; He gives us hope in the most seemingly hopeless of situations. He embraces us in His love and His Word. He leads us to the green pastures where we can lie down and rest. He replenishes our souls so that we can carry on.

No matter what you may be facing in life today, the Lord is near. He wants to touch your broken heart and heal you. He wants to lift you up and once again put you on the Solid Rock. Dear friend, open your heart up to the Lord today. Give Him your brokenness. Tell Him everything. He loves you and wants to help you. He will take the heavy burden off of your soul and heal you. Won't you let Him have His way with you today?