Forgiveness is a gift, or as we say grace, from God to all people through Jesus his son our Redeemer. We can’t earn it. We can receive it however. So the next few weeks the focus is not on earning it but how do we receive it. There are some things that are helpful to know about receiving forgiveness.

1)We have all sinned and stand in need of forgiveness.
2)God desires for all to be forgiven.
3)Forgiveness is the key to reconciliation with God.
4)There is nothing, except grieving the Holy Spirit, that God won’t forgive.
5)Forgiveness is a once and for all time. It is also a continual process for a certain time.

Silence or hiding is both the attitude and the posture that the psalmist uses to describe resistance to God’s forgiveness and welcome. The antidote to silence and hiding is repentance and confession.

By developing awareness through the process of self-examination. One great tool to do just that is given in Psalm 139 verses 23 and 24 which are our memory verses for Lent. Let me tell you from experience, self-examination is a much better process of practicing real time repentance and confession than hitting rock bottom. It may be what the psalmist says as a horse with a bit. It gets our attention. But for those who don’t want rock bottom and a bit to be their turning point, a prayer of examination is just the thing. For it makes repentance and confession a regular part of our life as we become aware of our what is happening in our heart that is manifesting itself in our life.

in Psalm 139:23-24 invite God to do just that. “Search me and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts, point out anything in me that offends you.”

So awareness begins with offering God access to our heart. It is both a repentant and confessional posture. Turning to God and acknowledging that he will do a better job than we can in revealing what is going on and healing it.