Forgive YourselfSample

GOOD COMPANY

There are those who might say that simply forgiving yourself isn’t that simple, especially if there are other people involved. Granted, your failure or bad choice may have set off a chain of events that can’t be reversed, and maybe there are a lot of lives, yours included, that are affected very badly as a result of what you’ve done.

But here’s the deal. You can’t rewrite the past. Beating yourself up over it isn’t going to change anything, and it’s going to hinder you (and probably others) from moving forward. It’s also going to make you (and everyone around you) miserable. Maybe an apology or some kind of restitution is required (ask God), but refusing to forgive yourself is not the right answer.

I want you to know that whatever you’ve done, you’re in good company. The Bible has many, many examples of people who goofed up big time, but God forgave them, and still used them. They still fulfilled their divine destiny. You may have seen part of this list before:

· Jacob was a liar.

· Moses was a murderer.

· Samson was a womanizer.

· David was an adulterer (and a murderer).

· Jonah ran from God.

· Peter denied Christ.

· All the disciples fell asleep while praying (and ran away when Jesus really needed them).

· Martha worried about everything.

· The Samaritan woman was divorced (more than once).

· Mary Magdalene was demon-possessed.

· Paul was a Christian-killer.

God has only had humans to work with for His entire career. He is not freaked out over you. No matter what condemnation the devil has been whispering in your ear, he is a liar and wants to render you useless to the kingdom of God. Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future. Nobody can go back and make a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending. 

Forgiving yourself isn’t about letting yourself off the hook, or justifying what you’ve done. It’s about believing what God has said about you in His Word. It’s a choice that takes courage and strength, and it gives you the opportunity to become an overcomer rather than remaining a victim of your own scorn.