Living to the Next Level Sample

Satan will go to great lengths to keep you from believing that God can forgive you. The Bible calls the devil the “accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10, NKJV). Who are the “brethren”? They are the people of God, the friends of God, men and women who belong to God—you and me. Satan is our accuser, and one of his primary goals is to condemn us.

I’ve discovered that condemnation is one way the enemy shuts people down. Everyone is going to fail; that’s one thing we can count on. Satan counts on it, too—so much so that he has developed a strategy based on our propensity to fall. His strategy is to condemn us into believing that God will never forgive us—that we are separated from God with no way back. But the Bible sets the record straight. Paul wrote, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1, NIV).

In the face of spiritual opposition, we must exercise faith and aggressively take hold of forgiveness. How can we journey in friend­ship with God if we don’t believe that He can really forgive us, accept us, or love us? Maybe you’ve done something for which you believe God will never forgive you. Maybe you’re so torn up over your past sin that you continually ask God for forgiveness—as if He isn’t lis­tening, as if asking the first time didn’t work. Maybe you’re scared because you are struggling with temptation and, in your mind, even being tempted is a sin. It is not, for Jesus was tempted, and He was without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

Let me clear the fear and condemnation out of your heart with the Word of God. The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrigh­teousness” (1 John 1:9, ESV). Whatever our sins—whatever—as we come to God with transparent hearts and confess, He will forgive and cleanse, or heal, us. He wants us to know the freedom of a dear heart—a heart set free, both to love Him without distraction and to receive the fullness of His love. That’s why He sent Jesus: because He loves us.