“And then he adds, “I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.”
Hebrews 10:17 Living Bible (TLB)
What great news! God will never again remember anything you do wrong. A lot of Christians have probably read this verse but in ministering to many people over a number of years, I have come to realize that few Christians actually believe this. Many people wrongly believe that God’s keeping record of all their wrongs and that one day when they get to heaven they will have to endure watching it on DVD, after which God will expect an explanation for why they did whatever they did. You cannot find that scenario anywhere in scripture but there are a number of verses declaring God’s complete forgiveness towards us.
“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
Hebrews 8:12 New King James Version (NKJV)
“He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us…”
Psalm 103:10-13 New King James Version (NKJV)
One of the main reasons that Christians do not reign in life is because they do not know that they are completely forgiven. They are unsure if God reallyforgives them of their wickedness. This is one of the biggest tools of the enemy. By reminding us of what we’ve done wrong he sells us the lie that God hasn’t forgiven us and that we will pay for our sins. This brings condemnation, guilt and shame. Worst of all, the believer (who stands completely right before God – 2 Corinthians 5:21) loses confidence and boldness to enjoy friendship with God.
It doesn’t matter how bad whatever you did was. It doesn’t matter how many times you did it. It is irrelevant how many times you have failed. Your sins have been completely dealt with. God is not remembering them – why are you?
Thought to focus on for the day:
Realizing that I am completely forgiven liberates me to enjoy my friendship with God and gives me confidence to rise up and reign in life.
This is post was taken from the daily devotion which accompanies the “REIGN IN LIFE” series by Shayne Holesgrove at GraceLife in Stellenbosch, South Africa. The devotional is being given away for FREE to all who attend the services as a gift to help people grow in their relationship with Jesus. You can listen to the audios online at: http://gracelifeministries.co.za/teaching_resources/