While writing this segment, I wondered why it was so hard to accept God’s forgiveness. Why it was easier for us to accept when man said to us, “I’ve forgiven you”, than it was when God said so. I concluded that it all boiled down to relationship.

We know our parents, sibling or friend enough to trust that when they say I’ve forgiven you, they have. But the truth is we have not come to know God enough to realize that God will rather offer you mercy than for you to sacrificially pay for whatever you may have done wrong. Even in His judgment seat, mercy is offered.

In the book of Hosea, God says to us “I desire mercy and not sacrifice”. Immediately after, He says (In the New Living translation version) “I want you to know Me more than I want burnt offerings”. It is God’s true nature to be loving and merciful. He yearns for you to know Him for who He really is. A God who is more ready to forgive than you believe. God is so intentional about being merciful that He provides a fresh flow of mercy for you every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). That is how much room He creates for forgiveness. But this scripture also means God desires that you’ll be close enough to Him to not walk in sin, instead of sinning and then offering sacrifices.

So today, before I go ahead, please know that you serve a loving God, who wants to show you mercy, irrespective of what you have done. Emphasis on IRRESPECTIVE. If it takes reading this portion a few times to understand this before you go ahead, please do. Because I need you to understand that God LOVES you and He WANTS to show you mercy. I know that you may feel otherwise, because often times we do. But please choose to believe God’s word as truth.

A lot of times, people feel unworthy of His forgiveness because they believe they have just gone too far. Far beyond the possibility of forgiveness.

They grapple with the gravity of the sin they have committed to the extent where although they see that God is offering forgiveness, they do not believe that they deserve it.

I watched a video of a convict, who for the first time had come face to face with a man who had lost His only daughter- A daughter full of life and with so much ahead of her, because of a simple mistake the convict made. I watched quietly, with so many thoughts running through my mind as he walked across the room to the table at which the man sat. What would happen? How could the man stand to sit before someone who had caused him such immense pain? What would I have done in his shoes?

The closer the convict got to this man, the more his body began to visibly shake. Not out of fear, but out of remorse. Tears streaming down his face and such sorrow in his heart that he couldn’t keep himself up-straight long enough to cross that short distance between the door and the table. Time and time again, he would pause doubled over in grief, and wait long enough for his body to stop shaking so he could continue across the room. As he settled in his seat, his face in the palm of his hands, he said over and over, I am so sorry, I am so sorry. Sobbing so loudly that it drowned out the quiet voice of the man who sat opposite him saying, “But I have forgiven you, but I have forgiven you”.

As the video played on, I came to realize that the man had actually forgiven him years ago and had even pleaded for a lesser sentence for him. He received the man’s forgiveness even before he walked into prison but had spent years in grief and unable to move on because he couldn’t come to terms with the fact that he was indeed forgiven.

And so here they were after so many years and this convict was still reeling in the effects of sins he had long been forgiven for.

Accepting God’s forgiveness comes from believing in God’s ability to forgive you no matter how grand and grave your sin is.Choosing to believe that your sin is too much for God to forgive is choosing to believe that God is not powerful enough or doesn’t have authority enough to wipe your slate clean. That your sin is greater than God’s ability. Admittedly, that is quite a fallacy.

Sometimes, in guilt and unbelief we go back and pick up burdens we have left at the feet of the cross because we feel like we can’t just leave it there. We must help Jesus in some way.

Many a time, we don’t trust God’s word for what it is: HIS WORD. (Because usually when someone gives you their word to do something, they are assuring you of it getting done.) We feel the need to help God by punishing ourselves a little bit more, carrying the burden of sin a little bit longer. Because we can’t just simply trust that if he says, I’ve forgiven you, that’s it.

Dear friend, if God says you’re forgiven, that’s it!🤣. He is willing to forgive you. He wants to forgive you. Come boldly to the throne room of grace to obtain mercy.

PRACTICAL STEPS TO ACCEPTING GOD’S FORGIVENESS.

Here are a few practical steps to accepting the forgiveness of God:

• Confession
• Asking for forgiveness
• Standing on the truth

CONFESSION

Confession is simply telling God you have sinned. Confession is baring darkness to light; Opening up something that had been hidden and closed so that now light can infiltrate.

In Confessing we allow God to step into something we had closed Him out of. God in His loving nature does not impose Himself on us so, He gave us free will. As a result, the Holy Spirit may prompt you but not step into a situation until you ask Him to. That is why prayer is important. Have you realized that in the bible, there is no armor for your back? Because once you turn away from God, there is nothing He can do until you turn back to Him. That is why although God sees all things, you still have to confess. In sin, you step out of order and so confession allows God to step into that disorder and bring you back on track.

ASKING FOR FORGIVENESS

If you’re remorseful about something you did, you don’t need any long elaborate words. I imagine that sometimes, in our guilt, our conversation with God is like that kid in class, who puts his hand up to ask a question but ends up saying so many things that at the end of his speech, the Lecturer with a confused look asks ” what exactly was your question again?” .

Don’t babble on and on in unbelief, repeating the same things over and over or going back to the same prayer once in a while, so that you can be extra certain that He heard. Be remorseful but come boldly. Boldness in knowing that the only outcome is that God WILL forgive you. As learnt last week, you are already forgiven before you ask, so you get it automatically when you do. Asking just opens the door to receiving. YOU ARE ASSURED OF FORGIVENESS.

Just talk to God from your heart. Tell Him what you did, how you feel and how sorry you are. Let Him know that you have come to obtain mercy, ask for forgiveness and accept forgiveness. You may also ask for grace to repent.

Why don’t you try it before we move on?

STANDING ON THE TRUTH

To stand on your truth is to be grounded in your truth.

Truth is a part of our armor in any fight against the devil. Truth is the belt that holds things in place. Standing on your truth enables you to hold unto the reality of things. Your reality is that you have been forgiven and God’s slate is completely wiped of any record of whatever sin you may have committed. It does not exist to God.

Whenever the devil tries to tell you therwise, choose your truth and stand firmly upon your truth. Remember that the reality of your truth is greater than that of your feelings. So no matter how the devil makes you feel, God’s truth is more real.

When your hands are lifted in worship and your eyes closed, and you hear that little accuser pecking away at your conscience like a humming bird. Smugingly reminding you of how you don’t have a right to be worshipping because “remember, you did so and so?”, I pray that the word of God rings loud and clear. So loud, it echoes in your heart and drowns out that accusing voice. But it all begins with you decidedly standing upon your truth.

One of the ways by which you can do this is to confess God’s truth about the situation to yourself over and over again. Out loud if possible. As a part of old war garments, one of the purposes of the belt was to hold weapons. The bible calls the word of God a two-edged sword. The belt of truth holds the weapons with which you attack. Having on the belt of truth is a defense against the enemy but you use your sword to move into offensive position. Speak back when the enemy speaks.

Alter call

To conclude, I would like to make an alter call. We have learnt about a Merciful God today but dear Family, the forgiveness God offers can only be found in one place: IN HIM. Oh come to the altar, the Father’s arms are open wide. I’m excited for the freedom you’re about to walk into 🎉.

Please say this prayer with me:

“Dear God, I acknowledge that I have sinned and fallen short of your glory. I believe that only you can wipe my slate clean and restore me to righteousness. I accept you into my life as my Lord and personal Savior. Amen”

Thank you for joining us today!

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Stay blessed❤