Diligently Seeking God
Forgiving Yourself
FORGIVING YOURSELF
Often when we have sinned, we struggle with the concept of forgiving ourselves, although we have taken the steps that God requires for us to do. We have done our part as far as going to God to seek forgiveness, going to the person whom we have sinned against. We have publicly acknowledged that we have sinned and fallen short, requesting prayers. Yet we often feel that we are not worthy of forgiveness, or that our transgression is so terrible that we cannot live down the sin that we have committed. Often, we feel that there are some things that we could never forgive ourselves of. Forgiving yourself is not specifically addressed in the bible, but there are principals regarding forgiveness that should be applied. For example, the Bible states when God forgives us, He remembers our sins no more. (Jeremiah 31:34) God blots out our sins (Is.43:25) God also pardons our sins (Is.55:7) It is God’s nature, grace, mercy, and love to do this kindness for us. It is one of the reasons that Jesus came to earth and died on the cross, so that we can have forgiveness of sins. Forgiving yourself is not about forgetting, it is about not bringing the offense up to yourself in negative ways. Forgiving yourself is simply letting go of what you are holding against yourself so that you can move on with God. If God has moved on, shouldn’t we? Notice what Paul said in Phil.3:13 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing that I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. V.14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:9 states that we are to put in practice those things that we have learned from God and His Word, to continue to rehearse in our thoughts the events of our transgressions oppose. Philippians 4:8 tells us to dwell on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable.
Forgiving Yourself – Personal Action
Proverbs 16:25 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”
The energy it takes to harbor anger, hatred, and resentment toward yourself is exhaustive. Every bit of energy we give to negative activities and dwelling on regrets, robs us of the energy we need to become the person God wants us to be. Life is full of choices and every choice we make will either take us in a positive, life-giving direction or rob us of the opportunity to be a life-giving individual. Forgiving ourselves does not let us off the hook, it does not justify what we have done, and it is not a sign of weakness. Forgiveness takes courage and strength, and it gives us the opportunity to become an overcomer rather than remaining a victim of our own scorn.
Forgiving Yourself – Helping others and Yourself
Forgiving yourself is also important for those in your sphere of influence. It is a well-known fact that hurting people, hurt others. The longer you avoid forgiving yourself, the longer you allow yourself to harbor the feelings that you deserve to suffer for what you did, the more explosive you will become and, therefore, the more apt you are to hurt others. The reality is that you cannot change what happened. You cannot restore lives to where they were before the event. However, you can make a difference in the lives of others. You can give back some of what you have taken away by finding a different place to invest your time and compassion. Forgive yourself and let the healing begin. Forgiving yourself will change the direction of your life.
Consider some biblical examples of the forgiveness of the Lord:
In John 8:1-11 A woman was taken to Jesus, who was accused of adultery, Jesus did not condemn her, He told her to go and sin no more.
Moses broke the tablet with the ten commandments written on them EX.32:19, however God forgave him and in Ex. 34:1 God told him to hew two more tablets. God will make success stories out of our failures.
David committed grave sins in 2.Sam.11-12 with Bathsheba, David repented in Ps.51, he continued following the Lord.
Remember what Jesus said in Luke 9:62 No one who puts his hands to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.
