Jeremiah 31:31-34 –“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
THEME OF THE DAY: TWO TYPES OF SPIRITUAL AMNESIA. The simple definition of “amnesia” is “the partial or total loss of memory.” This condition usually occurs due to brain injury, shock, fatigue, repression, or illness. When it comes into the spiritual realm and our walks with the Lord, two conditions of “spiritual amnesia” exist. One is very unhealthy and will stop all growth and joy in the Lord. It depresses, discourages, and labels us “miserable Christians.” The other condition of spiritual amnesia is liberating and energizing. It makes getting out of bed each day worth it. It puts a “spiritual bounce” in our steps. It is the desire of the Lord for us that leads to the abundant life in Him (John 10:10). Let’s start with the unhealthy form of spiritual amnesia.
The unhealthy spiritual memory loss for the Christian that leads to discouragement and spiritual paralysis is forgetting the Lord’s promises of total forgiveness of all sin in our lives. In this condition, all Christians focus on are their sins, not their Savior. They are constantly listening to lies of condemnation by the devil, an accusing conscience, and beat themselves unmercifully over sin that has long been forgiven. They have forgotten and thus don’t rely on this truth . . . “And I will remember their sin no more.” It dishonors the Lord to remember and bring up a forgiven past which He has chosen to not remember. When we allow spiritual amnesia of forgetting His promises of forgiveness, we are forfeiting the only source of spiritual comfort – the promises of the Lord. And God will not do what He has commanded us – renew our minds with His truth (Romans 12:1-2). We choose what to think upon either our sins or God’s promises. Granted, mind renewal is difficult, but not impossible. The Lord has given us His Spirit and Word enabling us to think on things that are “true, honorable, just, pure, commendable, excellent and worthy of praise” and such things are His promises to not remember our sins (Philippians 4:8)
The healthy spiritual memory loss for the Christian is to forget the past of failed opportunities, wasted time, and many sins. The Apostle Paul wrote, “But one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and straining for what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). When tempted to look at a failed spiritual past, even a failed spiritual past of yesterday, pause and tell yourself, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). We strive to learn from the past, not be in chains of failure by remembering our past. And the only way we may spiritually prosper from our past is by remembering the mercies of the Lord that are new every day, not our sinning which occurred every day. This is so important to our spiritual health and effectiveness. We must see how God teaches us in our failings, not condemning us from our failings. And we will know if we are learning to not remember our past in a negative way, but a positive growth way by not repeating the past.
Spiritual amnesia. We will either suffer or prosper from it. May the Lord help us renew our minds by not remembering what He doesn’t remember, and focusing on what He gives us to remember – His unfailing promises.
PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for not only forgiving me of my sins, but not remembering them”
QUOTE: “Lord, help me to see my sins as You see my sins; gone, never to be remembered again.”