PSALM 130:1-8 – Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! 2 O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! 3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. 5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; 6 my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. 8 And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
THEME OF THE DAY. WHAT ABOUT OUR SINS? Christian, have you ever doubted God has forgiven you all your sins? Be honest. Have there been times, especially after falling into the same sin again, that we struggle with believing God has and will forgive us? Have there been sleepless nights of anguish over guilt and remorse of past sins, remembering them and not remembering what God says about your sin? One of the chief tactics the devil will use to spiritually paralyze Christians is create doubt of our forgiveness of sin before God. If he can get us to question our standing with God over our sins, we will lose our joy, our assurance of salvation, our effectiveness for the Lord Jesus, and frankly, make a profession of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is making no difference in our lives. We will be as one great man of God stated, “Miserable Christians.” Yes, we may still be Christians, even in our doubts over our forgiveness with the Lord, but we won’t enjoy being Christians. Remember, it isn’t our hold on Christ that saves us, but His hold on us. Our salvation is not changed because of doubt. Our joy of salvation is lost but not our salvation. And our Lord doesn’t want us to be miserable Christians doubting His great mercy in forgiving us. So, to that end, let’s ask some “What, where, and how” questions about our sins and do so according to the Word of the Lord.
What about our sins? They are forgiven – I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake (1 John 2:12).
What about our sins? They are not remembered – I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more (Hebrews 10:17).
What about our sins? They are covered – Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered (Psalm 32:1).
What about our sins? They are blotted out – I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you (Isaiah 44:22).
Where are our sins? Cast in the depths of the seas – You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).
How far separated are we from our sins? – As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:12).
Friends, when the devil and conscience want to rake us across the fiery coals of accusations and lack of God’s willing to forgive our many sins, break out these application of the Sword of the Spirit. As we do, the devil will flee. He is no match for the grace of God in His Son, the Lord Jesus, who has forgiven us all sins – past, present, and future.
PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for what You have done with my sin; help me to always believe these truths about my sin.”
QUOTE: “We must fight to believe what God says about our sins and not believe what the devil says about our sins.”