A Big ‘If’

There are no do-overs in life.  None.  Expired days and moments cannot be relived.  They are now a part of your past.  Words and actions cannot be rescinded.  Once in a lifetime opportunities have vanished.  Sinful deeds are now a part of you.  There is so much finality to the past, which often leads to ongoing feelings of guilt, shame, and regret.  How would you feel if I told you that your past could be erased?  What if the sin and shame that taints your past could be removed from your record?  You can be released from your past and I’m going to tell you how.  The apostle John writes the following words to believers in the first century, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (1 John 1:9, NLT).  Forgiveness of your past sins is simply based on whether you are willing to agree with God about your wrongdoing and take responsibility for your disobedience.  When David’s sin of adultery and murder was discovered, he prayed these words, “ Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.’  And you forgave me!  All my guilt is gone” (Psalm 32:5, NLT).  In the midst of his prayer of confession, he offered advice to the godly who found themselves guilty of sin, “Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment” (Psalm 32:6, NLT).

Your first step in erasing the past is confessing your sin to God.

IF you confess, God will forgive.

Posts in this series, Erasing the Past:
Something I’d Rather Forget
A Big ‘If’
Are You Ready To Do This?
I’m So Ashamed of Myself…