True Freedom

, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more. Isaiah 43:25 How tempting it is to remind someone of a past offense! But when God forgives our sins He totally forgets them. We never have to fear that He will remind us of them later. Because God forgives our sins, we need to forgive others. Conviction is what we feel in the middle of sin. When we are doing something wrong that we know is wrong, we feel convicted enough to turn and do right. Guilt is what we feel about something done in the past, about someone we hurt, about something that we wish we could take back. This verse tells us clearly that guilt is not from God. God does not hold anything over our head as a rememberance of how "bad" we used to be. He has forgiven us, and He has forgotten all about the past. He has freed us to move on and be more like Him. Some people, even mature Christians, will sit shackled by guilt for years regarding something they did long ago. We have to believe that what God says is true and that we are truly, completely forgiven. Once we believe, we are free from all guilt and shame. We can stand up boldly and declare the Grace of God in our lives. Unshackle yourselves today. Be free indeed. God Bless you, J.H