Weapons of Warfare -- Forgiving Sin

Weapons of Our Warfare

FORGIVING SIN

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. II Cor. 10:3-4 

Many leaders talk about the promises of God in the Bible.  Many talk about the imaginary authority they have over other people in their various clubs. But, it has always struck me as strange, virtually none of them talk about the power every son of God has to forgive sin.  Indeed many leaders seem more focused on conceiving of new ways to make us feel guilty than they are on ways to make us clean.

But, Jesus conferred on each of us, His brothers and sisters, a very special power.  Whoever's sin you forgive they are forgiven. That is a real and powerful weapon.  Let me start with you, personally, right now as you are reading this.  By the authority Jesus gave me, I forgive you.  I forgive you for every sin you ever committed from the day you were borne right through to today as you read this.  I forgive you for the gross evil things you know you did.  I forgive you for the little things you just forgot to do. And I forgive you for all the things in between.  Now, no one in all the universe has the authority to accuse you about anything you did before this moment in time.  You are completely clean and you are starting the rest of your life with a clean slate.  So when the accuser comes to blame you for something out of the past you can tell him to go back to hell with all his accusations.

Some of you right now are feeling like a huge weight has just been lifted off you.  That is because it is true, a huge weight has just been lifted off you.  Some of you are wondering is it really true.  YES, it is really true you are free, you are forgiven.

Now think about this:  If you are a son of God, you have the same power to forgive people and set them free from the guilt of their past sins as I do.  If you have been loving people much at all, you have time after time encountered people who are so loaded down with guilt that they do not believe they can ever get free of their past sins.  But, you have the power to set them free. Just speak forgiveness to them.  

Sometimes they will need blanket forgiveness like I illustrated above.  Other times there will be need for forgiveness of very specific sins.  For example, there is some man reading this who has been carrying around a load of guilt because of the way he treated a girl decades ago while he was in school.  He has lost contact with the girl, but all of his relationships with women are still being affected by what he did with that girl.  I want him to hear me right now:  In the name of Jesus, I forgive you.  Receive your forgiveness now and forgive yourself.

Therein lies the problem many people encounter.  Because they are having trouble believing they have been forgiven, they find it very difficult to forgive themselves.  So, right now, I want you, my beloved reader, to take a moment and declared to Jesus the following:

Lord Jesus, I forgive myself for all the sins of my past and I release myself from all the judgements I have made about me.

Be generous and freely give to others the forgiveness you have so freely received from Jesus.

His, thus yours,

  Stuart