Forgiven Sin has been Nailed to the Cross
The problem I find is leaving my forgiven sin at the cross!
The truth of this is clear to me. And yet I seem to continually find one or two of these sins, which I have confessed and been forgiven of, tied to my back. I start to feel like Christian, from Pilgrims Progress. Knowing that I need to take this burden off – it is heavy and cumbersome. It makes some of the simplest tasks difficult.
And here is the truth – I have allowed the enemy to accuse me of past sins, and I have let him strap them to my back.
Why do I allow this? How come I still feel guilty when I have taken it to Jesus and He has called me forgiven and cleansed. He has put my sins as far as the east is from the west.
“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
Psalms 103:12
If you think about this term “as far as the east is from the west” the east and west are polar opposites. They can never touch or come close to each other. No matter where you are in this world the east is always a long way off, and the west is a long way off in the opposite direction. They are doubly far off from each other. Now put that together, and that is how far off our sins are from us. And that is great news!
Forgiven yet Accused
And here is the truth – I have allowed the enemy to accuse me of past sins. I have let him strap them to my back.
Why do I allow this? How come I still feel guilty when I have taken it to Jesus? He has called me forgiven and cleansed. He has put my sins as far as the east is from the west.
“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
Psalms 103:12
If you think about this term, “as far as the east is from the west” the east and west are polar opposites. They can never touch or come close to each other. No matter where you are in this world, the east and the west are a long way off in the opposite directions. They are doubly far off from each other. Now put that together, and that is how far off our sins are from us. And that is great news!
Forever Forgiven
Why then do I allow Satan to grab a couple forgiven sins and strap them to my back? To hinder, even cripple me?
I clearly know that I have been forgiven. There is no point in taking it back to Jesus and asking for forgiveness again. I only need forgiveness once, for any sin, no matter how horrendous a sin it was. It is gone. “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” Psalms 32:1
God has called me cleansed of my sin. And I am not standing firm in this knowledge when I let Satan stain me again. With an old sin stain that has already been forgiven and washed away.
I may not be innocent but I am forgiven. Forgiven is equivalent to being innocent in the eyes of the Lord.
Jesus went to the cross to set me free from the bondage of sin, not for a time. He set me free for all time.
“But the voice answered me again from heaven, what God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.”
Acts 11:9
The Enemy is Skilled
Satan is really good at his job. I need to remember and continually be on high alert. As soon as I let me guard down, he knows and he has a personal attack ready to strike. I need to increase my security. Just like this country has done in the aftermath of 911. Everyone knows about the increased security in the airports, we hear a lot about that.
What we don’t all see or hear about is the increased security in every government building or instillation. Having worked on an Air Force Base for that last 10 years. And I have seen lots of the increased security. I have also seen how they keep learning and watching and increasing the security. Based on new information and/or holes that have been found that need to be closed up.
Being Aware in Spiritual Matters
I have also done my share of training regarding staying on alert, being aware of your surrounding and so on…. I need to train myself to do this in my spiritual life. Much like it is done in the physical on a military instillation.
I get so wrapped up in what is going on in this physical world that I forget that I am in a spiritual battle. All of this physical stuff is just a distraction that my enemy uses to get my guard down. I need to wear God’s armor that the He has gifted me with, every minute of every day.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Ephesians 6:12
Knowing the Truth
I have been reading my Bible and spending time in prayer every day for over 15 years. All that means is that I am working to make God my priority. I am committed to Him. It does not mean that I am supper Christian. I still have so much to learn, I am learning every day, every week, every year. I do know, and I believe with every inch of my being, that the Word of God is true, every single Word is pure and beautiful.
Yet, I still struggle standing firm on the Word. I know what is says, and then I go about my day. Later I remember or read something, and think oh, wow, I really handled that situation poorly. Why and how do I forget what I know is truth?
I know that when I find this guilt of past sin back on my back; that it came from the enemy. Then I know that I allowed it to happen, in some way I accepted the guilt. Let my guard down. Believed the lie that was told to me.
I know that I am not standing firm on God’s Word when I let that happen. I am letting a twisted lens of reality bring east and west together. When in reality I know that this is impossible. Just as being guilty of a forgiven sin is impossible.
Forgiven – Learning and Growing
Forgiven sin has been nailed to the cross. Every day I pray that the Lord will keep my eyes and heart open to my sin. When I sin I want to know so that I can confess it, learn and grow.
I find it very interesting that Satan doesn’t show me the sin that I am blind to. He wants to keep me blind. He always takes what has been forgiven to make me feel guilty and to shame me. These are very powerful tools when used by the enemy.
I need to remember, and remind my enemy, that those sins are done and gone. Feeling guilty or ashamed is pointless. I need to come back to the truth of God’s Word.
“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”
Colossians 2:14
Keeping Ammo out of the Enemies Hands
Satan is our adversary. He is a strong advisory, but if we know God’s Word and know how to stand firm in it. Then we know that we will have victory. Because even though we may be in a battle the war is won. Those standing with the Creator – God our Father- are those who are victorious. It is already a done deal.
I have learned that hidden sin is much more powerful than sin I have place out in the open. Having a good small group of Christian friends that we can share our struggles and errors (sins) with, is a huge help. With few exceptions, once we have taken a sin to the Lord we need to discuss it with another Christian. Thus exposing it to the light. This takes so much power away from Satan. And that is what I want to do. Being on guard and able to fight in the spiritual realm.
Final Summary
When the accuser comes knocking, I can look him in the eye and say, “You are correct. I am guilty of all just as you say. But if you will look, I’ve already taken them to the Lord in prayer and repentance. Therefore, on the cross is where you will find that guilt. It no longer can be used against me. I know that the list is very long, and you my enemy have every right to accuse me.
However, you know as well as I that confessed sin in forgiven sin. All your power to shame has been lost. Now I am justified. An heir with Christ, child of the one true King. If you want to continue to accuse me you will have to talk to Jesus. No, you can’t strap that to my back. I won’t let you, I know the truth. I am never again going to let you burden be with forgiven sins.
My mom often says that she just tells Satan, “Talk to my lawyer”. Her lawyer is Jesus.
Have you struggled with guilt and shame of forgiven sins? I would love to hear your thoughts and maybe a trick or two.
If you enjoyed this post, I would greatly appreciate if you would share it with your friends and family.
Grace and Peace
Debra Jean
This is the age-old battle that Satan has engaged in since he first tangled up Adam and Eve in his net of lies and half truths. We all have these same struggles. We all get blindsided by these same tactics. Like your mother says, we need to simply direct Satan to our attorney, our advocate, Christ Jesus who lived and died triumphant over sin. Don’t let Satan beat you up over past failures, and recognize when he uses another person to attempt to do that. When someone begins berating me from sins long in my past, I’m often at first grieved, beat back, apologizing yet again for a forgiven sin of decades ago. And then, as the darkness closes in, I recognize the opponent again, the enemy using the mouthpiece of another. We must always be on alert, like an Air Force Base, for the adversary prowls around, seeking whom he may devour.
Amen! Absolutely Melinda! I am so glad you grasp my meaning, and I so appreciate your visiting with me today and taking time to comment. I hope you will be back soon. 8)
Debra, so much power and truth in Psalm 103:12. So although we do this, it doesn’t make sense, “Why then do I allow Satan to grab a couple forgiven sins and strap them to my back? To hinder, even cripple me?” We’ve all done it and heard people say, “I’ve done some stuff that I don’t think God will forgive me for.” Either of those is saying that the enemy and we ourselves have more power than God’s forgiveness. I remember a Christian song by Morgan Cryar, “What Sin” and it uses Psalm 103:12 in the lyrics. If you haven’t heard it, look it up.
I’ll have to look it up. Yes, we’ve all done it, and we need to stop falling into the trap. So grateful for your visit and comment. Grace and peace Debra Jean
Sorry i did not elaborate on my previous comment. i was just thinking of you,Debra, and i knew you already had a frame of reference. But to clarify, when i was really getting hit by the enemy with condemnation, the way God gave me to think about it and combat it was the idea of being accused of a crime in court. Jesus was my advocate (lawyer.) i was found guilty, but He volunteered to pay the penalty and i was set free and that was that. You can’t be tried twice. But the prosecution (Satan-the enemy) was not a good loser and kept trying to bring me into bondage through guilt and condemnation. So like any smart person should, instead of wasting my time arguing with him i just say, “Talk to my lawyer!”
Love you Mom!
Love this! You’ve pulled one of my very favorite truths from the book of Ephesians. Our battle IS NOT against flesh and blood. Love your mom’s “talk to my lawyer” quote and love your sassy, confidence when you refute the devil. We’ve got to fight back or he’ll trample us.
Thank you for stopping by Sarah! Yes, we tend to forget there is a battle going on, and that is dangerous. Many Thanks! 8)
Talk to my lawyer!
Mom, Please forgive me for misquoting you! I am going to change it for you! Love you!