Summary: <br> Do you carry a regret from the past? A burden from a choice you made, a wrong turn you took, a sin you pursued? You’ve asked for forgiveness, in fact you’ve prayed that prayer a hundred times. Yet you are still ashamed. Your dirty hands still feel unworthy to be lifted to the holy one.<br> Is that you? Hey, isn’t that most of us? Our past is stained. Maybe your shame is a public one others clearly see. When they look at you, you feel little. It’s as if all they see is your shortcoming. Your story is highlighted with this shame. Or at least that’s the story you tell yourself. What if that story is wrong? What if it is being re-written?<br> Or maybe this is a private hell only you carry within. Others don’t know of your guilt and regret. You’ve kept it hidden, begging God to take it away, yet it’s still there. It still eats at you. You’ll never overcome this stain of your past. It will be there to haunt you as an old woman. Or at least that’s the story you’ve been telling yourself for years. Again, what if the story is wrong? What if it too is being re-written?<br> Sin creates a distance. It drives a wedge that splits and divides. Even a forgiven sin does it’s nasty harm because this is where the enemy plays. He hides out in the darkness of guilt and shame and he picks at scabs. You see, if he can’t keep you in your sin, he will at least remind you of it and make you feel worthless. So it’s time for some truth to be unleashed into this darkness.<br> Psalm 103:12 says “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”<br> God has separated you from your sin. Your wrongdoing is not attached to you. The enemy tries to hang every single thing you’ve ever done around your neck like a noose, but may I remind you of your truth … God has removed it from you. Don’t go looking to pick it back up again.<br> Our human minds can’t conceive this. We struggle with imagining a God who sees it all and knows it all, and still loves us endlessly because we can’t even forgive ourselves. But remember, condemnation does not come from God. Romans 8: 1 tells us “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”, meaning the thoughts and feelings that tell you what you’ve done will always mark your life ARE NOT YOURS TO CARRY. That is not your truth.<br> Recognize feelings of unworthiness and shame for what they are … they are desperate pleas of darkness from a defeated enemy who wants company. Don’t give him yours.<br> Every time your past is brought up, it’s an invitation from your defeated enemy to come play little in life. You don’t have time for that!<br> You have been separated from your transgressions. Every offense, every sin, every wrongdoing, every failure and misstep has been removed from you. Climb a mountain and stand on the top with a greater perspective of the vastness of this world. Look to the east, over there are your sins. Now look to the west, you’re all the way over here. You’re not even in the same view. Separated as far as possible from that which has held you back. If your sin was a black stain, understand Jesus has made you white as snow.<br> He gave his life, so I could have mine. My life was bought with his. Your life was bought with his. All your wrongs were made right in this transaction. An exchange that covers you in grace every day of your existence.<br> Don’t fight this exchange. The transaction is complete, why would you keep going back to the store to see if there was a recall? Why keep checking the receipt? You are fully forgiven. Understand every time you bring up this same offense to God, layered with years of guilt and shame, God aches for you. He hurts wondering why his daughter whom he paid the ultimate price to set free is still playing with chains.
