Word-Filled Wednesday ~#105~ Living with Forgiveness

"Who is a God like You,

Who pardons sins and forgives the 

transgression 

of the remnant of His inheritance?

You do not stay angry forever

but delight to show mercy.

You will again have compassion on us;

You will tread our sins underfoot

and hurl all our iniquities into the

depths of the sea."

~Micah 7:18-19

"For as high as the heavens are above

the earth,

so great is His love for those who 

fear Him;

as far as the east is from the west,

so far has He removed our 

transgressions from us . . . "

~Psalm 103:11-12

"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners ~ of whom I am the worst." ~1 Timothy 1:15

Ron DiCianni

It is continually amazing to me that the Lord shepherds us down completely individual roads to bring us to our final destination ~ eternity in heaven with Him ~ all because, SIMPLY because, we accepted Him as our Savior and Lord. We accepted the greatest gift of His grace ~ that HE suffered for our individual sins upon the cross, died and then rose again to prepare a place for us.

Wow.

For me . . . for  you.

We all have our own storied past, and to the Lord, sin is sin. No matter the sin ~ sin is sin. We all fall short of the mark of perfection.

God looks at ALL sin the same, but in our humanness, we think in "degrees" or "not-so-bad . . . bad . . . worst." And some of us tilted the scale a little past that "middle" mark and were BAD. I was BAD. 

So . . . when you KNOW that you have no earthly business reaping the blessings that forgiveness brings, how do you live with that? The memories, the shame. God can forget all that I've done, but how can I accept His forgiveness with the memory of what I've done?

First, DO NOT listen to the LIES of the devil. When he tries to tell you that you are different, that you are undeserving of God's grace and forgiveness, that "see, you sinned again, you aren't really saved." Just remember that he is a LIAR ~ he's the father or LIES (John 8:44) and he's whispering the same lies into the ear of your pastor, to Billy Graham and to that sweet little old lady on the pew next to you who has been a Christian since childhood.

Second, as unimaginable as it may seem, GOD Himself has a purpose for your life that only He can accomplish through you. And it may not even be for you, personally, but you may be a branch in a mighty family tree ~ read Jesus' earthly family tree (Matt. 1:17). There was some BAD fruit hanging on that tree . . . but . . . . they were ALL used by God for His glory.

Third, share your testimony . . . 

"Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

'Now have come the salvation and the 

power and the kingdom of 

our God,

and the authority of His Christ.

For the accuser of our brothers,

who accuses them before our God

day and night,

has been hurled down.

They overcame him 

by the blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony . . .'"

~Rev. 12:10-11(a)

Ron DiCianni

YOUR testimony is a mighty weapon, the devil knows that it is a crushing blow against him. Use it. 

God's forgiveness is our greatest gift AND our greatest weapon. Use it to HIS glory.

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><