Forgive Yourself

If given the choice between receiving £10 million or to be able to turn the clock back and re-live your life, which one would you choose?

Naturally, the money would set us up for life – and our family – and our best friend – and the neighbours next door.

We could even give an abundant amount to all the charities that are on our heart, and still be able to live comfortably just on the interest.

Yet, if we’re honest, despite how much we could all benefit from this extra cash, if the choice was just between those two things, many of us would pick the latter. 

For some, choosing to turn the clock back would mean they would life very differently, working harder and smarter and therefore, they would naturally have the ability to create wealth anyway.

But it’s not just about the things that we wish we could have done, but the things that we didn’t do.

**We were absent when we should’ve been present.

**We were silent when should’ve spoken up.

**We had apathy when we should’ve been supportive. 

**We were condemning when we should’ve forgiven. 

**We were wounding when we should’ve been kind.

**We were critical when we should’ve been understanding. 

**We ignored when we should’ve listened. 

**We fell asleep when we should’ve prayed. 

**We were lazy when we should have been more diligent.

**We were complacent when we needed to be discerning.

**We pointed the finger when we should’ve given a hug.

There is no regret worse than when we realise we caused emotional hurt to somebody who loved us, and now it’s too late to make amends.

The person may no longer be alive.

The person who is alive, may remember the wounds, but they don’t care about them anymore and they have learnt to live with the hurt, to the point that they can no longer feel it. More importantly, they have learnt to forgive you.

So the question is, have you forgiven yourself?

If you know the Lord as your personal saviour, and you have asked him to forgive your sins… and you have thought about individual failures of which you are now in deep remorse, then the only person who is condemning you is the devil. 

Each time you ponder on how much you hate yourself for the mistakes of the past, you are giving the devil a legal right to afflict you. And he goes straight for the mind.

~Depression is formed. 

~Anxiety becomes your right-hand man.

~Insomnia takes hold, followed by unexplained cardiac and muscular diseases – and before you know it, your mental and physical health is in rapid decline.

Please don’t misunderstand – I’m not saying every form of depression, anxiety, sleeplessness, heart disease and general pain in your body, is caused by this. But the truth is: not forgiving yourself can bring on all these afflictions and more – and loads of Christians who should be living a life of freedom, are bound by Satan because they refuse to forgive themselves for the mistakes of the past. 

God gets it – he understands you messed-up big time.

He knows it can be hard for you to get over all that you did – this is why he’s tells us in his word, to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. (2Corinthians 10:5)

Friends, if you continue to wallow in self-pity, you will remain in the dungeon and the devil will have every right to destroy you.

Don’t let that happen! 

Each day make it a habit to look in the mirror and say, 

“God has forgiven me and so, I forgive myself!”

Please, please, please,  stop agreeing with the enemy and start agreeing with what God says about you in his word. 

You are forgiven. Set yourself free for good by embracing this truth today. 

Much love,