Remember This When You Are Haunted by Your Past Sins
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Recently while driving, I was thinking about my life and some things that were going on. During the drive, somehow my reflections brought me back to some of the poor decisions I had made in my life. I know these are decisions I cannot change, and I know these are sins I have repented of. However, when I thought about them, the level of shame and remorse hit me again. It was as if I was back in that place where I had just committed them. In that moment, I felt as if I had not been forgiven. I could not help but feel the need to repent, even though these sins were forgiven and repentance was unnecessary.
Another thing to remember is that God does not just forgive you, he also cleanses you. The purpose of cleansing is to remove all the impurities and restore you to a purified state. When God forgives, he washes you and wipes the slate clean. Every time you confess your sins, God forgives, but he also brings with it restoration. If he stopped there, that would be enough, but he goes even further. When God cleanses and restores, three things happen.
If you don’t recognize this to be true, then your fellowship with God will remain broken. This will keep you trapped in your past sin, repeatedly reliving what you have done. This will not drive you towards God, it will push you away from him. So many people have broken walks with God because they don’t realize they have been forgiven and cleansed. If you have confessed, you are forgiven, cleansed, and restored. What you must do is believe that what God says is true and live in this truth.
As glorious as it is to be forgiven, cleansed, and restored, there is another reason to have confidence in God’s promise. When you grasp this truth, it will go a long way in helping you should you ever be haunted by your past sins. You have an advocate.
This word advocate comes from the Greek word paraclete. This word means someone who pleads a case on your behalf or who helps by defending them. Guess who is pleading your case for you? Jesus. Every time you confess your sin, Jesus pleads your case before the Father. Since you are confessing your sin, then on what grounds is Christ pleading for your forgiveness? The evidence he submits for your forgiveness is his broken body and shed blood. The sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for your sin and mine is all the evidence the Father needs to offer us forgiveness.
I am a fan of legal shows. The courtroom drama of attorneys attempting to win their case for their clients is fascinating to me. Within the legal process, when you hire an attorney, that means you are represented by counsel. The attorney then has the legal right to argue your case before the court on your behalf. This also means that the opposing attorney cannot address you without getting permission from your attorney first. If they try to speak to you, you can simply let them know you are represented by counsel.
When it comes to your confessed sins, Jesus is your counsel. I mentioned earlier, Satan will try to convince you God will not forgive. However, whenever he tries to whisper these thoughts into your head, he is violating the legal process because you are represented by counsel. When Satan tries this, you can stop him and direct him to Jesus, letting him know you are represented by counsel. Jesus speaks for you and pleads for you and Satan knows he cannot get past the shed blood of Jesus.
The next time your past sins try to haunt you, remember God is faithful and just. He has forgiven you, cleansed you, and restored you. Last, you are represented by counsel and Jesus has never lost a case that he has pleaded before the Father.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Bulat Silvia
