Stop Asking For Forgiveness

You’ve probably heard it.

You are in some sort of prayer meeting.  Maybe you are just praying with someone.

Maybe you are prone to do it.

Most of us have probably done it on more than one, if not many, occasions.

We ask God for forgiveness.

I’m going to burst your bubble right now.  You don’t have to ask Him to forgive you anymore.

Not if Christ is your Savior.

If you are truly a believer and follower of Christ, you are as forgiven now as at the moment of salvation.

Commit a sin?  Forgiven.  You don’t have to ask Him to forgive you.  It’s already done.

You want to confess it?  Go ahead.

Repent of it?  Absolutely.  Turn away from it.

Ask for forgiveness?  No need.  You are forgiven.

I know.  That goes against our nature.  It goes against what we believe.  It just doesn’t sound right.

I understand.  It’s taken me a while to figure it out.  I forget it sometimes.

That doesn’t matter.

I’m forgiven.

Are you forgiven?

Yeah, About That Forgiveness Thing

I’m struggling.

Bad.

I’m struggling with forgiveness. It’s coming up on a year since some people hurt me. They hurt me bad. They hurt my family. They hurt us.

Bad.

Every time I think I’m doing better, I run into one of them. I see them on the road. I have to walk past them at the fireworks show.

I’m struggling with the thoughts that run through my mind. I think about how I would react if I they came up to me and spoke. I imagine the conversation. Sometimes I simply walk away. Too often, my imagination isn’t pretty.

Here’s the thing.

I need to forgive them. I need to move on. I need to do what God has done with me.

Forgiven. Loved.

Maybe this is the first step. Publicly admitting my struggle. Asking you to pray along with me that through the power, fruit and Spirit from God that I will defeat this.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Do you have anything in particular that you struggle with? How can I pray for you?

Pearl Harbor and Christmas

Today is the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  I don’t know how people felt 70 years ago when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.  Because of 9/11, I believe I can come close, but I don’t know exactly what it was like back then.  I don’t know the exact feelings of terror that might have swept across our country as we faced an enemy in Japan, Germany and the other Axis powers.

I definitely don’t know what it was like to be entering the Christmas season with that type of fear looming over what we consider a season of joy.

However, Christmas gives us the proper response to that fear and all other fears and uncertainty that we face.

Christmas gives us Christ.

Christmas gives us hope.

Christmas gives us courage.

Christmas gives us grace.

Christmas give us forgiveness of our enemies, as we, who follow Him, have been forgiven.

Pearl Harbor was a time that defeat felt overwhelmingly near.

Christmas gave us what overcomes all fear and defeat in our lives.

Thank you, Lord, for giving us Christmas for every Pearl Harbor in our lives.

What Pearl Harbors in your life has Christ helped you overcome?

The Weekly Roundup

Last week this time, I was heading to Lauren’s third cross-country meet in three Saturdays with the family.  We have a break this week before running in Alabama next week.

My Vols lost to Florida.  I just hated typing those words.  I love the team and Coach Dooley.  We need a few more horses to run where we needs to run.

I took Andrew to a therapy session for his knee that has been sore all football season.  I think it hurts because he has grown six inches over the last year.  There  was no structural damage and it already feels better.

Now, for what happened in the world of Deuceology.

The most viewed post of the week was 140 Words (or less) About The Christian F-Bomb.

The Southern Baptist Convention: A New Name proved popular.

The Greatest Love Of All???  proved to be the least viewed post of the last week.  Show it some love if you have a chance today.

A big thanks to those of you who visit my blog and read my musings and rants.  I would write this regardless, but I appreciate your support.

God Is Light

Here are some things that I learned recently in my Sunday School class about 1 John 1:5-10:

1.  God is light.  No darkness is found in Him.  This is the message that John has declared to his audience.

2.  We live in either Light or darkness.  This is how John divides our lives.  His opponents would say the division is spiritual and physical.

3.  Followers of Christ walk/live in the Light.

4.  Followers of Christ have fellowship with each other

5.  We are cleansed from all sin.

6.  We have all sinned and need forgiveness.

7.  We are affected by God’s forgiveness and confess our sins.