Love Notes from Abby- Do You Need To Forgive Yourself?
Transcript:
Good morning friends. Today we're carrying on with our lessons on forgiveness, and today we're going to talk about when we need to forgive ourselves.
And I think that the way we can tell when we need to forgive ourselves is when we're riddled with feelings of shame.
Now, let me clarify this.
The Holy Spirit definitely convicts us when we're currently in sin. I'm talking about the feelings of shame for things that you did a really long time ago, or even if it wasn't that long ago, but anything that you have repented of that you're still carrying around a lot of guilt.
Like that gut wrenching feeling and secretly, you even kind of hate yourself. And the enemy is just having a heyday with you. He wants you to feel like you're unworthy. He wants you to feel like you're unloved.
Not to be dramatic, but the enemy is having a heyday wreaking havoc in the minds of women everywhere.
What better way to distract you from doing all the things that you were designed to do than to devastate you with all those feelings?
But I'm here to tell you today that you don't have to feel that way.
You can move past the shame and the unforgiveness of yourself, and the only way that you're going to be able to do that is to press in and to look and see what God actually says.
The best example of these feelings of shame can be found in Mark 1:40-42 40
““A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus begging to be healed. ‘If you are willing, can you heal me and make me clean?’ he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said, “Be healed.” Instantly the leprosy disappeared and the man was healed. ”
In order to truly grasp the magnitude of Jesus's actions in those passages, we first need to understand the significance of leprosy.
So leprosy was this contagious disease that affects the skin and it's, it was highly contagious and it caused disfigurement and deformities. And because of the close quarters of the Israelites and the need to protect people from those types of infectious diseases, God gave specific instructions of how leprosy was to be handled.
In Leviticus 13:45-46 He says,
“Those who suffer from miss serious skin disease, must tear their clothing and leave their hair and combed. They must cover their mouth and call out, ‘Unclean, unclean."‘ As long as the serious disease lasts, they will be ceremonially unclean. They must live in isolation in their place outside of camp.”
Can you imagine how horribly lonely and unloved the lepers must have felt?
But the thing is, maybe that's exactly how you feel.
Unclean, unclean.
But I have really, really good news for you.
The man with leprosy that went to Jesus begging to be healed was healed.
Jesus reached into the yuck of this man's life and made him clean.
While it's incredible that Jesus did that thousands of years ago. The best news is, is that He still does that today.
Aren't we all the man with leprosy?
Aren't we all broken and unclean?
It may not show up on our skin or on the outside, but the disease of sin makes us no different than the leprous man. But when we invite Jesus into the yuck and muck of our lives, He shows up and He shows up instantly.
But… that doesn't mean you will instantly feel better. It's going to take a conscious effort to wrap your feelings up in the truth of God's word.
Please remember this today, Feelings aren't facts.
The moment you ask for forgiveness from your sins and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He no longer keeps a record of your past.
You are washed white as snow.
Psalm 103:12 tells us,
“As far as the East is from the West so far, does He remove our transgressions from us?
That is grace. God's unmerited favor to you.
We can't strive hard enough. We can't be good enough.
We can't earn His love, but, and this is a really important but, He died for us while we were yet still sinners. He loved us in the midst of our brokenness.
And so any feelings of shame from your past that you have repented of, it's the enemy coming to steal and kill and destroy your joy.
When you have repented, you are forgiven, and there is no shame or condemnation in that. If you are struggling with forgiving yourself, it is time to believe what God says. When you repent of your sins and you turn, you are forgiven.
Now it's time to walk that out and forgive yourself.
God loves you and I love you. Now go take on your day.
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