Spiritual Inventory Part 2

 

Spiritual Inventory Part 2

Principle 4: Openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God, and to someone I trust.

“Happy are the pure in heart. For they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8)

Step 4: We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

“Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.”

(Lamentations 3:40)

Introduction

Two weeks ago, we looked at what Jesus meant when He said, “Blessed are those whose hearts are pure. They will see God.”

As regards seeing God, we saw that what Jesus was saying that those with pure hearts will “optomai” God, which means to gaze with wide open eyes as at something remarkable, such as our own recovery, for example.

To see the remarkable things related to God we need a pure heart, and gaining a pure heart is the purpose of the 3 Inventory lessons. These lessons will help us to identify those things that are keeping us from having a pure heart, and lead us through a way to deal with them.

We also talked about the reality that these inventory lessons have nothing to do with our salvation. We are saved by grace through faith, and the 12 Step program is a guide to realizing Jesus' transformational power in our lives.

Tonight we are looking at the second part of our spiritual inventory, where we pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test my thoughts. Point out anything you find in me that makes you sad, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (Psalm 139:23–24, TLB).

We are going to continue on and finish our spiritual inventory. We will look for some of our additional shortcomings or sins that can prevent God from working effectively in our lives and our recoveries, thus preventing us from having a pure heart. Two weeks ago, we covered:

• Our Relationship With Others – Forgiveness, amends list

• Our Priorities in Life – Seek first the Kingdom

• Our Attitude – Don't grumble and complain

• Our Integrity – honesty, truth, consistent living

Tonight we are going to cover:

• Our mind

• Our Body

• Our Family

• Our Church

Evaluating each area will help you complete your inventory, and is a powerful step to a pure heart and being able to see God and observe a work being done in your life.

1. Your Mind

Romans 12:2 gives us clear direction regarding our minds: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

The mind is the battle ground. Jesus said that out of our hearts proceed the issues of life. He also said that out of our innermost being will flow rivers of living water. Our success in godly living will depend on what is happening in our mind.

Eph 4:22-24 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; (23) to be made new in the attitude of your minds; (24) and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

It's all about allowing the Holy Spirit to change the way we think. We change the way we think by reading God's Word, being in fellowship with people who hold us accountable, meditation on God's Word. It transforms the way we think.

Tit 3:3-6 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. (4) But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, (5) he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, (6) whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,

A sure way to a pure heart is by allowing the Holy Spirit to bring change to the way you think in your mind.

Some questions to ask yourself in this area:

1. Have you turned your mind over to the care of the Holy Spirit?

2. Are you taking every thought captive?
   
   2Co 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
   

3. Are you taking those captive thoughts to Jesus for help?
   
   Heb 4:15-16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin. (16) Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

2. Your Body

“Haven’t you yet learned that your body is the home of the Holy Spirit God gave you, and that he lives within you? Your own body does not belong to you. For God has bought you with a great price. So use every part of your body to give glory back to God, because he owns it” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20, TLB).

You are just borrowing your body for a little time. It is a marvelous gift that allows you to experience physical things that without a body, we never would. Heat, cold, trees, water, the ocean smells, food taste, sensory input, and so on.

1. In what ways have you mistreated your body?

2. What activities or habits caused harm to your physical health?
   

Remember, it was the God of creation who made you. Look at Psalm 139:13–14, 16: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.… Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

Many people say that they have the right to do whatever they want to their own bodies. Although they think that this is freedom, they really become enslaved to their own desires, which ultimately cause them great harm.

3. Your Family

In the Old Testament, Israel’s leader, Joshua, made a bold statement regarding his household: “If you are unwilling to obey the Lord, then decide today whom you will obey.… But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15, TLB).

1. Have you mistreated anyone in your family? How?

Perhaps you have physically or emotionally mistreated your family. Emotional abuse doesn’t have to take the form of raging, yelling, or screaming. Tearing down a child’s or spouse’s self-esteem and being emotionally unavailable to them are both ways you may have harmed your loved ones.

God designed families to be our safety from life’s storms. As much as it depends on you, you need to provide a haven for your family. If that isn’t possible and you yourself don’t feel safe there, let Celebrate Recovery be your family.

2. Against whom in your family do you have a resentment?

This can be a difficult area in which to admit your true feelings. It’s easier to admit the resentments you have against a stranger or someone at work than someone in your own family. Denial can be a pretty thick fog to break through here. But you need to do it if you are going to successfully complete your inventory.

3. To whom do you owe amends?

You identify them now and work on becoming willing to deal with amends in Principle 6. All you are really looking for is your part in a damaged relationship.

4. What is the family secret that you have been denying?

What is the “pink elephant” in the middle of your family’s living room that no one talks about? That’s the family secret!

Remember Jeremiah 6:14 (TLB): “You can’t heal a wound by saying it’s not there.”

4. Your Church

One of the main reasons John Baker started Celebrate Recovery was that he found most members of secular 12-Step groups knew the Lord’s Prayer much better that they knew the Lord.

“Let us not neglect our church meetings, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25, TLB).

1. Have you been faithful to your church in the past?

Did you know that the purpose of gathering as a church and listening to the pastor each week is to equip you for works of service? Church is to bring everyone up, like a rising tide.

Eph 4:11-13 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, (12) to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up (13) until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

2. Have you been critical instead of active?

If you don’t like something in your church, get involved so you can help change it or at least understand it better. Is it possible that instead of understanding gathering as a means to learn service to each other, we turn it into gathering as a means to get everyone to service me?

3. Have you discouraged your family’s support of their church?

If you aren’t ready to get involved in your church, that’s your decision. But don’t stop the rest of your family from experiencing the joys and support of a church family!

Wrap Up

We’ve made it all the way through the eight different areas to help you begin and complete your inventory.

Once again, listen to Isaiah 1:18. Memorize it! God says, “No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can take it out and make you as clean as freshly fallen snow.”

A couple of reminders as we close:

• Use the “Balancing the Scales” verses found in Participant’s Guide 2. (At the end of the “Inventory” Lesson)

• Keep your inventory balanced. List your strengths along with your weaknesses.

• Find an accountability partner or a sponsor. I cannot say this enough: The road to recovery is not a journey to be made alone!

God bless you as you courageously face and own your past. He will see you through!

Spiritual Inventory Part 1

Spiritual Inventory Part 1

Principle 4: Openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God, and to someone I trust.

“Happy are the pure in heart.” (Matthew 5:8)

Step 4: We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

“Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:40)

Introduction

The first of the 4 lessons was the Moral Lesson. This is the theory, or the principles that are involved in doing an Inventory, such as making time, being open, relying on the Lord, and analyzing or thinking about your past and making a LIST".

The second of the 4 lessons was the Inventory Lesson. In this lesson we actually step through the Inventory form and actually begin to make a list. We cover the columns on the form with headings such as the person, the cause, the effect, the damage and my part.

The third and forth of the 4 lessons brainstorming sessions that provide lots of ideas for what kinds of things we might want to work on. Things such as relationships, priorities, our attitudes, integrity the first week, and our mind, our body, our family and our church the second week.

I love the verse in Matthew 5:8. The whole verse in the NirV is:

“Blessed are those whose hearts are pure. They will see God.”

What does it mean to “see God”? The Greek word for “see” is “optomai”, which means “to gaze (that is, with wide open eyes, as at something remarkable”). There are other Greek words that define other ways to see something, as in to casually glance at something, or to have seen something in the past, but this word “optomai” means to gaze at something that we find remarkable and outstanding.

From the point of view of a practical application, this passage means that as we purify our hearts, we will see remarkable things about God that were previously hidden. It means that as we purify our hearts, we will receive understanding and revelation about God and will be able to function with the wisdom this understanding brings.

So what does it mean to have a “pure heart”? Purity is related to cleanliness.

Being dirty physically is a threat to our physical health and well being, as well as the health and well being of those around us. Dirty environments are breeding grounds for disease and poor health. In the physical realm we have organizations like the board of health that issues rules to keep us clean, and thereby healthy.

Being dirty spiritually is a threat to our spiritual health and well being as well as the health and well being of those around us. In the spiritual realm we have the Bible to provide rules to keep us clean and healthy, and Bible teachers to help us understand it.

From a spiritual point of view, impurity is like a fog that keeps us from seeing God and realizing His spiritual blessings in our life. Fog limits our ability to see, and prevents us from successfully navigating the spiritual landscape. As a result, we end up living in confusion about how all this works, and live lives of defeat.

We are going to examine four areas of spiritual purity tonight, then four more at our next session. Doing a Spiritual Inventory is a practical way to identify areas of impurity in our lives. The goal of this inventory is to clear the spiritual fog and bring clarity to God's spiritual principles.

1. Relationships with Others

In Matthew 6:12–14 (TLB) Jesus tells us to pray, “Forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. Don’t bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One.”

Asking God to forgive our sins on daily basis is one of the spiritual principles that will contribute to keeping the fog away. God keeps us clean when we ask Him to forgive our sins.

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Just as asking forgiveness from God for our sin is a spiritual principle that leads to purification, and clear sightedness, our forgiveness of others is also a principle with spiritual ramifications. If we harbor resentment and unforgiveness towards fellow human beings, then the fog thickens and our relationship with Him grows dull. We can see this as we allow our mind to dwell on things done to us rather than forgiving people for things done to us thus freeing us to see clearly and receive God's blessings.

Listing your Spiritual Inventory will help to identify where we need to focus when working on this principle. Ask yourself the following questions regarding your relationships with others:

1. Who has hurt you?

2. Against whom have you been holding a grudge?

3. Against whom are you still seeking revenge?

4. Are you jealous of someone?

5. Have you tried to justify your bad attitude by saying it is “their fault”?

    The persons listed here go in column 1 of the Inventory Worksheet.

6. Who have you hurt?

    How did you hurt them? You may have hurt them unintentionally. Maybe it was intentional.

   The persons listed here go in column 5 of the Inventory Worksheet.

7. Who have you been critical of or gossiped about?

2. Priorities in Your Life

The next thing we can look at is what is important to us, what our priorities are.

Mat 6:33 (NIV) But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

The “all these things” are listed in vs. 31.

Mat 6:31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'

Jesus is calling us to “seek first His Kingdom”, which means to focus on Him. This means prayer, reading, studying, learning, fellowship, and faith. He is saying that if we focus on Him and these things, and if we believe that He cares about us, then we will be physically and spiritually blessed.

Some questions to help with the Spiritual Inventory.

1. After making the decision to turn your life and your will over to God, in what areas of your life are you still not putting God first?

2. What in your past is interfering with your doing God’s will?

Your ambition? Is it driven by serving God or is it driven by envy?

Your pleasures? If your pleasure has been found in the world,

Proverbs 21:17 warns, “He who loves pleasure will become poor.” Is your pleasure now found in Jesus Christ?

Psalm 16:11 (NCV) tells us, “You will teach me how to live a holy life. Being with you will fill me with joy; at your right hand I will find pleasure forever.”

3. What have been your priorities in your job? Friendships? Personal goals?

Were they just self-centered, self-serving? Selfishness turns life into a burden. Unselfishness turns burdens into life.

4. Who did your priorities affect?

You know, you will never get so rich that you can afford to lose a true friend.

5. What was good about your priorities?

6. What was wrong about them?

3. Your Attitude

The next area of our spiritual inventory is to examine our attitudes.

Ephesians 4:31 (GNB) says, “Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults. No more hateful feelings of any sort.”

1. Do you always try to have an “attitude of gratitude” or do you find yourself always complaining about your circumstances?

2. In what areas of your life are you ungrateful?

3. Have you gotten angry and easily blown up at people?

4. Have you been sarcastic?

5. What in your past is still causing you fear or anxiety?

Our attitude will determine whether we wander in the wilderness or enter the promised land.

The report of the spies – Num 13:25-33

The rebellion of the people – Num 14:1-9

The judgment for Rebellion – Num 14:20-30

4. Your Integrity

The last area we are going to talk about tonight is your integrity.

Colossians 3:9 (NCV) tells us, “Do not lie to each other. You have left your old sinful life and the things you did before.”

1. In what past dealing were you dishonest?

An honest man alters his ideas to fit the truth. A dishonest man alters the truth to fit his ideas.

2. Have you stolen things?

3. Have you exaggerated yourself to make yourself look better?

4. In what areas of your past have you used false humility?

Did you know that humility is never gained by seeking it? To think we have it is sure proof that we don’t.

5. Have you pretended to live one way in front of your Christian friends and another way at home or at work?

Wrap-up

In two weeks we’ll dig in again and look at Part 2 of our spiritual inventory. We’ll explore our old ways of thinking—our minds; the ways we have treated or mistreated God’s temple—our bodies; how we did or didn’t walk by faith in the past; our important past relations with our family and church.

As you start to work on your spiritual inventory, remember two things.

First, in Isaiah 1:18 (TLB) God says, “No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can take it out and make you as clean as freshly fallen snow.”

Second—Keep your inventory balanced. List the positive new relationships that you have, the areas of your life that you have been able to turn over to God, how your attitude has improved since you have been in recovery, the ways you have been able to step out of your denial into God’s truth.

Lesson 15 - Victory

 Victory

Principles and Steps

Principle 5: Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects.

“Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires.” (Matthew 5:6)

Step 6: We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:10)

Step 7: We humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Introduction

Tonight we are going to look at an overview of Principle 5. We are going to answer the question, How can you have victory over your defects of character?

Victory

We are going to use the acrostic VICTORY.

Voluntarily submit

Identify character defects

Change your mind

Turn over character defects

One day at a time

Recovery is a process

You must choose to change

The V is VOLUNTARILY submit to every change God wants me to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my shortcomings.

“Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. . . . Let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind” (Romans 12:1, GNT).

In the late 90's I worked in IBM as an application programmer. I recognized this would be a good career move, and so to prepare for this work, I took classes and studied the programming language that I would use to program with. I voluntarily applied myself to learning the language and practicing it so that it eventually became second nature to me, and I could write routines without thinking about it.

Such is the nature of all behavioral change. Whether we are learning to be a mechanic, doctor, accountant, politician, and so on, we determine the change that we want, and then we apply ourselves to the disciplines needed to change our thought processes. The process of learning is mind change through education and discipline.

This is no different in the realm of recovery. The process is the same. When we determine to change our life and come into sanity, we voluntarily apply ourselves to learning the process and practicing it so that it eventually becomes second nature. Our instruction manual is God's Word.

Php 2:12-16 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,

Working OUT our salvation, not FOR it. Paul is speaking of the same discipline as that of a programmer, doctor, mechanic, etc., the voluntarily application of ourselves to the learn the disciplines needed to be successful.

With fear and trembling means that we are to do so with awe and respect recognizing we are are being instructed and trained by the God who created the universe and everything in it. This is not a warning to be afraid because we might not measure up, for in ourselves, none measure up, but in God, all who believe do.

for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. (14) Do everything without grumbling or arguing, (15) so that you may become blameless and pure, "children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation."

The effective result of our training and discipline is becoming blameless and pure, in other words, overcomers. We are successful in our recovery as we voluntarily submit to the changes God brings to our life as a result.

I in Victory: IDENTIFY which character defects you want to work on first.

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps” (Proverbs 16:9).

Determining the object of change, what we should work on with fear and trembling, is the subject of previous lessons where we work on an inventory. We all have differing hurts, habits and hang-ups, and the inventory steps bring these to our awareness.

In this step, we determine what hurts, habits or hang-ups we want to tackle first, and then we begin to apply what we are learning to allow the Holy Spirit to bring about the changes in the way we think so that our behavior changes.

Let’s move to the C, which stands for CHANGE your mind.

Romans 12:2: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Reality shows that all of us are experiencing transformation in our mind all the time. Growth and regression are both products of the changing way we think every hour of every day. What we think in an ongoing fashion hour by hour and day by day brings about change in the way we think.

The negative agents of change are your flesh and Satan and his demons, and the positive agents of change are God's Word and the Holy Spirit. As you walk through your days, are you in control of whom you allow in your head?

2Co 10:5b … we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Php 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

Paul tells us that this is under our control. He says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of the world”, and by extension, your flesh and the devil. It is up to you. In Christ, you have the control over your mind. It is up to you to determine and control who in your head.

How? By the T in victory: TURNING your character defects over to Jesus Christ.

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3 NIV)

We know that if we want to change our behaviors, we must change the way we think.

Luk 6:45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

The “heart” is who we are as a person, our character. Out of “who we are as a person, or out of our character”, comes either good behaviors or evil behaviors.

In this Christ Centered Celebrate Recovery, we believe that we are powerless to change our character defects. So we hand them off to the Lord. Our role in transformation is to focus on who is changing our mind, and ensure that it is the Holy Spirit.

WE cannot change our character defects, so we should stop trying. If you have the Holy Spirit in your head, He will transform your character defects through mind change.

Like preparing and learning for a new career, we should have scripture swimming around in our heads. With a stream of scripture in our heads, we can meditate on them all the time, and that is a most powerful source of positive transformation.

The next letter is O: ONE day at a time.

“So don’t be anxious about tomorrow, God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time” (Matthew 6:34, TLB).

R: RECOVERY is a process, “one day at a time” after “one day at a time.”

“And I am sure that God who began a good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns” (Philippians 1:6, TLB).

Just like preparation and training for a career is a process, so too is the preparation and training for allowing the transformative work of Christ in our hearts, who we are as people. It does not matter where you start. Each of us should start with where we are at today and build on it, every day.

Philippians 1:6 is a promise, and God cannot lie. If you will apply yourselves to learning, giving the behavior to God, and controlling who is in your head, you will see change happen.

The last letter in victory is Y: YOU must choose to change.

“God gives strength to the humble,... so give yourselves humbly to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. And when you draw close to God, God will draw close to you” (James 4:6 – 8, TLB).

I implore you to choose to come close to God. Place His Word in your mind, think about it during the day. One more promise of God, if you will do this, then He will draw near to you.

Wrap-Up

Victory is yours. You have been set free.

Jas 1:25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it--not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it--they will be blessed in what they do.

The perfect law that gives freedom is the revelation of God's word, a part of which we have talked about in this lesson.

It is a law that gives freedom because by doing it we find liberty from sin and it's consequences.

Gal 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Lesson 17 - Forgiveness

 Forgiveness

Principle 6: Evaluate all my relationships. Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others, except when to do so would harm them or others.

“Happy are the merciful.” (Matthew 5:6) “Happy are the peacemakers.” (Matthew 5:9)

Step 8: We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:31)

Step 9: We made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23–24)

Introduction

Tonight I would like to talk about the relationship between forgiveness and recovery, in three different aspects.

Accepting God's Forgiveness

Forgiving Others Who Have Hurt Me

Forgiving Myself

Have you accepted God’s forgiveness?

This section is dealing with our acceptance of the forgiveness that God granted us when we were born again. It is possible for believers in Jesus's death, burial and resurrection to have been offered forgiveness, but to continue living as if they are not forgiven. This is a trap and a lie.

Our adversaries and our flesh desire greatly that we remain ignorant of the fact that Jesus's forgiveness is a free gift. If they can keep us ignorant of this, they can keep us under condemnation and prevent a full and vibrant relationship with Jesus.

Psa 32:1-5 (A special psalm by David.) Our God, you bless everyone whose sins you forgive and wipe away. (2) You bless them by saying, "You told me your sins, without trying to hide them, and now I forgive you." (3) Before I confessed my sins, my bones felt limp, and I groaned all day long. (4) Night and day your hand weighed heavily on me, and my strength was gone as in the summer heat. (5) So I confessed my sins and told them all to you. I said, "I'll tell the LORD each one of my sins." Then you forgave me and took away my guilt.

As the Psalmist points out, confession is the only requirement for forgiveness. Guilt and condemnation can weigh down on us if we fail to accept God's forgiveness, or feel that we have to earn His forgiveness. We will feel unworthy and will be unable to freely pursue God, and will be stuck in self-condemnation. Recovery will seem distant.

Imagine if you will your mental state of mind when you feel unforgiven, guilty and condemned. Those types of thoughts will indeed transform your mind and will impact your thinking and behavior in a negative way.

On the other hand, imagine if you will, that you are forgiven, not guilty and not condemned. These types of thoughts will bring about transformation of mind and impact your thinking and behavior in a positive way.

Embrace reality. You are forgiven, declared not guilty, and are not condemned, thus rendering you free to follow Jesus.

Col 2:13-14 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh (I.E. practices of your sinful nature), God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, (14) having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

In the Psalm we just read we see that our access to God's continuing forgiveness is conditioned our our confession of sin.

Psalm 32:5 So I confessed my sins and told them all to you. I said, "I'll tell the LORD each one of my sins." Then you forgave me and took away my guilt.”

In the New Testament, Paul says:

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

The Unbeliever

But what if you are here and you are not a “believer” in Jesus's death, burial and resurrection? Does God's gift of freedom apply to you as well?

Can you receive forgiveness from someone you don't believe exists? God's gifts are to those who believe that He came to earth as the divine God, was crucified on a cross, buried, and rose again on the third day.

Rom 3:22-23 God treats everyone alike. He accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus Christ. (23) All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory.

So how can you avail yourself of God's free gift of forgiveness, and life?

Rom 10:9-10 So you will be saved, if you honestly say, "Jesus is Lord," and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death. (10) God will accept you and save you, if you truly believe this and tell it to others.

If you have not come to believe the gospel, come to accept Jesus, and receive His forgiveness. It is time.

Have you forgiven others who have hurt you?

In the same way that God has granted those who believe forgiveness in order that their minds would be free from guilt and condemnation, so too should we forgive others for the same reasons.

Paul, in a statement about forgiving sinners stated the following:

2 Corinthians 2:10-11 I will forgive anyone you forgive. Yes, for your sake and with Christ as my witness, I have forgiven whatever needed to be forgiven. (11) I have done this to keep Satan from getting the better of us. We all know what goes on in his mind.

The mind of a person who believes they are not yet forgiven is fertile ground for Satan to grow guilt and condemnation. While God has forgiven the believer, we also have great influence in a persons mental state, the elimination of discord and the fostering of peace in our communities.

Romans 12:17–18 says, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

God's purpose in forgiveness is to create an peaceable environment in which the Holy Spirit is able to bring positive transformation of mind. God has made peace with man, and so also we have a responsibility as spirit led people to make peace with man as well, in so far as it is possible.

2Co 2:7 When people sin, you should forgive and comfort them, so they won't give up in despair.

These principles are especially effective with deep hurts, such as having been the victim of sexual abuse, physical abuse, or childhood emotional abuse or neglect. A great deal of healing can occur when we forgive others. Remember, forgiving them in no way excuses them for the harm they caused you, but it will release you from the power they have had over you.

Have you forgiven yourself?

(Isaiah 1:18–19, TLB) “Come, let’s talk this over! says the Lord; no matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can take it out and make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you white as wool! If you will only let me help you” .

The Bible does not actually have much to say about forgiving oneself. In principle, the benefits of accepting God's gracious forgiveness also apply to our forgiveness of ourselves.

When we are able to accept God's forgiveness, our minds are freed to be more effectively transformed by the Holy Spirit. In the same way, when we are able to forgive ourselves, that also frees our minds to be transformed by the Spirit.

When we forgive ourselves, thoughts of condemnation and guilt are removed in the same fashion that they are removed when we accept God's forgiveness.

Consider the sin that Paul committed and was forgiven for:

1 Timothy 1:15-16 "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." This saying is true, and it can be trusted. I was the worst sinner of all! (16) But since I was worse than anyone else, God had mercy on me and let me be an example of the endless patience of Christ Jesus. He did this so that others would put their faith in Christ and have eternal life.

Why did Paul say he was the worst sinner of all? Because he was complicit in legally torturing and murdering Christians as part of the Pharisaical religious leadership that had killed Jesus on the cross.

Acts 9:1-2 Saul kept on threatening to kill the Lord's followers. He even went to the high priest (2) and asked for letters to the Jewish leaders in Damascus. He did this because he wanted to arrest and take to Jerusalem any man or woman who had accepted the Lord's Way.

If Paul can get to a place of forgiving himself for torturing and killing Christians, then we can forgive ourselves as well. Indeed he said he was, “ an example of the endless patience of Christ Jesus”.

Wrap-up

Forgiveness is a powerful force. It brings freedom from unprofitable thinking which cuts into the closeness of our relationship with Jesus and prevents they Holy Spirit from bringing spiritual healing and growth.

Accepting God's forgiveness, forgiving others and forgiving ourselves creates an open path to the Holy Spirit allowing for transforming change and peace in our lives and communities.