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How Do You Forgive Yourself?

Doughboy

Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2009
Messages
34
I am in a recovery and 12 step program through my church and we always talk about forgiving yourself. Even the guy that has been there for years doesn't understand it. How do you forgive yourself? What do you say? How does it go?
 
Many have done things, committed actions, said words perhaps...whatever...and regret has followed, immediately, slowly or maybe years later. It is possible to live with regret a whole lifetime. The Psalmist said years later...."O remember not the sins of my youth, let me not be ashamed let not my enimies triumph over me"
Ps 25: 2 : 7

I have talked to people who have been filled with deep remorse, deeply troubled by wrongs committed. I believe that to be troubled in this manner is not a bad thing. When people are troubled by wrong acts in the past they can be helped. By Jesus. The bible says "thou your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Is 1: 18 The bible also says that "as far as the East is from the West, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us" when we accept Jesus Ps 102: 12

Men may not be able to forget (forgive themselves as you say) but we have to grasp the truth with both hands that God has forgiven us.


There are lots of scripture to back this up.....But I leave it there
 
There's a very good pastor from Seattle, named Mark Driscoll, he said if God, all mighty and strong, can forgive you, why can't you forgive yourself? Is there a God in you stronger than your God who can't forgive? We need to be humble and accept the gift of forgiveness like the gift of salvation, it's not because we deserve it, we don't deserve anything we have, it's just grace, just accept it.

A benefit of God being unlike us. “I will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:7-8

Philippians 1:6 (KJV) "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ"

Philippians 3:12—"Not that I am already perfect or have already obtained, but I press on to make it my own, because He has made me his own."

"If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned." (Jeremiah 18: 7-9)

"The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, 'O God, forgive me,' or 'Help me.'" -- Billy Graham

“Grace is what God gives us when we don't deserve and mercy is when God doesn't give us what we do deserve”

"Saving faith is an immediate relation to Christ, accepting, receiving, resting upon Him alone, for justification, sanctification, and eternal life by virtue of God's grace." -- Charles Spurgeon

"Lord cut, Lord carve, Lord wound, Lord do anything that may perfect the Father's image in us." -- Samuel Rutherford

"God does not go, From here to there by shortest routes; He makes a place for faith and doubts." (John Piper)

“God loves us the way we are, but too much to leave us that way” Leighton Ford

Conclusion:
He wants to forgive you, wants to lavish His love on you, wants to change you, wants you closer, wants your faith, wants your future and your everything, by dying for you, God proved He loved you supremely. There is no way He could have loved you more. Jesus proved that He loves you more than He loves Himself.

A prayer:
"Lord, You are my salvation, from justification throughout a lifetime of sanctification. Forgive me for underestimating my need for You. Forgive me concerning the self-sufficient, self-confident ways by which I have often lived. I humble myself before You. I want to live by trust and confidence in You. I long to live by Your grace, not by my best efforts. Help me to know You, that humility and faith might develop in my life."

In Him.
 
Doughboy, Let's keep this simple for now:
  1. Your forgiveness is complete. Do you understand how God has done this?
  2. You should forgive yourself as God has forgiven you. Do you understand how God has done this?
 
Hey, Doughboy, I used to really struggle with forgiveness. Then Father opened my eyes to all my friends who were still lost, and I realized that I needed to forgive myself so that I could get on with my walk and be able to reach out to others.

I just couldn't envision myself being like one of the people who helped me to surrender my life to Christ. I wanted to be like them, but didn't think I'd ever be "good enough." And, we can't be. But, we can stop looking back and start looking forward to our changed lives the way God sees us. He wants to use us and all our sorry stories that are in our past. The only reason we need to even recall our past is when we are sharing with someone why we are different now.

My friends all need to hear what has changed me. They know my past . . . they are part of it. They need to hear from me what can change them too, what can make them finally satisfied with life. I can forgive myself in order to be a useful Christian and do what I was called to do.

It helped me when I came to that realization. I hope it will help you too. Heads Up! :shade:
 
Doughboy, Let's keep this simple for now:
  1. Your forgiveness is complete. Do you understand how God has done this?
  2. You should forgive yourself as God has forgiven you. Do you understand how God has done this?
If you are not sure you can PM me for the answer.

Why do so many Christians struggle with the Christian Life?
Because it is impossible for THEM to live it! What they should be doing is allowing Jesus to live it for them and through them.
 
I am in a recovery and 12 step program through my church and we always talk about forgiving yourself. Even the guy that has been there for years doesn't understand it. How do you forgive yourself? What do you say? How does it go?
My dear brother, Jesus loves you. His love for you is unconditional. If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive... The more you start trusting the word the more you take your eyes of yourself and depend on the completeness of God and His work that has been done on the cross.

Paul.
 
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