The Lodestar

Micah praises God for being forgiving. God does discipline his people to ensure that they walk in his paths. But his anger is not forever; he relents when people turn to him to seek forgiveness. Though he gave up his people to the hands of the foreign nations, he still preserved a small remnant who turned to him in repentance. He pardoned their iniquity and ignored their transgressions.

Forgiving others is difficult; even more difficult is forgiving ourselves. The memory of shame and guilt of the past keeps haunting us because we cannot convince ourselves that God has forgiven us. Living in the past and condemning ourselves reflects disbelief in God, who forgives all those who repent and turn from their sinful ways.

The Devil tempts us to rehash the shameful memories to make us feel guilty and thus disregard forgiveness that God has s granted graciously. Next time thoughts that make us shameful and guilty cross our minds, we must resist the Devil, who is also known as the “accuser” of believers (Rev 12:10).

The new life in Christ is new in every way: “The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor 5:17). Let us not let the old drag us back.

Let us walk forward in the freedom that forgiveness brings. God’s grace has already cast our sins into the depths of the sea—why then hold on to what He has let go of? This week, make a conscious choice to silence the enemy’s accusations and embrace your new identity in Christ.

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