Forgiving ourselves…interestingly enough this thought is not found in the Bible. So if it’s not found in the Word, it didn’t come from God. So why do we feel compelled to forgive ourselves? Usually it’s after doing something we knew was wrong…and now we’re carrying around this heavy burden of shame, disgust, guilt, & self-blame. But who tempted & enticed us in the first place? James 1:13-14 makes it very plain…God can’t be tempted, nor does He tempt us, so we must look to the father of lies, Satan instead. And when Satan has accomplished his mission…he heaps condemnation, shame & guilt on our heads for giving in. So there we sit, miserable and filled with self-loathing for the stupid mistakes we’ve made…our old self wrestling with our new self, or as Paul lamented to himself, he found himself doing the things he shouldn’t rather than the things he should. But as Believers we are called to forgive others (including ourselves) in direct response to God’s forgiveness & grace. For it tells us in I John3:19-20, “This is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His Presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.” God’s grace received by us allows us to be gracious towards others…and that includes ourselves.
Safetypinlove 