Have you received your Forgiveness
today? Think about the question for a moment. The question is not whether you asked for forgiveness, but whether you received forgiveness. I am convinced
that many believers ask for forgiveness when they do wrong, but never reach out
and receive it with joy. When we receive forgiveness for sins, it should be more exciting
than receiving silver or gold.
Let us imagine you need money to buy
a new refrigerator. You pray and instantly there is a knock at the door. When you
open the door, Jesus is standing there with more than enough money to replace
the refrigerator. You take the money and then poof, the old refrigerator disintegrates; it is no more. You dance around the room because you have received a windfall: free
money, a gift.
Jesus did not take the old
refrigerator, put it on a heavenly chariot, take it back to heaven, and dump it in a
heavenly junk yard to be recycled. No. In a moment of time, He disintegrated the unit forever. Now you can buy a new refrigerator without worrying about the price, you can choice any unit you desire, and you have an empty space already prepared for something new. You received a complete exchange:
something old and unusable for something new.
Likewise, forgiveness for our
sins is an exchange. When we receive the gift of forgiveness from our heavenly Forgiver, He disintegrates our sin(s) forever.
If we confess our
sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. [I John 1:9 NKJV]
Jesus is always at the door of our
heart to make a Forgiveness Exchange.
When you engage in a Forgiveness Exchange, do you receive your forgiveness with joy? Do
you say, “Lord, I’m sorry, please forgive me” and then walk around for hours, days,
months, or even years still feeling the guilt and shame connected to the sin(s) you
committed?
Godly sorrow should lead to repentance.
However, you must not allow the enemy to step between you and your heavenly Forgiver before, during, or after the exchange. The enemy desires to use your emotions to
create guilt, shame, reproach, depression, and other negative emotions to devalue
the exchange in your mind. He does not want you to open your heavenly treasure chest full of jewels you received from the Forgiveness Exchange and enjoy all its benefits. He wants you to forget about the joy of your salvation.
The Forgiveness Exchange comes with
a distinct sensation both physical and emotional that everything around you is
new and made right again. Do you remember the details of your
first Forgiveness Exchange? After you received Jesus as Lord and Savior, you knew
all of your sins were gone; you felt brand new on the inside. Do you still enter into a state of soul satisfaction when you receive forgiveness? Can you say with confidence like the song, Satisfied:
“…I looked at my hand and my hands looked new. I looked at my feet and they did too. Every since that wonderful day, my soul’s been satisfied”
If you have not experienced looking
at your hands and feet with the sensation that they are new, it could be that
you have not received your
forgiveness, even though you asked for it.
I am determined to practice
rejoicing after I make a Forgiveness Exchange because my sins will be
disintegrated forever. I am determined in my spirit to jump into my heavenly treasure chest full of wonderful, glorious jewels I exchanged for my sins. I have learned that the Forgiveness Exchange gives me a joy that my soul can rest in and be satisfied with the Lord of my salvation.
Song to Share: Satisfied with Jesus