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I had been asked to lead a children's session, at church. I wasn't sure it was something I wanted to do. I had however, just written in my prayer journal, a day or two before, that God would open new doors of ministry for me and that I would recognize and respond to those open doors.
Thus, I decided that I needed to say yes to this invitation to teaching the kids. After reading over the lesson which I had chosen to teach, I collected my art tools, and found a children's book in the church library, depicting the Bible story I would be covering, then I started to work.
As I chose the pictures, to draw as illustrations to relay the story, I set to work reproducing them, in pencil, onto a large newsprint flip chart. Not having used my poor sketching skills in a long time, I quickly found myself searching through my desk for an eraser, which soon experienced a lot of use. I drew, redrew and erased until I was satisfied with my result.
This sketching exercise reminded me of these verses:
"What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record." (Psalms 32:1-2 TLB)
How blessed we are as God's people to be able to experience the erasing of our sins through the grace and mercy of the shed blood of Jesus. No other faith or religion offers us this great blessing of freedom and forgiveness when in humility we confess and turn from our wrong doings. As we do so, God is faithful to forgive us our sins as well as the guilt of them, allowing us to put our past behind us and to move forward in faith and confidence in our walk with Christ.
Often however, Christians continue to experience the guilt of their sins as they come back to our minds to haunt us. This guilt though, is not from God. This comes from the evil one who does not wish us to be free from our past transgressions but desires to keep us bound by the chains of our remorse and failures. Through faith in Christ, we must therefore learn to recognize false guilt and refuse to allow it to have a hold upon us by rebuking it within our hearts and minds, for what God has forgiven is erased forever.
Today, if false guilt is plaguing you, take a stand and be rid of it. Rebuke it in the name of Jesus and thank God for His total and complete forgiveness, every time it seeks to raise its' ugly head. Stand upon the truth of God's promises and embrace the happiness which they bring.
Prayer: Father God, thank You so much that our sin and the guilt of them is erased, forgiven forever by the blood of Jesus. May we remember this. In Christ's name. Amen.
Lynne Phipps
Tawatinaw, Alberta, Canada
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