God is Bigger – Devotions from the Road of Life

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” I John 1: 7-10 (King James Version)

Have you ever awakened in the night, filled with the feeling that you are not good enough to be saved? Have you ever looked back on something you’ve done and thought “I’m going to hell. How will God forgive me for that?” Yeah, I have, too.

That’s Satan, hard at work. Satan’s lie is that my sin, whatever it is, is too big for God to want to forgive. Sure, God can forgive, but my sin is so awful He doesn’t want to even look at me, much less forgive me.

The truth is that whatever I’ve done, God will forgive me if I turn to Him in confession and repentance. There is no sin so horrible that God won’t forgive it, and welcome His lost child back into the fold. All I have to do is confess it to Him and ask His forgiveness.

Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7: 18-19 (KJV)

The problem isn’t God’s willingness to forgive; it’s my willingness to accept the forgiveness. God has promised to throw our sins so far away that He may as well have sunk them into the Marianas Trench. I’ve got to stop dredging for them in the mud of the local pond.

The Enemy is more than willing to provide us line to go fishing for those old sins. If he can convince us that we aren’t forgiven, that we aren’t worthy of forgiveness, then maybe he can also convince us that he has more power than God. Maybe he can persuade us to follow him instead of God. He has everything to gain and nothing to lose by trying to shake our faith and keep us attached to those old sins.

God has promised to clear those sins away. “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12 (KJV). That doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences for my actions. If I commit a crime, I’ll still have to answer for it to earthly authorities. If I cause someone pain, I’ll still have to work at rebuilding my relationship with them. But I am forgiven for the sin.

Let me repeat that: I am forgiven for the sin. God has put the transgression away. Satan tries to convince me that the corpse of the sin hangs around my neck like a dead crow hung on a cornfield fence, vile and stinking. If I yield to his plan, I can wallow in the stench of those old failings. But that isn’t God’s plan. He has promised again and again through scripture that He has forgiven the sin and put it aside.

No sin is bigger than God’s forgiveness. As hard as it may be to accept, He forgives the vilest of actions if the sinner confesses and repents. Serial killers, child molesters, forgers, robbers, liars, cheaters, gossips, whatever – no sin is too big if the repentance is sincere. And no sin is too small to be confessed to Him.

Are you plagued by the memories of old sins that you’ve confessed? Tell Satan to get lost. God has forgiven you. He is bigger than Satan and bigger than your sin. You can trust Him on that!

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of forgiveness. Thank You for being bigger than Satan, bigger than my sin. Help me to demonstrate my repentance by accepting Your forgiveness and walking in the sunlight of Your love.


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