A few years ago, a commercial ran on TV about a clothing spot-cleaning product. A young man applying for a job sat across from a business executive. However, the young man had a large stain on his shirt, which drew the executive’s attention because it was loudly speaking, so the only thing the executive could focus on was the stain.
In the same way, sin blocks our communication and separates us from our holy God. Isaiah 59: 2 says, your wrongdoings have caused a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. Psalm 66:18 also reminds, The Lord will not hear me if I hold on to sin in my heart.
J. C. Ryle wrote, “every part of the world bears testimony to the fact that sin is the universal disease of mankind.”
We all need spiritual cleaning. Every one of us has sinned. Sometimes we are well aware of the sinful things in our life, other times we might have ignored or convinced ourselves it wasn’t that bad. Ask God to unearth any hidden sin in your life, anything that doesn’t please Him. Then repent (turn away from the sin and toward God) and ask for forgiveness. Don’t give the devil more time to accuse you, beat you down, and keep you from a right relationship with God.
In the Bible, we read that Peter had promised Jesus he would be there for Him and even fight for Him, yet Peter ran when Jesus was arrested, and then denied Jesus three times.
After Christ was resurrected, Peter knew he had been forgiven and shared with others (many of whom had demanded Jesus be crucified). Peter told them to repent and return to God so “that your sins may be wiped away [blotted out, completely erased], so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day]” (Acts 3:19, AMP).
I really love these verses because Peter understood and knew there is nothing more refreshing than being given grace by our loving, forgiving Savior. That refreshing, God’s amazing grace is also available for you.
Jesus Christ went to the cross and in our place took all our sins on His innocent shoulders. God loves us; Christ loves us so much that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. God is good, ready to forgive, abundant in lovingkindness, and rich in mercy. His mercy is new every morning. He takes our sin and throws it as far as the east is from the west, remembering it no more, and cleansing us white as snow.
Don’t ever be afraid to come to God’s throne of grace. For forgiveness, mercy, grace, cleansing, restoration, refreshing, joy, and celebration, please turn to our tender, compassionate, forgiving God.
“Let the wicked abandon their way of life and the evil their way of thinking. Let them come back to God, who is merciful, come back to our God, who is lavish with forgiveness” (Isaiah 55:7, MSG).
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23, ESV).
“Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says the Lord, ‘Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18, NASB).
“I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free” (Isaiah 44:22, NLT).
“For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him” (Psalm 103:11-13, NLT).
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I would take the offense to God and release it in prayer. But then the reminders would replay, and I would again wallow in self-pity and anger. I wanted everyone else to see what this person did, to put their failures on a big movie screen.