Where have I been for months??? That is the question! Let’s call the past few months The Lost Months. You know how sometimes we run away from God and His love because we feel tormented by our sin or something we’re not doing or are in bondage to. We let guilt, rebellion, shame and just plain old stubbornness separate us from the joy and love of The Lord. We lie to ourselves that we’re too busy or too sinful and allow those lies to fester until we’ve lost valuable time we could have shared with our Saviour.

Firstly if we are saved, then we cannot be in bondage because Jesus already broke all those chains when He died, overcame death and rose again and so no other power has dominion over us anymore. Many times the self-condemnation, regret, self-loathing etc might be justified by the standards of the Law, but those don’t pertain to us anymore. We are sinners by the old law, hopelessly bound to dozens of burnt offerings and ash and sackcloth to do penance for all our wrongdoing.  But being the Redeemed of The Lord Jesus Christ, we’re no longer subject to standards of The Law. We’re now held to the standards of God’s love and the Grace His Son Jesus bought for us with His precious blood. There is therefore now no condemnation for us and we are free to confess our sins with sincerity and trust in the Lord’s Grace to wipe clean our slate if we confess and repent with a penitent heart.

And if we do as we should and Love (God and man) in the way that we should, then there is no more condemnation because we are obeying God and we realize that he forgives us just as he expects us to forgive ourselves and others, because of Love. God knows us and our motivations and worries and weaknesses and triggers better than we know them ourselves. If He is willing to wipe our slates clean who are we to keep dwelling on them?! 

Rather than obsessing over our wrongdoing, our focus should be on living a life filled with God’s love. And once we put aside the self-condemnation and the judgment etc, then we realize the manifestation of God’s love in our lives in all the things He does for us every minute of every day and we realize that we can ask and believe and we will receive from Him because of His abundant, exemplary love for us.

1 John 3:18-24 (MSG)

My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. [21] And friends, once that’s taken care of and we’re no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we’re bold and free before God! We’re able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we’re doing what he said, doing what pleases him. Again, this is God’s command: to believe in his personally named Son, Jesus Christ. He told us to love each other, in line with the original command. As we keep his commands, we live deeply and surely in him, and he lives in us. And this is how we experience his deep and abiding presence in us: by the Spirit he gave us.

1 John 3:19-22 (AMP)

By this we shall come to know (perceive, recognize, and understand) that we are of the Truth, and can reassure (quiet, conciliate, and pacify) our hearts in His presence, [20] Whenever our hearts in tormenting self-accusation make us feel guilty and condemn us. For we are in God”s hands. For He is above and greater than our consciences (our hearts), and He knows (perceives and understands) everything nothing is hidden from Him. [21] And, beloved, if our consciences (our hearts) do not accuse us if they do not make us feel guilty and condemn us, we have confidence (complete assurance and boldness) before God, [22] And we receive from Him whatever we ask, because we watchfully obey His orders observe His suggestions and injunctions, follow His plan for us and habitually practice what is pleasing to Him.