Song of the Day
“Holy Water” by We The Kingdom
Devotional thought
I know that there are times we feel like we are in a desert place spiritually, and it is difficult to know how to come up out of that place of barrenness. Well, I love today’s song because it reminds us of the refreshing power of forgiveness in our life. Sometimes all we need to do is to spend a bit of time at the feet of the Father examining ourselves and seeking His forgiveness where we have sinned.
Seriously, how many of us can attest to the fact that we can go a long time without having that time of examination before the Lord? When the goal should be for us to keep a short sin account (so to speak) between us and the Father! I know that we can be tempted to think, “Well, if the Lord Jesus forgave me of all my sins, why should I have to continue to pray for forgiveness?”. But, I want to encourage you not to get caught in that trap of the enemy!
Coming to the Lord for forgiveness is an act of humility, and the Lord is attracted to a humble heart! The Psalmist says in Psalm 32 that the person who is forgiven is “blessed”! This word means to be happy beyond measure, to have a joyful mind!
Well, it also says in that text that when the Psalmist kept silent, meaning he didn’t confess his sins to the Lord, his strength was sapped, his vitality was missing, he had very little ambition to live! Why, because the Lord’s hand was heavy on him and he felt the conviction of God on him!
See, when we walk around with unconfessed sin in our life, we are sabotaging ourselves spiritually! But, when we do what the Psalmist did in Ps 32:5, and confess our sins to the Lord, we will find the most exhilarating, life-giving, result – forgiveness!
There really is nothing like the experience of having your sins forgiven. Not based on any merit of your own, but offered freely through the blood of Jesus Christ. Forgiveness truly is sweet to taste, pleasant to the soul, and refreshing to the mind! It reminds us of the goodness of God, and frees us of the guilt and shame that comes along with sinful living.
One more thing about forgiveness is that it is a great teacher! Once we have tasted the forgiveness of God through confession, we no longer want to go back to that place of heaviness and darkness that sin was producing in us! God promises us that when we confess our sins to Him, He will not only forgive our sins, He will cleanse us of all unrighteousness.
Forgiveness is an act of grace, and according to Titus 2:12 it is grace that teaches us to deny ungodliness and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this life! Hallelujah! The power that forgiveness, enacted by the grace of God, produces in us truly is like the refreshing experience of a cleansing flow of water consecrated to wash the filth from my flesh!
Prayer
God of forgiveness, I praise You for refreshing me in Your cleansing flow! I am so grateful to have experienced Your forgiveness, Your life-giving grace truly has changed my life forever, Lord. And, I praise You for saving me! Please help me to stay humble and to confess my sins to receive forgiveness from You often. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Scripture to reflect upon
(Please hover, or click onto, the Scriptures to read the specified text!)
- 1 John 1:9,
- Rom 6:1-14,
- Titus 2:11-12,
- Ps 32:1-5,
Memory Verse
