I was praying yesterday, and asking God to forgive my mistakes of last year and to give me a quiet spirit of peace and determination to do better this year. I received a feeling of comfort about it and felt His warm loving Spirit engulf me and remind me of something that I often say, but perhaps don’t think about enough.
God does not hold grudges. When we pray and ask Him for forgiveness, He forgives our sins and remembers them no more. Hebrews 8:12 – For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
The blood of Christ spilled on the cross provided a worthy sacrifice which resulted in full remission of our sins, so that God could remember our sins no more without compromising the perfect requirements of His law. Those who trust in our Savior and have faith will be cleansed of our sins and receive a full pardon that prevents judgment because of them. It also opens a wide door to all spiritual blessings.
Unpardoned sin on the other hand, hinders mercy, and pulls down judgments upon those who trust in all of the vanities of the world and one day will vanish away, and leave those who rejected the Savior miserable forever.
The spiritual father of my good friend Daniel Yaw Akuoko from Ghana Africa died a couple of years ago and he asked me to take his place. I agreed, and we often correspond. I received this letter from him yesterday:
“Dear Papa
New year has come. New is new. Only God can create new things. Only God can help us not to consider old things. What a loving Father we have.
Is. 43:18-19 – ‘Do not remember the former things. Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert’
This is good, grace and opportunity God is giving us. This is love from God. Let us be encouraged.
Love greetings from Ghana, Africa.
Daniel”
“Good grace and opportunity” just about sums it up. I don’t know about you, but I’m greatly encouraged by this and look forward to good grace and opportunity moving forward. My sins of last year and all the years before having been forgiven and forgotten by God, and remembered no more. I can look to the upcoming year with confidence and hope, knowing God will offer many spiritual blessings this year as I do my part and try harder to follow His Holy Word the Bible.
Rev. 21:5
And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”