Forgiving Yourself

[Wynona]

You messed up big time. Now you give yourself a hard time and view yourself worse than before.

Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself.

But you can take those thoughts captive and truly let it go, not reliving the past anymore.

I used to berate myself for my past sin. But I read Ezekiel 18 and found freedom.

21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.

23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?


What I got from Ezekiel 18 is that I can turn to God today, do right, and He will accept me despite the wrong I had done before. He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He wants us to turn to God's ways and live.

God's mercies are new every morning. Every day really is a new day. I could still be stuck in the past but then I wouldn't be fully alive and giving God my best today.

 

[Not me]

You messed up big time. Now you give yourself a hard time and view yourself worse than before.

Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself.

But you can take those thoughts captive and truly let it go, not reliving the past anymore.

I used to berate myself for my past sin. But I read Ezekiel 18 and found freedom.

21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.

23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?


What I got from Ezekiel 18 is that I can turn to God today, do right, and He will accept me despite the wrong I had done before. He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He wants us to turn to God's ways and live.

God's mercies are new every morning. Every day really is a new day. I could still be stuck in the past but then I wouldn't be fully alive and giving God my best today.

The real-is-umm that is in your post is a blessing to partake of….

Be blessed in Him, Not me

 

[Karl Peters]

You messed up big time. Now you give yourself a hard time and view yourself worse than before.

Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself.

But you can take those thoughts captive and truly let it go, not reliving the past anymore.

I used to berate myself for my past sin. But I read Ezekiel 18 and found freedom.

21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.

23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?


What I got from Ezekiel 18 is that I can turn to God today, do right, and He will accept me despite the wrong I had done before. He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He wants us to turn to God's ways and live.

God's mercies are new every morning. Every day really is a new day. I could still be stuck in the past but then I wouldn't be fully alive and giving God my best today.

Such a big and important thing!!!!

For five years, the Lord had me work in a Christian healing ministry for Him. While doing that I made special efforts to try and listen to the Lord as to how and what he wanted me to do while in that ministry. People came in, I would seek His voice and go about what He asked me to do. Forgiveness was certainly the most common thing He had me working with people (Christians) on. And the most common and effect aspect of forgiveness was getting people to forgive themselves!!

It was also interesting because how He would have me approach the issue. He did not have me tell them that they needed to forgive themselves: He wanted to tell them!! That way they both started hearing from Him and learned about forgiveness. What He had me do was have them ask Him if they needed to forgive anyone. He had me keep asking them until they couldn't hear Him about anyone else.

It usually worked something like this:

I would have them pray, "Lord Jesus Christ, is there anyone I need to forgive?" Then I would have them listen for what thoughts came to them, They I would have them announce, "Lord, I forgiven them." And note: I didn't need to know who they were forgiving, they just needed to pick up a word from the Lord inside them and announce, "Lord, I forgiven them." I would encourage them to keep doing it over and over until they couldn't pick up anything else, and even then I sometimes would have them ask the Lord one more time if there 'was anyone else they needed to forgive?'

So often, even usually, the last person they found out that they needed to forgive was themselves! And that was usually the breakthrough point. It was the point where peace usually came over them. It was the point where we could then pray for healing for them, and they got their healing. It was a point where they just seemed to get an understanding that all He did for them, even at the cross, was to enable them to understand the forgiveness He had for them was for them, even themselves!

He forgivess us, but so often we just don't understand that His forgiveness means we can forgive ourselves! Yet we need to hear that from Him, because faith comes from hearing!!

I would encourage anyone and everyone, to spend a little time asking Him if there is anyone you need to forgive, listen and then just announce your forgiveness for them. Do that until you get a blank slate. And don't be too surprised if the last person on the slate is you.

Great subject Wynona. - Great post! And yes, today is the day to hear from Him. Today is the day you should have prayed the Lord's prayer with the part about forgiving us our debt as we forgive our debtors. So today is the right day to ask Him about who you need to forgive. It is what we do after the Lord's prayer, right?