Are Your Sins Really Forgiven and Forgotten?
Southaven, Ms
By: Mike Upchurch
There is a beautiful passage written by King David in the Psalms concerning God’s compassion and His potential treatment of our sins…..
“The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.
He does not punish us for all our sins; He does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
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.”
Psalms 103:8-12 NLT
I love reading that over and over, attempting to embed those promises deep in my spirit. I want them to be a part of me so that I’ll remember His love for me, and so that I’ll remember how far away my sins are from me, NEVER to be remembered! That is, IF I’ve confessed those sins and repented of them, turning away.
Think of that statement in the last verse; “as far from us as the east is from the west”. When you understand the depth of that truth, it will put a spring in your step! The east and the west can never meet!
If you leave your driveway and begin walking east from your house, there will never be a point in time in which you’ll suddenly begin walking west instead. You’ll always be facing east. Apply that to your sins. Hypothetically, if they could only be seen while facing west, and you’re continually facing east, they’ll always be behind you. You will never find them again. They will never be remembered again. They are GONE!!
If David had said “as far as the North is from the South”, well then the context would be totally different. If you begin walking south, you’ll eventually hit the South Pole. If you continue walking in that same direction, you’ll eventually be walking north. Not so with the east versus west! They never meet! You’ll never meet your sins again! Whoo Hoo! Stop looking back at your sins! Stop reminding the Lord of them! Stop dredging them up! Stop looking behind you at your past! Only the enemy is remembering them, not the Lord! Oh, and the devil is quick to remind you of your failures! Continually! But not the Lord! Again, YOUR SINS ARE GONE!
That Psalm has more beautiful truths within it’s verses as well….
“The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.”
“He does not punish us for all our sins; He does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.”
“For His unfailing love toward those who fear Him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.”
Those are simply beautiful promises! His love is unfailing!
He doesn’t deal with us as we deserve! His love is greater than the height of heaven above earth! That distance is immeasurable! Heaven doesn’t have a ceiling! God’s love for you has no ceiling either! God IS love! And He loves YOU with that unfailing love! And if you’ve confessed your sins AND turned away, THEY ARE GONE!!! They won’t ever be brought up again! Think about those truths, and it will be shouting time my friends!
And that’s the way I see it!
Pastor Mike
