Forgiving ( yourself )?

~ What does the Bible say about forgiving yourself ~ ? ? GOD LOVES us so much, HE put the "eye" in mine ! ( HE Loves us so much HE can't take HIS eyes off of us ! When someone isn’t able move beyond his or her failures, mistakes, and even sins, they can get stuck in a spiral of debilitating regret, depression, and even self-hatred. And we have ( all ) been there before. Some of us still are... It’s important that we understand the way out of this internal bondage. It’s not self-forgiveness, but rather (self-acceptance.) Although they might be hard pressed to acknowledge it, they want to be like GOD—perfect and in control of all things. ( Only GOD [is] perfect and in control of all things.) They believe they should know how to do it right, to say it right, to know ahead of time what the right answer should be or what right solution will best solve a problem. If they could always live that way, then they’d feel better about themselves. But when they fail (and as a sinner, they inevitably will), they feel profound disappointment and shame. they can’t believe how stupid, sinful, foolish, incompetent, scared, irresponsible, selfish they are. In beating themselves up, they are

reinforcing their internal lie that they should have been better than that.

Before someone can experience and accept GOD'S grace, they must emotionally (not merely intellectually) accept who they are. There is only [ one ] GOD, and he or she is not HIM. He or She is a creature: one who is called both saint and sinner, beautiful and broken. Humility is the only path that will give them the internal freedom they crave because once they are humble—

Jesus called it “poor in spirit”—they’ll be in a position to emotionally accept who he or she is, —a fallible, imperfect, sinful creature who doesn’t know it all. Then, they will no longer be so shocked, shamed, or disappointed when he or she sees her darker, sinful, weaker side. JUSTIFICATION. Justified by GOD. Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Faith through Our LORD JESUS CHRIST, " JUSTIFIES " us. We ( cannot ) Justify ourselves -

Never does the Bible talk about the idea of “forgiving yourself.” We are told to forgive [others] when they trespass against [us] and seek forgiveness. When we ask for GOD'S forgiveness based upon Christ having already paid for our sins and our having trusted in Him as Savior and Lord, [HE] forgives [us.] It is as simple as that (1 John 1:9). However, even though we are released from the bondage to sin (as spoken of in Romans chapters 6-8), we can still choose to wallow in it and act as though we are not freed from it. Likewise, with guilty feelings we can accept the fact that we are forgiven in Christ, or we can believe the devil’s lie that we are still guilty and should therefore feel guilty. The Bible says that when GOD forgives us -

HE “remembers our sins no more" (Jeremiah 31:34).

This does [not] mean that the all-knowing GOD [forgets] because HE [forgives us.]

Rather, HE chooses not to bring up our sin to HIMSELF or others. When our former sins come to mind, we can choose to dwell upon them (with the resulting guilty feelings), or we can choose to fill our minds with thoughts of the awesome GOD who forgave us and thank and praise Him for it (Philippians 4:8). Remembering our sins is only beneficial when it reminds us of the extent of GOD'S forgiveness and makes it easier for us to forgive others (Matthew 18:21-35). Sadly, there are some people who don’t “forgive themselves,” that is, who don’t move beyond their past, because they really don’t want to forget their former sins. Some choose rather to continue getting a vicarious thrill out of reliving past sins in their minds. This, too, is a sin and must be confessed and forsaken. A man who lusts in his heart after a woman is guilty of the sin of adultery (Matthew 5:28). If this is happening in a Christian’s life, the pattern of sin/guilt/sin/guilt can be destructive and never-ending. Remembering that our sins are forgiven should make it easier to forgive others their sin (Matthew 7:1-5; 1 Timothy 1:15). Forgiveness should remind us of the great Savior who forgave us, undeserving though we will always be, and draw us closer in loving obedience to Him (Romans 5:10; Psalm 103:2-3,10-14). God will allow our sin to come to mind (satan may intend it for an evil purpose, but God allows it for a good purpose), but He wants us to accept His forgiveness and rejoice in His grace. So, the next time your former sins come to mind, “change the channel” by choosing to dwell upon His mercies (it might help to make a list of verses that encourage you to praise) and think about how we should loathe sin. Let’s talk about what it is to: Backslide -

to draw back or apostatize in matters of religion ( Acts 21:21 ; 2 th 2:3 ; 1 Timothy 4:1 ). This may be either partial ( Proverbs 14:14 ) or complete ( Hebrews 6:4-6 ; Hebrews 10:38 Hebrews 10:39 ). The apostasy may be both doctrinal and moral. bak'-slid' (meshubhah; Hosea 11:7; 14:4 and often in Ho and Jer, shobhabh; shobhebh, in Jer, 4 times:

all meaning "turning back or away," "apostate," "rebellious." carar, in Hosea 4:16 = "stubborn," "rebellious"; the Revised Version (British and American) "stubborn"): In all places the word is used of Israel forsaking Yahweh, and with a reference to the covenant relation between Yahweh and the nation, conceived as a marriage tie which Israel had violated. Yahweh was Israel's husband, and by her idolatries with other gods she had proved unfaithful (Jeremiah 3:8,14; 14:7; Hosea 14:4). It may be questioned whether Israel was guilty so much of apostasy and defection, as of failure to grow with the growing revelation of GOD. The prophets saw that their contemporaries fell far short of their own ideal, but they did not realize how far their predecessors also had fallen short of the rising prophetic standard in ideal and action. See APOSTASY.

Backslider bak'-slid-er cugh lebh:

"The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways" (Proverbs 14:14).

The Hebrew expression here implies simply non-adherence to the right. When we “ Backslide” we fall back into our ‘’old ways’’ - in a Christian context, implies movement away from Christ rather than toward HIM. A backslider is someone who is going the wrong way, spiritually. He is regressing rather than progressing. The backslider had at one time demonstrated a commitment to Christ or maintained a certain standard of behavior, but he has since reverted to old ways. Backsliding may manifest itself in several ways, e.g., dropping out of church, losing fervor for the Lord, walking away from a ministry or a family, or falling back into old habits. ( And we all do ‘this’ from time to time. ) ( This is where REPENTANCE becomes vital. ) Moving along --- Some people use the word backslide to mean that a person has lost his or her salvation. However, since a saved person is secure in Christ (John 10:28–29)—God will not kick His children out of His family—that is not how we will use the word. Rather, when we speak of backsliding, we simply mean that someone is growing cold toward Christ. A backslidden condition could indicate the person was ( never saved to begin with )—in which case, the backslider is only showing his true colors. A saved person can ( also ) backslide, temporarily. Hosea Chapter 14:2 Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive [us] graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.3 Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, [Ye are] our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.4 I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.5 I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.

The Bible uses the phrase fall away rather than backslide, but the idea is similar.

In the Bible to “fall away” can mean two different things. In one instance, the person is saved but experiencing a temporary period of questioning that we could call a “crisis of faith.” In the other instance, the person was never saved at all but only temporarily behaving as a saved person would. We will call this taking Christianity for a “test drive.”

The Backsliden Crisis of Faith.

In Mark 14:27 Jesus tells His disciples, “You will all fall away.” What He meant was that, when He was arrested, they would experience a crisis of faith, a life event so shocking that they would run from Jesus and question the very core of their beliefs. It was a night of offense, a night of stumbling for them. But this was a temporary condition. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to the disciples. Their faith and hope were restored, stronger than ever.

The apostle Paul tells us how to handle a fellow believer who is backsliding: “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted” (Galatians 6:1). James concurs: “My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth . . . someone should bring that person back” (James 5:19). The backslider has wandered from where he should be and is “stuck” in sin, but the church will work to restore him and set him back on the path of righteousness.

There are events in life, such as the death of a loved one, that may cause us to question GOD.

This is okay, as long as we go to GOD with those questions rather than using them as excuses to live in rebellion. Salvation comes by means of a genuine confession of Jesus as Lord to a heart that believes in Jesus’ death and resurrection (Romans 10:9–10). If a person who has been truly saved later backslides—that is, he slips back into spiritually damaging attitudes and behaviors—the slide will be temporary. The chastening of the Lord will bring him back (see Hebrews 12:4–13). The Good Shepherd will seek out the wandering lamb (Luke 15:3–7).

If a person who was never saved but only putting on a good front backslides—that is, he drops the charade and shows his true colors—his last condition will be worse than the first (Hebrews 10:26–31). How can we tell one type of backsliding from the other? We can’t always, unless given time, and, even then, we don’t know how much time God will take in restoring the backslider. Only God can see the heart. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: Ephesians Chapter 4:31.

Recommended Resource: Experiencing the Cross: Your Greatest Opportunity for Victory Over Sin by Henry Blackaby { Of course, always check the Bible ( GOD’S WORD ) first ! } Shalom - and GOD Bless every one of you !