Find Spiritual Healing Through Self-Forgiveness
Do you strive for perfection but always come up a bit short? Feeling like a failure is depressing. I used to believe I was a failure. I thought self-forgiveness was for others, not for me. Deep inside I felt I didn’t deserve to be forgiven. I also felt I could never be good enough to please God or earn His forgiveness.
Feelings Don’t Predicate Reality
Have you ever thought your feelings were the truth? I have.
I saw myself as a failure beyond God’s love. Whenever I missed the mark, I would berate myself, feeling God was angry with me.
One day, to my great joy, I learned feelings don’t have to dictate my behavior or determine who I become. Although they feel true, I can choose not to let my feelings determine my reality.
Remember Where You Came From
One day the Lord said, “Barbara, you were made out of dust; dust gets dirty. I love you in spite of your dirt.”
Opening my Bible, I read, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for He knows our frame; He remembers we are dust.” (Ps. 103:13-14).
God looks at me and remembers! In His compassion, He understands me and He expects me to get dirty. He wasn’t angry when I got dirty.
That was amazing. I felt I had no value because I kept failing. But that was okay. The Heavenly Father still loved me! Now when I fail, when I sin, I don’t have to try to earn His love or appease His anger.
Think about it! It’s important to remember where you came from. When God looks at you – He remembers. He knows you will fall and get dirty. Why? Because you are made of dust. Sin is a sign of your humanity and of your need for a Saviour to wash you clean.
You don’t need to berate yourself or plummet into depression, for the Lord is like a Daddy who has deep compassion for his little one. When his child falls, he lovingly picks up the little one and tenderly comforts him.
In the Lord’s great mercy, He removes your sins from you; He redeems your life from destruction because He is slow to wrath. He delights in forgiveness and does not reward you according to your iniquities or failures.
Sanctified by the Holy Spirit
The Egyptians mockingly called Israel “the dusty ones”.
The Lord who sanctified Israel, will sanctify our dust if we yield ourselves to Him.
The wonderful truth is the Spirit delights in cleansing and transforming us. He loves to turn “the dusty ones” into mighty warriors who triumph over sin.
Forgiveness is Honoring
The truth is when you forgive yourself, it honors the Lord.
I hear you saying, “No. That feels wrong. It feels arrogant; even selfish.”
Let me ask you a question. Who programmed Self? Did you? Self works to separate you from God’s love. It opposes the truth because it is programmed with lies.
The lie did not originate with you. Deep down, you long to be like Jesus. But you believe lies because they feel real. Deceived by feelings, you fail.
Jesus, is pure and holy. Nothing selfish originates from Him.
We know uncleanness emanates from the Evil one. He is our enemy and he programs the Self. When we accept lies as truth, it empowers the demonic to manipulate us and to program our feelings so what we feel is truth, we believe.
Most of us who love Jesus live by our feelings. I did. My feelings drove me to make foolish decisions, even as they robbed me of hope.
The wonderful truth is when the blood of Jesus touched my vessel of dirt, I was made clean. Born again by the Holy Spirit, I received a new programmer. The Spirit of God began the process of transforming me by giving me a new life and the ability to choose truth over my feelings.
🔑 I have learned to ask, “Is this feeling a genuine emotion I need to process? Or is it a lie seeking to take me captive to failure?”
That has brought incredible freedom in Jesus and helps me to choose the truth.
When you feel depressed, dirty and worthless, those are just feelings. Feelings are different than emotions. Feelings lie. Scientific studies show feelings often come from thoughts rising from your reptilian brain; they are based on lies you learned as a little one.
Learn To Forgive Yourself
You were formed out of dust. Dust gets dirty. Give yourself grace. The Lord died to forgive you. It is time to forgive yourself.
The Heavenly Father hates sin but He does not hate you. He is not angry or annoyed when you do something silly.
He is gentle and kind. He offers you Jesus. Knowing you are weak and need to be cleansed, He offers you forgiveness.
Receive His forgiveness. You may not feel worthy. That’s okay! In fact, it’s true. You and I are not worthy! But Jesus is worthy and He died so you may be forgiven.
Dear Heart
- Reject any feeling that drives you to be negative or passive. Such feelings are lying to you.
- Receive the cleansing of Jesus; know He forgives you.
- Give yourself permission to not be perfect. Choose to begin to forgive yourself. You are made from dust. You will get dirty. When you do, allow Jesus to wash you; let Him be your covering.
- Choose Jesus, who is Truth. Let Him break the shackles of depression.
- Choose to walk in the truth. Reject the lies that ensnare you. As you choose life, you choose Jesus.
As you learn to forgive yourself, it opens the door to being an Overcomer. You gain a new perspective where your focus is on the Lord Jesus who loves you, instead of on your failure. He has made a way of escape from your past.
Set your affection on Jesus so He may set you free from feelings that deceive you.
In conclusion, when you choose to think with the mind of Christ – you move out of the reactivity and powerlessness of the reptilian brain into your cortex – where the Spirit empowers you to choose life.
This is so challenging but so transformative to embrace self-forgiveness. Thank you for this reminder.
Thank you for your comment, Lily.
It is true transformation really begins to occur as we learn to forgive ourselves. It is amazing but as long as we don’t forgive our own self – there is a block that hinders us from freely moving forward to love others and forgive them or to love God. It also blocks us from receiving God’s forgiveness and love.
As a result, learning to love our own self enough to release ourselves rom having to pay a debt we either don’t owe, or which is impossible for us to pay is a huge step to freedom. May the Lord bless you as you move forward with Him in this wonderful process.