The Importance of Forgiving Yourself

• Truth: Even when we know that God’s love is unconditional, it can be difficult to forgive ourselves.

• And this isn’t a challenge just for new Christians or those beginning to learn about God. This can also be a struggle for seasoned Christians.

• Let me share a brief story from my own journey to further illustrate this:

• Several years ago, I ended up drifting away from God. At the same time, I was discovering entrepreneurship.

• Even though I’ve wanted to be debt free since my 20s, and even though I was a seasoned Christian who knew how to make wise choices, I ended up creating a real financial mess.

• Because I had drifted from God (who is my Rock), I allowed myself to get sucked into - and be affected by - a dark entrepreneurial space. As a result, I kept charging thousands of dollars that I didn’t have on courses and coaching programs. 

• To make matters worse, during this season I quit my highly toxic day job without lining up a new one while also going through the $16,000 I had withdrawn from my government pension. In addition, nothing I was doing business wise was bringing in income.

• In His grace, God showed up before things got really bad. (I honestly could have ended up homeless.) He placed me in a season where He got me back into a close relationship with Him.

• Afterward, He called me to attend a virtual dream summit hosted by a Christian entrepreneur. During one of the exercises, God told me to forgive myself for acquiring that debt.

• You see, after being restored to my God (and thus my true self), I was horrified at what I’d done. Not only had I accrued thousands of dollars of debt when I’ve only ever wanted to be debt-free, but I’m someone who plans with consistent progress in mind. Yet, I had allowed myself to be led down that dark path.

• But God didn’t want me to continue beating myself up over it. One, because I had already asked for His forgiveness - and He had forgiven me. So why should I continue carrying that weight? (Because it was a weight.)

• And, two, God had good plans in store for me. But in order for me to step forward with Him, I needed to forgive myself and let go of the past. Otherwise, the past would hold me back.

God Has Forgiven You - Now It’s Time to Forgive Yourself

• This is our biblical truth for today.

• The Creator of the Universe has forgiven you, which is your permission slip to forgive yourself. 

• Psalm 32:5 (NLT) says, “Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.

• Within 1 John 9-10 (MSG) it says, “...if we admit our sins—simply come clean about them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing.”

• If you’ve been taught that God is harsh, critical, and wants to punish you for your sins, then this can feel very difficult. After all, if you already feel bad about your mistakes or sin, who wants to be made to feel worse?

• But God isn’t interested in guilt, shame, or weighing you down with the past. (Like a wife who consistently rehashes her husband’s past mistakes.) 

• Instead, He’s interested in your FREEDOM. Guilt, shame, feeling unworthy, or just like a crummy human being…those things only weigh you down.

• Plus, it’s a way for Satan, our enemy, to get his hooks in there and continually convince you, through his lies, that you’re not worthy of God or that God doesn’t really love you. 

• Psalm 103: 10-11 (NLT) says, “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.”

• And God’s love is different from the inherent love of the world:

• 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NLT) reminds us that, “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”

Helpful Tips & Tools

• Tips:

• Forgiveness is a Process - Forgiving yourself can be an instantaneous experience. (For example, maybe this blog post provided a much-needed “Aha!” moment that put the puzzle pieces together.) However, it can also be a process. Some things take time and practice to implement - and that’s ok. 

• Give Yourself Grace - Just like God extends forgiveness, He extends grace. In fact, His forgiveness is an act of mercy and grace. So, if it takes a while to work on forgiving yourself, understand that there’s no timeline on grace. Also, as we read in 1 Corinthians, His love is patient. 

• Tools:

• Check Out These Additional Podcast Episodes - To dig deeper into the topic of forgiveness, check out episodes 96, 109, and 145. 

• Take the FREE Quiz - If you’re still struggling with feeling fully loved and accepted by God, the quiz will reveal the primary area of growth that will unlock breakthrough - plus give you a customized strategy that you can dive into.