March 10, 2015
Fishing in the Waters of Our Past
Mary Southerland
Today’s Truth
You will have mercy on us again; You will conquer our sins. You will throw away all our sins into the deepest part of the sea (Micah 7:19, NCV).
Friend to Friend
A little boy and his mother went shopping at the local mall. The mom cautioned her young son to be on his best behavior and to remember the rules she had so carefully explained as they got ready to go … but the trip did not go well.
The little boy repeatedly tried to escape his mother’s grasp.
He whined when his mother refused to buy the toys he spotted in store windows.
He complained that the snacks his mother had brought from home were disgusting and loudly demanded a treat from the food court.
When the boy sat down in the middle of the mall, crossed his arms, and refused to budge, his mother was furious … and she was also done. She picked him up and headed for the nearest exit. Once outside, she firmly sat the boy down, grabbed his hand, and walked quickly to their car. The little boy knew he was in serious trouble.
On the trip home, the mother gripped the steering wheel, stared straight ahead, and said absolutely nothing. The little boy frantically tried to come up with a plan that would keep him from experiencing whatever punishment his mom obviously had in mind.
“Mama, I’ve been thinking. And I know I acted real bad at the store. And I’m really sorry,” the little boy began. Staring straight ahead, the mother drove in stony silence.
Then the little boy had an idea.
“Mama, I learned a new Bible verse in Sunday school yesterday,” he said hopefully. When his mother didn’t respond, he kept going. “The Bible says that when we do something wrong and then ask God to forgive us, He does. Is that right, Mama?”
Through clenched teeth, his mother replied, “Yes. That’s what the Bible says.”
Seeing a tiny sliver of hope, the little boy forged ahead. “I was thinking, Mama. I asked God to forgive me for the way I acted at the mall. So that means He threw that sin in the ocean, doesn’t it?”
Sighing, his mother answered, “Yes, that is what it means.”
“I’m glad, Mama,” the little boy replied hopefully. When his mother said nothing in return, the little boy was resigned to his inevitable fate. “Yeah,” he said, “but I have a feeling that when we get home, you are gonna go fishin’ in that ocean.”
We do the same thing when it comes to dealing with our sin.
We finally get to the place where we are willing to face and turn away from our sin. We come to God with a broken and repentant heart and lay that sin at His feet. We walk away … secure in His love and forgiveness … until a memory rocks that forgiveness and makes us question its validity. The enemy accuses and taunts us with our unworthiness, and we agree with him. Before we know it, we are re-living sins that Jesus has forgiven and buried at the deepest part of the sea.
We need to quit fishing in the waters of our past.
We must deal with sin and leave it behind.
When we allow sin to build up in our lives, it cultivates a sense of condemnation. Guilt soon follows … and so does the enemy. Satan loves to use guilt as a foothold from which he can catapult into our lives and wreak havoc. Guilt is the gift that keeps on giving … unless we stop it in its tracks with the unconditional love and overwhelming forgiveness of God.
Sin requires only one payment … and that payment has already been made when Jesus gave His life for us on the cross. God’s way almost seems too easy, doesn’t it? We ask for His forgiveness, and He gives it. Really? Really!
We act as if the Holy Spirit needs our help when it comes to dealing with sin. He doesn’t.
We live in a way that suggests what Jesus did on the cross is not enough. It is more than enough.
Scripture is clear about God’s attitude when one of His children repents and seeks His forgiveness.
Isaiah 1:18 “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be as crimson, they shall be like wool.”
Today is the day for you to walk in the freedom of God’s forgiveness. Today is the day for you to quit fishing in the waters of your past.
Let’s Pray
Father, I am so tired of trying to live each day, carrying the baggage of my past. Please give me the courage to face the sins I have tried so hard to bury. Help me turn away from each one, leaving it in Your hands. Thank You, Lord, for Your grace, Your mercy, Your love, and Your forgiveness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Today, make the choice to walk in the freedom of God’s forgiveness. Set aside time to spend in prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any sin in your life. Confess that sin and leave it behind. Read and memorize Psalm 103:12.
Psalm 103:12 (NCV) “He has taken our sins away from us as far as the east is from west.”
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