Counting on God’s Promise to Forgive
“Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.” Joshua 21:45
God’s promises never fail. That’s the message of the verse above, which was written during a tumultuous time in Israel’s history. As a nation Israel had been on again and off again in their obedience to God’s commands. At times their disobedience was so bad that though they cried out to God for help they didn’t know if he’d be willing to help them. But God showed that he was faithful even when they were not and his desire was always that they would turn to him. Despite their frequent disobedience not one of his good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.
God is faithful to his followers today as well. One of the promises we can count on as his children—those who have made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ—is that he will forgive our sins despite repeated failure. This is a tough one for many Christians because Satan can make us feel like we’ve failed so many times that God’s patience has run out, and he will no longer forgive. But that’s not true. In a verse written to Christians the Bible says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
God doesn’t take our sin lightly, and neither should we. As with Israel he wants our hearts to be inclined and keep all his commands always (Deuteronomy 5:29). That’s the goal, but when we fail we can count on his promise to forgive 100% of the time when we come to him in genuine confession and repentance. God cannot and will not fail to keep his promise to forgive. If you are burdened by a recurring sin confess it to God today and trust in his promise to forgive you. He will.
Do you struggle with a recurring sin you need to confess and trust God’s promise to forgive?
Having begun as a guest speaker in 2005, Dan was appointed Interim Pastor in 2008 and has been serving Maple Root Baptist ever since. As a small group leader and Chaplin for the Connecticut Tigers, Dan has a heart for the lost and the God that saves them.