The weapon of choice for the Devil is to show us our mistakes and failures over and over.
How many times have you been told to let go of the past but yet you find yourself thinking about those things that still causes you to feel hurt, shame, and pain. It seems like it's a recording in your mind that can't be turned off, even though you try very hard to forget about it.
Because of the way you feel you don't seek God the way you should, because deep inside you believe God is looking down on you. Yes you might still go to church. You may even sing in the choir, and because you smile and embrace the other members at the end of the service no one even detects that you are going through a battle inside. Some days you may even feel like it would be easier to quit than to keep trying to be a christian with so much shame inside. This is exactly how the Devil wants you to feel.
He wants you to think God would never use a person like yourself. He whispers into your ears "Who are you to try to tell someone else about the Lord when you have messed up so badly." But in the Bible we find several people that God hand picked who messed up while living for the Lord. Look at the life of David. A man after Gods own heart (Acts 13:22), yet David messed up. Solomen, Moses, Saul they all messed up. But did God Give up on them, Did he choose not to use them any more? The church would be empty if God chose only to use people that never messed up. Let's look at David for a minute. When David repented he took full responsibility. He said "I have sinned against God." He made no excuses. He did not try to put the blame on anyone else. He didn't try to justify his actions. He was simply saying from the Heart "God I did wrong" That's what God is looking for-A heart that is right before him.
Regardless of what you may have done in the past if you have repented from the heart, God forgave you immediately. The bible says God: Wipes off our sins (Isaiah 43:25a) Forgets our sins (Isaiah 43:25b); Removes our sins. He takes them as far away from us as the east is from the west. (Read Psalm 103:12); Throws our sins behind his back (Isaiah 38:17); Buries our sins at the bottom of the sea (Micah 7:19).
The power of repentance is often overlooked. If you are not going to believe what God's word says about repentance than it's no need to repent. You must believe what God says he will do with your situation when you truly repent from the heart-it's wiped away. Remind yourself what God word says and when the devil tries to bring your past to remembrance tell him " you're talking about the old me, I'm now walking in the new me." John 6:37 . . . whoever comes to me I will never drive away. God is saying He would never look down on you, never turn his back on you, never turn you away, never feel shame of you, and will never stop loving you. God will use your situation to help others in his kingdom. This is another reason why Satan wants you to feel guilty. He knows if you ever lay that guilt down and reach out to others that have experienced a similar situation more people are going to get delivered from his lies.
So if the question "Will God Still Use Me" rings in your soul, the answer is Yes! Yes! Yes!-God will use you again!
God Bless,
This article was written by Denise Davis owner of the Potter's House Christian Gifts and Bookstore.
