Often people are afraid to come to the throne of Christ because of the weight of shame that is accumulated by their sins. What people do not know is that the promise made in John 1:5 is powerful and true: “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” The power that comes from asking God to forgive you is much stronger than the ephemeral power that holds you down because of your sins. In the moment, it may appear that those sins cannot be forgiven; that is deception created by satan. Recall the Word of God in Isaiah 43:25: “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.” The grace of God to forgive sins is a blessing beyond belief. Many have been brought to tears when contemplating God’s forgiveness after considering the sins they committed themselves. Mary sat at Jesus’ feet annointing Him with oil and spreading it over His feet with her hair (John 12:3). But that grace, although freely given, is not fully experienced without us taking action to open the doors of grace and allow the power of God to enter into our lives. More specifically, we need to forgive others who offended us for us to fully experience the grace of God: “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt 6:14-15).
