He Will..

"If we confess our sins, He [God] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

You've gone a whole week without looking at that website..
You've stayed from the bottle for an entire 7 days..
You've kept from the cigarette, and stopped your mouth from cursing for a week..
You've resisted, and by God's grace, have overcome these addictions.. but then you failed.
You looked at that website and lusted, you drank to numb your pain, you smoked and cursed to make you feel 'better'.. all the while growing further and further away from God.

Failure is hard to deal with, especially after a great period of victory. And when we do fail, we feel as if the whole world was ending because of it. The guilt and shame piles upon us, and we become heavily burdened. We know what we have to do.. we have to run back to God, confess our sins, repent, and trust Him that we truly are forgiven.

Most of the time, when we do this, we 'feel' different. We can literally feel the burden has lifted, and is no more.. but then there are times when, even after we confess, we still feel guilt and shame. This is a scary place to be in, and many doubts could rise in your mind.

• Am I truly forgiven?
• Does God even want to hear from me?
• Have I went too far?
• Am I even being sincere in my repentance anymore?

But do not fear, for God says otherwise. His word says that "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). It doesn't say "He'll think about it", or "will consider it".. no.. it says "He will".. without fail!

So the next time you fail, ask for forgiveness.. and even if you don't 'feel' different, you 'know' that you truly are forgiven. Your Father cannot wait for you to come back home! (Luke 15:11-32)