Pocket full of rocks.

Hebrews 10:21-22, "And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's people, let us go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting him. For our evil conciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water." One of the biggest mistakes in my life has been, not getting over my biggest mistakes. It's hard to find that forgiveness within myself for the things I have done wrong. The guilt can haunt me when I least expect it. The weight of a mistake can be like carrying a whole other person on your back. That person is the old you. It's something I think alot of us battle, and it prevents us from moving forward into what God has for us. In God's word and through our relationship with Christ, we realize that our mistakes are washed clean as soon as we give them to God. Isaiah 43:25, "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more." We are new creatures created out of the love of Jesus for us. Not letting go of our mistakes, once they are brought to God in repentance, is like sinning all over again. To repent means to turn around and walk in the other direction. Most of us do that, and we walk away from our sin. But all along, not realizing that we are still carrying around the guilt in our pockets. I think we try to somehow punish ourselves by holding onto the guilt. Not remembering, that God offers us mercy from punishment. It is by HIS grace we are forgiven! Hebrews 8:12, "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." Have you ever tried to walk around with your pockets full of rocks? When I was little, I spent alot of time outside and I started to collect rocks. I was definitely a tomboy and not at all the "girly" girl. I would walk down the gravel road that we lived on, looking for all kinds of different rocks. I would find rocks of all shapes, sizes and colors and fill my pockets with them. Eventually, I would have so many rocks in my pocket, that they would start to fall out. So, I would bend down to pick them up, and more would fall out, leaving me very frustrated. I would constantly be bending down, to pick up the rocks that kept falling out. And when my pockets were filled to the rim, it was hard to walk around. It would cause me to walk lopsided from the weight, and the bulkiness of the rocks pulling on my pants. Think of your guilt and unforgiveness for yourself, as those rocks. That is what our own unforgiveness does to us. We just keep filling our hearts up with more and more guilt, to the point where our hearts can't hold anything else. This can leave our hearts feeling heavy and weighed down. It will cause us to walk spiritually lopsided. That guilt and unforgiveness will eventually weigh us down, then our pockets will be overflowing with unnecssary junk that eventually turns back into sin in our lives. It can be a neverending roller coaster that the devil will try to keep us on. But, through the cleansing love of Jesus, we can overcome all of this. Psalms 51:10, "Create in my a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me." God will convict you, where the devil will condemn you. God will help you move forward, when the devil will cause you unable to move. God will remind you of your future, the devil will remind you of your past. God will give you freedom from mistakes, where the devil only gives you guilt. God will remind you of who you can be, and the devil reminds you of who you used to be. We must lay ALL our sin down, including the guilt. We must allow God to grab hold of the chambers of our hearts, and squeeze tightly, so that there is nothing left but HIM within us. No room for our own unforgiveness, only room for HIS. Allow God to pour HIS cleansing love on you today, and claim your freedom from any past mistakes or guilt. Empty those pockets filled with rocks! John 16:24, "...Ask, and you willl receive, that your joy may be full."