فصل 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

I AM FORGIVEN

God Loves Imperfect People

Most of the time we believe God loves us as long as we’re making good decisions, resisting temptation, and treating people right. We know God is on our side. But the problem with this kind of reasoning is that we all make mistakes. No matter how good a person you are, there will be times when you don’t perform perfectly, times when you have doubts, times when you fail. You know you should bite your tongue, but you told them off anyway. You said it would be the last time, but you gave into compromise once again. When we don’t perform perfectly, it’s easy to think that God is far from us. “I blew it. God would never have anything to do with me.” I have people ask me all the time, “Joel, will you pray for me? I know God would never hear my prayers, not with the life I’ve lived, the mistakes I’ve made.” I say this respectfully, but sometimes religion pushes people down. It says, “If you turn your back on God, He will turn His back on you. If you make poor choices, don’t expect God to bail you out. It was your own fault.” But the truth is that when you fall, God doesn’t turn away from you. He comes running toward you. When you blow it, God doesn’t say, “Too bad. You had your chance.” He comes after you with a greater passion.

I heard somebody say, “When you make a mistake, God doesn’t love you the same. He loves you a little bit more, so much so that He pursues you. He will turn up the intensity. He won’t leave you alone until He sees you restored and back on the right course.” In other words, God will express His love in a greater way. He will send people across your path to encourage you, to help reignite your faith. Or maybe when you’re out walking through the neighborhood, you hear the church bells ringing. You feel a warmness inside. That’s the mercy of God coming after you, saying, “You may have blown it, but you’re still My child. You may have let Me down, but I’m not going to let you down. You may have lost faith in Me, but I haven’t lost faith in you.” We don’t have to have a perfect performance where we never have a doubt or make a mistake. Certainly, we should try our best each day to honor God. But what I’m saying is, don’t beat yourself up if you don’t perform perfectly all the time. God loves imperfect people.

When Peter Failed the Worst

Think about Peter. Before Jesus chose him to become a disciple, Jesus knew that Peter would deny Him, but He chose him anyway. God knows every mistake that we will ever make. All of our days have been written in His book from the beginning to the end. God knows every time you will fail, every time you take the easy way out, and every time you will lose your temper. The good news is, God still chose you. He still says, “That’s My child,” and He will still help you fulfill your destiny. Why? Because God’s love is not based on our performance. It’s based on our relationship. We are His children.

When Jesus was about to be crucified, He said to Peter, “You will deny Me three times before the rooster crows tonight.”

Peter said, “No, Jesus. I’m your most faithful disciple. I’ll stick with You through thick and thin to the very end.”

They arrested Jesus. Peter was watching it all take place from a distance. A young lady came over and pointed at Peter and said, “He is one of His followers. I’ve seen this man with Jesus.”

Peter said, “No, ma’am. You’ve got it wrong. You’re mistaken. I don’t know the man.” He denied Him once. It happened a second time. The third time the girl came over even more emphatically and said to the guards, “I know he is one of His followers. I’m certain that I have seen this man with Jesus.” This time Peter got upset, started cursing, swearing. “Girl, what are you talking about? You’re making all this up. I’ve never seen the man.” Right on cue, the rooster crowed.

Jesus looked over at Peter. Their eyes met. You can imagine how Peter must have felt. When Jesus needed him the most, when He was at His lowest moment, He needed a friend to stick up for Him, but Peter didn’t do it. The Scripture says, “Peter went out and wept bitterly.” He felt ashamed. No doubt he was beating himself up, thinking, Peter, what is wrong with you? How could you be such a coward?

Not long after that, they crucified Jesus. Peter never had a chance to make things right. He never had the chance to say, “Jesus, I’m sorry. I blew it. I promise You that I’ll be there for You next time.” He had to carry the guilt and heaviness of betraying his friend, the Messiah, whom he dearly loved.

We’ve all made mistakes. We’ve all failed. But none of us have failed as big as Peter. None of us has denied Christ when He needed us the most, when He was about to be crucified. You would think that Peter would have missed his destiny. Surely God wouldn’t have anything to do with him. No; when you make a mistake, God doesn’t turn away from you. He turns toward you. He doesn’t love you less. He loves you more. He comes after you.

They crucified Jesus on Friday. On Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb to check on His body. When she arrived, she noticed that the stone was rolled away. She went in, and an angel appeared and said, “Mary, don’t be afraid. Jesus is not here. He is risen. Now go tell His disciples and Peter that He is alive.” Out of all the people in the world God could have mentioned at this historic time, the only person He specifically pointed out was Peter. God was saying, “Peter, I know you think I’m disappointed in you, and I’ll never have anything to do with you. But Peter, that’s not who I am. I’m the God of another chance. When you fall, I come running toward you. When you turn your back on Me, I don’t turn My back on you.” God is saying to all the people who have fallen, the people who have made mistakes, “I’m not only alive, but I still love you. I still believe in you. If you will let go of the guilt and move forward, I will still get you to where you are supposed to be.” Now you have to do your part and receive God’s mercy. If Peter would have listened to the accusing voices and gone around beating himself up, he would have gotten stuck where he was. I can imagine that when he heard Mary say, “Peter, the angel specifically said to tell you that Jesus is alive,” he said, “Mary, did He really call my name?” “Yes. He said, ‘Tell Peter.’” When Peter heard that, something ignited inside him. He shook off the guilt, shook off the self-pity, and said, “I may have blown it in the past, but that doesn’t have to keep me from my future. I’m still going to become who God has created me to be.” Not long after that, Peter went out and ministered, and three thousand people came to know the Lord—the most ever recorded in the Scripture. It would have never happened if Peter hadn’t understood this principle: God doesn’t write us off when we make mistakes. God doesn’t cancel our destiny because we’ve taken a few detours. Maybe today you’re down on yourself because you’re not where you thought you would be in life. You’ve made some poor choices. Now you’re letting the guilt weigh you down. That heaviness is keeping you from God’s best. Just as God specifically called Peter’s name, He is calling your name today, saying, “Tell John, tell William, tell Ricardo, tell Shannon, tell Maria, I have forgiven them. I am not disappointed in them. I am not withholding My blessing. I still have an amazing future in front of them.” God is calling your name today. He is running toward you.

God’s Mercies Are Always Greater

In the Scripture, it talks about the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. I can understand how He is the God of Abraham. After all, Abraham is the father of our faith. I can understand how He is the God of Isaac. Isaac was extremely obedient, even willing to be sacrificed. But when it says He is the God of Jacob, that doesn’t make a lot of sense. Jacob was a cheater. He went around deceiving people. He stole his brother’s birthright. Jacob was known for making poor choices. Yet God is called the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. What was God saying? “I’m not just the God of perfect people. I’m not just the God of people who never make a mistake. I’m the God of people who have failed. I’m the God of people who have blown it. I’m the God of people who have had a rough past.” It’s interesting that later in Jacob’s life, he changed his ways. He got his life straightened out. God changed his name from Jacob to Israel. That was to signify his new beginning. God could have been known as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. That seems to make more sense. That was his new name, once he was restored and redeemed. But God on purpose left it as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to forever settle it that “I’m not just the God of perfect people. I’m the God of imperfect people, too.” You may have made mistakes, but be encouraged. He is the God of Jacob. He is still your God. You may have lost your temper, struggled with an addiction, or compromised your integrity. Don’t beat yourself up. He is the God of Jacob. He is your God, too.

In the book of John, there was a lady who had been married five times. She was living with a sixth man. You could imagine the heartache and pain that she had gone through. I’m sure she felt beaten down by life—not really living, just existing.

Jesus was about to travel to another city and told His disciples, “I must go through Samaria.”

They said, “Jesus, that’s the long way. There’s a shortcut, a much quicker route.” They tried to talk Him out of it.

He replied, “No, you don’t understand. I must go through Samaria. There’s a woman there who feels condemned. She is about to give up on life. I must go express My love. I have to encourage her, get her back on the right course.” She is known as “The Woman at the Well.” It’s interesting that the first person Jesus revealed Himself to as the Messiah was not the religious leaders. It was not the priests and the rabbis in the synagogue. It was this woman; a woman who had made mistakes, a woman who was beaten down by life—an imperfect person. That one encounter changed her life.

But too many people, like her, are sitting on the sidelines of life. They feel as though they’ve blown it too many times. They’ve failed, and they haven’t measured up. Now they’re letting the accusing voices convince them that they’re all washed up. God is disappointed in them. “You can’t expect God’s favor.” You have to get this truth down into your spirit: You may have made mistakes, but God is not running from you. He is running to you. He doesn’t love you less. He loves you more. He is expressing His love to you today. You wouldn’t be reading this if God wasn’t reaching out to you. Get rid of the guilt, shake off the condemnation, quit thinking about what could have or should have been, and get back in the game. You’re not supposed to sit on the sidelines. God is not disappointed in you. Nothing you have done is a surprise to God. Do your part and start moving forward. You can still fulfill your destiny. God’s mercy is bigger than any mistake that you’ve made.

Don’t Mix Your Performance with Your Identity

The Scripture talks about how God searches the earth to show Himself strong in people whose hearts are turned perfect toward Him. It doesn’t say that God is looking for a perfect performance. God is looking for people who have a heart that is turned perfect toward Him. That means if you get up each day with a desire to please God, if down deep you really want to honor Him, then like Peter, you will have times that you fail. You wanted to resist, but you gave in. The good news is that does not cancel your destiny. Your performance may not be perfect, but because your heart is perfect toward God, He still has something amazing in your future.

No matter what you’ve done, don’t go around beating yourself up. You can’t change the past. Learn from your mistakes, but don’t get stuck there. Keep moving forward. Receive God’s mercy. Be bold enough to say, “God, I blew it. I know I was wrong. I should have done better. But God, I know You are not holding it against me. I know You are not just the God of Abraham. You are the God of Jacob, too—the God of imperfect people.” When Thomas heard that Jesus had risen from the grave and people had seen him alive, everyone was so excited—except Thomas. He was more practical and more logical. He said, “Guys, if you want to believe, that’s fine, but not me. A man can’t be dead for three days and come back to life. I’m not going to believe unless I see it with my own eyes. I want to see the nail prints in His hands.” Thomas had spent just as much time with Jesus as the other disciples, yet they were full of faith. They were all believers. Thomas was full of doubt. He had all these questions.

One day they were in a room together, and Jesus came walking through the doors. They nearly passed out. What’s interesting is Jesus didn’t go over to Andrew and say, “Andrew, I made it.” He didn’t walk over to Matthew and give him a big hug. Jesus walked right to Thomas, bypassed all the people who had faith, and went to the one person in the room who had doubt. He didn’t chew him out and say, “Thomas, what’s wrong with you?” He said, “Thomas, I know you don’t believe. I know you have doubts. You have questions. And Thomas, that’s okay. I understand. That’s why I came to you first. Now feel the nail prints in My hands. Feel the scars in My side.” Notice the pattern. When you have doubts as Thomas did, when you blow it as Peter did, when you fail as the woman who was married five times did, you think God is far away from you. It’s just the opposite. God came to the people who had doubt before He came to the people who had faith. We try to put God in a box and tell Him who to save and who to bless and who to forgive and who to heal. The longer I live, the more I realize God’s ways are not our ways. God will save the most unlikely people. He will show mercy when we think they deserve judgment.

Thomas doubted this one time, yet he became known as “Doubting Thomas.” It probably wasn’t a week or two of his life, but people labeled him a doubter. The good news is God doesn’t judge you by one mistake. We call him Doubting Thomas. You know what God calls him? Believing Thomas, Forgiven Thomas, Redeemed Thomas, Restored Thomas, Amazing Thomas. What we don’t hear much about is that Thomas went on to touch all of India. He is credited as being the one who brought the Good News to that entire nation.

You may have struggled with an addiction your whole life, but know this: God is not judging you by that one setback. Get rid of that negative label. Maybe you’ve failed in business, blown a relationship, done something you’re not proud of. Don’t let that become your identity. Stop seeing yourself as Doubting Thomas, Addicted Thomas, Undisciplined Thomas, Failing Thomas. You have to turn it around. Start seeing yourself as Blessed Thomas, Free Thomas, Redeemed Thomas, Successful Thomas. Dare to declare it: “I am forgiven. I am redeemed.” Too often we get our performance mixed up with our identity. You may have failed, but you are not a failure. That’s what you did. Failure is an event. That’s not who you are. You are a child of the Most High God. You’ve been handpicked by the Creator of the universe. You may struggle with an addiction, but you are not an addict. That’s what you did. That’s not who you are. You are free. You are clean. You are restored.

Quit Replaying Your Failures

Don’t go around dwelling on your past mistakes. Quit replaying all the times that you’ve failed, the times you gave in to temptation, the time you blew the relationship, the time it didn’t work out. All that’s going to do is depress you. Just like you have a remote control to change the channel on the television, you have to change the channel in your mind. You will not be free from guilt or enjoy your life if you are constantly replaying the negative memories of your past. If you’re going to replay anything, replay your victories. Replay the time that you honored God. Replay the times that you helped someone else in need. That will change your perspective.

A few years ago a young lady named Rachel Smith won the Miss USA beauty pageant. She is a bright young girl who goes all over the world helping underprivileged children. Later that year, she competed in the Miss Universe pageant. As she walked out on stage during the evening gown competition, all by herself, with millions of people watching around the world, on live television, she lost her footing and fell flat on her backside. She was embarrassed, but she got up as quickly as she could and put a smile back on her face. The audience wasn’t very forgiving. There were jeers and laughter and boos, which was very humiliating. In spite of the fall, she made it into the top five of the competition. Her next task was to answer a question randomly chosen by the judges. She walked back onto the stage where she had fallen just a few minutes earlier. A judge picked a question out of the hat. Her question was, “If you could relive any moment of your life over again and do it differently, what moment would that be?” Her most embarrassing moment was just twenty minutes earlier. How many of us would say, “I want to redo that. I want to relive that”? But without missing a beat, she said, “If I could relive any moment of my life again, I would relive my trip to Africa, working with the orphans, seeing their beautiful smiles, feeling their warm embraces.” Instead of reliving a moment of pain, a moment of embarrassment, she chose to relive a moment of joy, a moment when she was making a difference, when she was proud of herself.

In life, we’re all going to have times where we fall, embarrassing moments, unfair situations. I can assure you they will come up on the movie screen of your mind again and again. You have to get good at changing the channel. Put on your accomplishments. Put on your victories. Put on the times when you’ve been proud of yourself.

Shake Off the Guilt

Friend, your sins have already been forgiven. Every mistake you’ve made and ever will make has already been paid in full. The real question is, will you receive God’s mercy? You don’t have to go around feeling guilty, feeling wrong inside, not excited about your future. God is running toward you today. He knew every mistake you would ever make. He doesn’t love you less. He loves you more. He’s not just the God of Abraham; He’s the God of Jacob. He is saying, “You may have blown it. You may have failed. But I’m not disappointed in you. I still love you. I still believe in you. I still have an amazing future in front of you.” Your performance may not have been perfect, but because your heart is perfect toward Him, God is going to show Himself strong in your behalf. If you’ll shake off the guilt and receive God’s mercy, you will not only live freer, but you will still become all you were created to be.