He knows, has Always known

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

What regrets gnaw at your soul? 

What is it about your life that you think, deep down, that God could never forgive you for?

What have you compromised on that you know that God wouldn't approve of?

Where have you gone that you shouldn't have?

Now...everyone reading this has those skeletons in the closet.  The things that if anyone knew they would leave you all alone type of things. 

The stuff that is keeping you from a right relationship with Jesus.  

Oh you might have tried to cover it but it gnaws at you, in the back of your mind.

A few years ago there was some questions posed at a Sunday night service.  The alter was opened for anyone to come.  It was time to acknowledge before God these kinds of things in my life.  What they were isn't necessarily important.  The important part is that nobody's immune to the need to let go of the past and to embrace the forgiveness of God.  If you haven't read the Prodigal Son story, I encourage you to go look it up. 

That night, and the following Sunday night, the weight of my world was lifted from my mind, heart and soul.  It happened that second Sunday night like the previous.  I was broken down.  Sobbing at the altar.  Jesus had gotten through to me.  All the things that had hung around my neck were broke free.
Like in the Prodigal Son, I fell into His arms and wept.  I was weak and weary but healed. 

Truth really hit me that the forgiveness that I never had believed could be mine from Jesus was indeed mine.

I share all this with you because He told me to.  Because there are people reading this who also think they have gone too far, seen too much, done too much to ever be forgiven by God.

Oh, dear reader, how wrong you are. How wrong you are.

You really need to understand the truth.
Truth is, when Jesus was on that cross, you were on His mind.
Truth us, when Jesus was on that cross, all the sin YOU ever did or will do, was heaped upon Him.  Along with every single sin every single person ever committed or will commit.
Truth is, when Jesus was on that cross, it was His love for YOU that held Him there.

Think about it!  The Creator of the Universe was here.  The very man who spoke the worlds into existence. The very one who created life by His words. Who could have obliterated the entire Universe with a thought, chose to be tortured, humiliated and killed on a cross to save you and me.  To make a way when there was no way.  To make a way when all people would reject Him. To remove all excuses for saying no.

Our sins, our regrets, our current or past doesn't define who we are. 

If you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, the only person holding you back is you.

If you allow all the lies of Satan to keep you from the truth...that your past will never disqualify you from being saved...then it's you who are in your own way.

If salvation was dependent upon anything we could do or not do, then what Jesus went through was not a perfect sacrifice.

The one thief on the cross believed in Jesus and was told that he would be with Him in paradise.  No Bible school.  No baptism. No evangelizing others. No serving others.  No chance for anything.  You didn't see him ask Jesus to forgive him but the undercurrent of his plea it was there.  The man certainly had regrets!  He was nailed to a cross just like Jesus was. He was indeed paying for crimes he had committed.  Yet regardless of his past or present circumstances Jesus forgave him and he became the first to find Salvation.

So please, my readers, do not let your present day or your past keep you from coming to Jesus.  Nobody has gone too far.  That man, in the world's eyes, had gone too far. He was sentenced to death on a cross.  He was still pardoned and Spiritually set free by Jesus.  He may have died to this world but he was with Jesus in paradise. He looked up after arriving to find Jesus standing before him. He embraced his Savior.  He rejoiced at Jesus keeping His promise to him.

The sad part is the man on the other side.

Who?

The man who also was nailed to a cross.  The other criminal.  The one who was embittered and angry.  The one who couldn't come to the same conclusion as the first criminal.  He wasn't with Jesus in paradise.  You see until that time. Paradise and Hell were across from each other.  Jesus spoke of this in a story He had told.  This other guy was in torment and could see Jesus and there was nothing that could be done.  In his life he had chosen to embrace his regrets and had never come to Christ to be forgiven. Had known but had still said no in his heart.

When Jesus arose from the dead.  Everyone there in Paradise left with Him.

Now all that is left down there is Hell.

It's torment.  It's eternal pain and separation from God. 

Let go of your regrets, let go of the lies that are keeping you from a right relationship with God.  There's nothing you can bring up to God that He doesn't already know.   He KNOWS.

It's time to stop running. 

It's time to go to your knees and ask Jesus into your life.  To receive His free gift of Salvation.  To have those chains broken.   To be free for the first time in your life.

Look up Romans Road.  You will see everything that you need to see about how to get Salvation.

It's time.