This week, we are pondering our legacy….what we leave for those who come behind us. I am blessed to be able to share some compelling legacy stories here in this space. Today it is a blessing to share Amy Boyd’s legacy story with you. Let me tell you a bit about Amy first:
Amy Boyd is a girl who lives in the grip of God’s grace. Her heart is to stitch together her past with His forgiveness to show the beautiful life He designed. The scrapes of her personal journey as wife, mother, writer, speaker, and Bible teacher are ones that illustrates the faithfulness of God in the midst of challenges. Amy lives in Alabama with her high school sweetheart, Mike. Her two grown children, Anthony and Samantha, make her so proud every day. // You can read her blog, Living in Harmony at www.amypboydspeaks.com // Follow her on Twitter at @amypboyd // Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/amypboydspeaks.
Years after becoming a Christian I continued to wrestle with the sins of my past…those sins that wounded others, and even hurt me. My bad decisions replayed in my mind day after day like a Vine video. Even today, decades later the chains of past sins still had a hold on me.
Hadn’t God forgiven me? I had confessed my sins. I begged for Him to pardon me. His word promises that He would.
“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).
If I believed His word why couldn’t I accept His forgiveness?
I desire from the bottom of my heart to believe David was writing about me in Psalm 32:2:
“Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.”
Yet I struggle to feel and accept the truth that God offers amazing grace to wipe away all my sins. His eraser makes it as if those bad decisions never happened. I don’t think I am the only one that has trouble accepting this hard-to-grasp truth. Complete forgiveness sounds all good and well, but the depth of human faults make it difficult to believe a holy and perfect God can forgive us. His Word tells us over and over that God does not count our repented sins against us. How do I, how do you begin living in the truth of His forgiveness?
First move we need to make is to confess our sin: to ourselves, to others if necessary, and to God. When we bring our sins out of the dark (because God knows them anyway) and into the light it opens deep honest conversations. Conversations with the Lord that removes the ‘I’ll be found out’ fear.
Next step is to know the truth, the full truth and plant it deep in our hearts, minds and souls. The more we study the Bible the more we will see that God teaches how an unaccepting heart can be changed and softened to accept His forgiveness. Following are just a few verses showing the truth of a loving God whose desire it is to transform our lives through the grace of His forgiveness.
My old is gone; because of Jesus Christ I am new. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV 1984)
My master is grace, not sin. “For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” Romans 6:14 (NIV 1984)
My Savior, Jesus, has set me free, therefore I am free. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36 (NIV)
My God doesn’t condemn. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 (NIV)
Are you still carrying a heavy chain of sin that God’s forgiveness has already unlocked? It is time to stop living shackled by regret. Are you ready? Today you can stop exchanging the freedom of grace for the bondage of unbelief.
Thank you, Amy, for this beautiful, encouraging story of grace. Please let Amy know how much you enjoyed her post.
