Remember the Blemishes
Today, as we look back on 2022, let's remember the blemishes. Now we're going to remember them in order to forget them, which might sound a little strange, but so often our blemishes and our feelings of guilt haunt us and they never leave us. And so, what we want to do today is bring them to light and then be done with them, rather than let them just lurk below the surface.
Dealing with Blemishes
What blemishes are on your life this year as you look back? Have there been moments of unfaithfulness to God where you've slipped into sins that you shouldn't have? Have there been moments of selfishness where you didn't do the good things he called you to do? Have there been mistakes that crept into your life? The Holy Spirit of God is always a convicting spirit, not condemning us and making us be wracked with guilt, but bringing these things to light so that they can be dealt with and moved on from.
If you've struggled with sin this year, friends, would you tell somebody about it? Get the help that you need? Would you go and confess to a trusted Christian friend or mentor? Bring those blemishes to light so that they can be dealt with, so that plans can be put into place and you can move forward and conquer these things and not be held down by them anymore.
And I want to say this, friends, don't let the guilt for these blemishes eat you up. Our God is a God who doesn't hold us in guilt, but he wants us to come to him not so that he can push us around, but so that he can cleanse us, forgive us, and wash away our stains.
Healing and Holiness
Probably my favorite verse comes from the first chapter of Isaiah, verse 18. God says to him, “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will wash you white as snow, and though they are like crimson, they shall be white as wool.”
We can come to God in faith with our blemishes, asking for his healing and his cleansing friends, and he will wash them away so that we are no longer blemished. Receive that today, please, as you spend time with God, receive his love and then get the help you need so that the power of these sins can no longer be effective in your life.
Remember the blemishes today and then and then move past them with the help of God and with the help of your fellow Christians, so that 2023 will be a year of holiness and love.
