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READ: PSALM 32:1-5; ROMANS 6:12-14; 8:1-4; 1 JOHN 1:9\n\n\n\nDo you ever feel down and defeated by things you\u2019ve done that were wrong? Do you find yourself asking God for forgiveness several times before you really feel forgiven? If so, you\u2019re not alone; we all feel this way sometimes. But there is good news.\n\n\n\nOnce we\u2019ve put our trust in Jesus, we can know that God has already forgiven all our sins\u2014past, present, and future\u2014because of Jesus\u2019s death and resurrection. As we walk through life with Jesus, we will continue to struggle with sin until He makes all things new. But even when we stumble and fall, Jesus doesn\u2019t leave us. He is right there with us, inviting us to confess what we\u2019ve done wrong and rest in His sure forgiveness. Then we are free to leave our sin in the past, get back on our feet, and keep walking with Him.\n\n\n\nNo matter how many times we fail, God forgives us and continues working in our lives to make us more like Jesus. We don\u2019t need to let ourselves feel defeated by sin, because Jesus has already defeated sin for us! When He died on the cross for us, His last words were, \u201cIt is finished\u201d (John 19:30). God Himself paid the full penalty for our sin with His own life. There is no debt left to repay. And after three days in a tomb, Jesus rose from the grave\u2014declaring His joyous victory over sin and death!\n\n\n\nOur God is so much more powerful than any sin we could ever commit. And His love for us is far greater than any guilty feelings that might creep into our lives. So, whenever we\u2019ve done something wrong, we can confess it to Jesus, knowing with absolute certainty that He promises to forgive us. We don\u2019t have to keep dwelling on what we\u2019ve done in the past. Instead, leaving the sins we\u2019ve confessed behind, we can go forward in our walk with Him. He loves us, and He will never leave us. \u2022 A. W. Smith\n\n\n\n\u2022 How can resting in Jesus\u2019s victory over sin and death empower us to \u201cwalk in love\u201d (Ephesians 5:1-2), to freely love God and people as we go through life, instead of being weighed down by guilt and shame?\n\n\n\n\u2022 Who are trusted Christians in your life you can be honest with about your struggles? How can you comfort and encourage each other when you\u2019re facing a particularly tempting sin pattern?\n\n\n\nForgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God\u2019s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 (CSB)