“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 2 Peter 1:5-8

“God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” Have you heard that before?

That famous phrase comes from the Four Spiritual Laws gospel tract created by Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ. You know what? I believe those words with all my heart, but there’s a slight problem.

Actually, it can be a big problem, because it can completely keep you from the wonderful plan God has for your life. The problem I’m talking about, of course, is sin.

See, if we’re not careful, we’ll fall short of all that God desires for us, because the only way to access God’s plan is through His forgiveness. Do you know why this is so easy to miss? Because in order to experience God our Father as our Father of forgiveness, we have to admit that we are guilty.

Now, how often do you see that in the world, people who actually plead guilty? I mean you’ll see some of the most heinous crimes and hellish activities going on, and yet still the criminal will show up in the courtroom and plead—what?—”Not guilty. It’s not my fault.”

You’ll never experience the Father of forgiveness until you come to the point of being willing to accept the fact that you’ve committed murder.

You’re like, “I haven’t committed murder.”

Well, let me remind you of Jesus, because it wasn’t anything He did wrong that put Him on that cross. Stop giving responsibility for this away. Stop blaming it on the Jews and on the Romans and on Pontius Pilot. If you were the only person on the planet, God still would have still sent His Son to die on the cross for you, even if you were the only person to try Him, convict Him, and personally hang Him on that cross.

We all have to get to the point where we can say, “It’s my sins that put Him on that cross. And it’s His love for me that kept Him on the cross, not the nails.”

We’ll never experience God’s forgiveness unless we admit that we deserve Hell, that we have sinned, that we have fallen short of the glory of God, that we are guilty.

Confess your guilt today. Only then can you become forgiven and free.

Prayer—
Father God,
Thank You for Your wonderful plan for my life. Wow, have I sinned! I know I’m guilty, and that it’s my sin that caused Jesus to come and die so that I could be forgiven and free. Please forgive me today, set me free, and live in me for the rest of my life!
Amen