Through the years, I have met Christians, believers, who have convinced themselves that God cannot use them simply because of some horrendous sin in their life.

A sin of which they've repented a long time ago. In fact, I'm not talking about a sin before Christ came into their life. I'm talking about a sin of which they've repented long time ago. In fact, I'm not talking about a sin before Christ

came into their life. I'm talking about a sin after Christ had come into their life. And I remember

telling one of them, while I admire your spiritual sensitivity, I have to say to you lovingly and in candor that if you have come

to a point in your life where you have said, Lord, I know that I've sinned greatly, Lord, I know that

I've borne the consequences of my sins. Lord, I know that you have forgiven me.

Lord, I know that you have commanded me to forgive myself.

Once you have done this, and you're still idle in the kingdom of God,

because you have bought into that lie that says once you're a damaged goods,

God can never use you again, then you are dishonoring the Lord.

I remember talking in the early days of this church to a woman who many years earlier had an

abortion.

And as I walked her through these four steps that I just shared with you, I call them confession, consequences, cleansing, and consecration. The sin has been

confessed with bitter tears. Consequences of paying some horrendous price and cleansing with total forgiveness from

the hand of God, and then consecration whether her spiritual life has been totally renewed,

and she still says, God cannot use me. I remember saying to her that God can uniquely use you. God can uniquely

use you to minister to other women, to may save some lives. God can uniquely use you to minister

to others who are going through this terrible wilderness that you have gone through.

For the psalmist said, it is the contrite and broken heart that God will not despise,

and you have God's word on it.

While the scar of failures and sin may remain for many years,

and in fact it may even remain for a lifetime. But God loves to forgive

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