RECEIVING FORGIVENESS FROM GOD IS A GREAT BLESSING

HOLINESS REVIVAL MOVEMENT WORLDWIDE

DAILY DEVOTIONAL BY: PASTOR PAUL RIKA
INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR of Holiness Revival Movement Worldwide

TOPIC:
RECEIVING FORGIVENESS FROM GOD IS A GREAT BLESSING

Date:
Saturday, December 12

Text:
Psalms 32:1-5

"1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah."

Key verse:
Psalm 32:2
"Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile."

The psalmist says it is wonderful to have one’s sin forgiven. It is like a mountain removed from him. It is wonderful for God to declare a man’s sin forgiven. This is great. It is like a prisoner released from prison. It is a great joy. A man that his spirit has been cleansed from sin and his spirit is no longer carrying sin, is a blessed man. This Psalm concerns the sin of David with Uriah’s wife. He lamented that when he committed sin he hid it.

“When I committed adultery and arranged that Uriah should be killed, for all that period, I was silent but my bones were making noise. It was as when you stand near the ocean and you hear the roaring noise of the ocean. My bones were cracking within me. I was restless inside me. The hand of God was heavy upon me (v.4). I experienced God oppressing me. It was God’s heavy hand prodding me, “You must confess.” My body was resisting confession because of fear and the mockery of Satan. I was afraid at the mockery of the fall of a righteous man.” (Paraphrased)

David became dry, blasted by the east wind. The wind blasted him because sin was in him unconfessed. In the midst of all these tensions, David took the right step to acknowledge and confess his sin before God in order to be peaceful. Take a cue from David if you are always restless anytime you hear about the rapture due to hidden sin. To his utmost surprise, God forgave him. The great surprise is the forgiveness you can receive cheaply if you apply the principle of godly sorrow and genuine repentance.

He may have thought that he was going to lose the throne as king or be stoned to death, but God of mercy forgave him. As for Nebuchadnezzar, his glory returned unto him after repentance and confession and excellent majesty was added unto him. This is the shock of life. That is why God and man are totally different. Mercy follows confession, but when you hide your sin there is danger of hell.

Proverbs 28:13:
"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy."

Thought for the day:
Godly sorrow and genuine repentance makes way for God’s mercy.

Song for the day:
I love that Man of Galilee, for He has done so very much for me...

Bible reading for the day:
Hosea 12-14; Revelation 3