“You’re a sinner.”

“You’re not good enough.”

“You’re too far gone.”

“You’re too damaged.”

“God can’t forgive you.”

“Remember that one time?”

These little reminders wear us down every day. They keep us discouraged. They keep us “broken.” They keep us from serving God, and taking the victory in our Christian walk. They keep our focus on ourselves and our failures. This is not how it’s supposed to be.

Our heavenly father doesn’t keep lists. Once we have confessed and received forgiveness, God does not even remember our sin, let alone remind us of it. Any voice that reminds you of your past sins is not a voice of God. It is the voice of Satan.  Any person who reminds you of your past sins after they have been repented, forgiven, and turned away from is acting as a tool of Satan.

As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12

There is a voice… there is always a voice, taking everything you think about yourself and using to drive you away from Christ. Any voice that under any circumstance drives you away from Jesus Christ is the voice of the deceiver. -Paul Washer

This is the enemy’s design. (Rev. 12:10. Comp. Job 1:6; Zech. 3:1) He attacks our heart and conscience. He is a manipulator and a deceiver, and he makes his accusations and false charges and shakes us up in the deepest ways to keep us down. He attacks our Christianity. “So you’re a Christian now? You’re “sold out” to Christ? What makes you think you can live the Christian life?  What if all the Christians knew what you did before you were saved? What if everyone knew every way in which you are not perfect?” There are Christians who will never ever do or say anything for God because of the attacks of the enemy on their lives, and when we give in to his lies, we give up the victory that has already been given us. We allow him to weaken our influence and injure the cause with which they are identified- the kingdom of God.

See, guilt in itself is a good thing. Guilt and conviction over sin brings us to the foot of the cross. We deal with our sin there, and leave it behind. The purpose of the conviction and guilt brought on by the Holy Spirit is to restore a relationship with God. However, when Satan heaps guilt on us after we have dealt with our sin, it is for his own purposes. He fixes our eyes on ourselves, and puts resentment in our heart toward God.  When we allow Satan to bring guilt over confessed sin, we allow him to bring doubt in God’s grace and mercy. We listen to Satan’s voice telling us that have sinned over and over, and we think “God, why do I feel guilty? Why haven’t You forgiven me? Why are you holding my sin against me?” We doubt the very character of our King rendering us useless to his service.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

If we doubt that God can or will forgive us completely, we do not really know God. The Bible clearly says, He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. Proverbs 28:13. God is faithful and merciful and wants all to be in a right relationship with Him. He will chasten us or convict us in order to bring us back to himself because He is a good father who loves His children and wants the very best for them, but once we are forgiven, our sins are FORGOTTEN.

Jesus Christ did not shed his blood for you so that the very first thing you see when you walk into glory is a scowl on His face because of all your failures.  Paul Washer

When Satan knocks, our answer is the blood of Jesus Christ. God alone is able to deal with our sins. The problem comes when we give in to accusation because we are not trusting in the blood. The blood covers our sins completely, but we listen instead to Satan. Christ is our advocate, but we, the accused, side with the accuser, and we try in our own power to overcome or answer him. We have not recognized that it is God alone that can answer the accuser, that in the precious blood He has already done so. We should never answer Satan in our own power or with our own good works, but always with the blood. That is all the grace we need. Yes, we are sinners, but, praise God, we are sinners who have been made into conquerors by the blood of Jesus Christ.

In all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor  height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39

Take your mind off of yourself, and defending yourself against the enemy, and take hold of the promises of God. When the enemy reminds you of your past sins, and heaps guilt on you that has been covered by the blood, remind him of the crushing blow that took place on the cross. Sin and death and guilt was defeated and the victory has already been won. Sin and Satan has no power over you except that you give him. Claim the victory over all sin, past and present, take it to the cross, leave it there, and move forward with your cross advancing the kingdom in the power of the blood of Jesus Christ.