1. PLEASE Forgive Me But, Can I Forgive Myself?

2. All Sin  Yes, we do sin whether we mean to or not.  Acknowledging our sins are the first step in turning from our sins.  As David said that His sins were ever before him, and thus David was in need of God’s forgiveness.  We are too.  What can we do to forgive ourselves?

3. Own Your Sin  Does no good to blame others.  Does no good to blame society or situations.  You sinned, and you need to own up to it.  I know this is painful. I know this is hard. But this is the first and greatest step to forgiving yourself.  I know what you want to do is separate yourself from it, make it belong to someone or something else. I know you will want to look for an easier softer way, but there isn’t one. Own it.

4. Own All Your Sins  We usually do not get upset with sin until we do something really, really bad.  But the little things we do that are sinful can still keep us out of heaven, so we need to own all our sins.  If you only own the “big ones” and not all of them, then there will always be the nagging secrets and skeletons in the closet that keep you wallowing in the misery of your own sinfulness, keeping you from being able to forgive yourself.

5. Accept Yourself Where You Are  You are a sinner and you might as well accept it.  But if you are like me, you want to fight against that.  Remember Mark 2:17  It is only when we accept that we have a gaping wound that the Great Physician is free to start working on it.

6. Mourn The Loss Of Your Ideal Self  We want to think highly of ourselves, and we want others to do the same.  We realize as sinners we are not perfect, and that is not a picture we want to share.  If we have the sorrow that we have fallen short, it should motivate us to make a change in our life.

7. Humble Yourself  Before God and before others.  If you think yourself perfect, you cannot come to God in humility.  Our humility tells us that we cannot do it on our own.  We need God’s help to restore us to what we consider ideal.

8. Bring Your Sins To God  Embrace His promises of cleansing  1 John 1:9  Luke 18 (the Publican vs the Pharisee)  Proverbs 28:13 “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” (ESV).

9. Confess Your Sins To Others  Your sins were not all done in the closet.  People participated in your sins.  Your sins brought shame on you and Christ.  Confession declares that what we did was wrong, and if we are going to heaven, we cannot continue such behavior.

10. Stop Comparing Yourself To Others  You are your own person.  True, there are some you need to emulate and follow their example. But be careful that you do not lose heart in doing good.  Sadly, many times we find the worst people to compare ourselves with, and feel good about ourselves.  The only person we are to compare ourselves with is Christ.

11. Quit Punishing Yourself  So you sinned. That does not make you special. You have joined the ranks of all humanity.  Do not think that God will ignore you because of your sin.  Christ came to save sinners.  Depression and self abasement will do nothing for your soul, but confession will.

12. Look For The Good That Can Come  Since you have sinned, you may be able to help someone else in the same situation you experienced.  You can teach people that the sins are empty and not gratifying for the soul.  If I can turn my life around, so can you.

13. Keep Forgiving Yourself  Now that you are back in the good graces of God;  Remember you were lost, but now are found.  Remember most people have gone through this.  Remember that you were weak, and you must be careful to not return to that weakness.

14. Conclusion  Satan is going to toss your sins in your face over and over again.  He is going to try to get you to doubt your relationship with God.  If he can get you to do that, he can get you to abandon your relationship with God.  Don’t do that.  Hang on to God no matter what.