Pray like you have forgiveness.
Jesus is the Way.
In Him, and through Him, we have forgiveness of sin.
In Him, and through Him, we are enabled to forgive others.
Seek God’s forgiveness
In thinking about forgiveness, this image came to mind and I think it’s powerful in conveying how we were once in darkness, lost in the pit, but God rescued us and gave us wings to fly. We say goodbye to that former self – the sun has set – and we head into a new day.
Psalm 103:12, which says “as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us”, also came to mind. And, in thinking about east and west, I settled on a sunset scene for this page.
No longer are we powerless to the ways of this world. No longer do we unquestionably follow its pattern. Jesus made a way to the Father so that we can boldly approach Him and seek forgiveness for the ways in which we fail to image Him. The ways in which we fall short of His glory. The ways in which we think, speak, and live contrary to His good design.
But, not only do we receive forgiveness, we also receive His mighty help to overcome and walk in freedom. It is through this repentance, this confession acknowledging and agreeing with God about our wrongdoing and desire to turn away from it, that we are increasingly transformed into His image. What a glorious gift!
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
And forgive others
We can’t expect God to forgive us while we refuse to forgive others. I share more about growing in this area in this post here: Learning to forgive.
To be wronged by others is a realistic expectation. It is a natural consequence of a fallen world. Forgiving others is one of the ways that we fight back. It is a way by which we endure in love.
When others are increasingly sinful towards us, that should also be anticipated because of the times. But, it is precisely because of the times and its shortness that we should be increasingly going to God on their behalf. Failure to do this can lead to bitterness and hardness of heart which impedes our sensitivity to the Spirit to follow where He leads.
forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Matthew 6:12
Process and products used:
These pages in the NIV Journal the Word Bible (New Testament) features the following products by Creative Worship Stamps. These are affiliate links, please see the Privacy Policy for details.
- Nature Silhouettes stamp set
- Nature Silhouettes 4 stamp set
- Herringbone Tiles stencil
- Cloudy Day Edge stencil
- Worshipful Wordfetti stamp set
- He Proved His Love stamp set
- Boss Lady Alpha stamp set
- Typewriter Alpha stamp set
I started with the sunset background. I used a blending brush and yellow ink to add the sun. Then, I used the Cloudy Day Edge stencil with pink and orange inks and a blending brush to give the appearance of a sunset.
Next, I used washi tape to temporarily mask off the sky from the ground. I used the Herringbone Tiles stencil and applied brown ink using a blending brush. I stamped images from Nature Silhouettes and Nature Silhouettes 4 in black ink. I did this repeatedly which gave a layered effect.
Some images weren’t stamped well so I filled them in using a black pencil crayon. Still, I wanted an even darker background on the bottom that stamping did not accomplish. So, I swiped the brown ink pad directly on the page then softened the edges with a blending brush.
Next, I stamped the crosses and “paid in full” from the He Proved His Love set on the top right of the page. Then, I stamped the bird in flight beside that in orange ink. I didn’t get a good impression so stamped over it again lightly using black ink. I love the effect that gave it.
The title was created using the Boss Lady Alpha, Typewriter Alpha, and Worshipful Wordfetti stamps. The word “forgiven” is from the He Proved His Love set. I had the same issue in stamping as I did with the bird in flight, and I love that they now look similar.
I stamped a couple phrases from Worshipful Wordfetti onto mixed media paper. Then, I used residual ink on the blending brushes to colour them lightly and darkened the edges with black ink. After glueing them to the page, I added some splatters using white acrylic paint. I finished by highlighting the text using a marker and the crosses stamp, then adding a date stamp.
Be encouraged
🎶 God of My Restoration ~ Stephen McWhirter, Leeland
We all wander. We all have moments of being distracted and lured away from God. We all do and say things we don’t intend. But truly knowing God – His ways, His character, His word – and believing that we are found in Him should give us the confidence to turn back to Him.
Yet, He meets us where we are, with compassion, and draws us back to Himself.
Come Home, prodigal.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:1-2
