Understanding Cheating September 2022 | Page 23

Don’t let this mistake define you. It’s commonly said, “Once a cheater, always a cheater.” However, this doesn’t have to be true. If you decide you want to change, you can, especially if you seek God’s help.

Accept you can’t go back in time. To obsess over wanting a “do-over”, isn’t going to change anything. At some point you need to accept what’s done is done, learn from it and move forward. Wallowing in regret keeps you from investing in the lives of others because you are too focused on yourself.

Forgive yourself. It is good to realize how much you hurt another person, and feel deeply sorry about it, but at some point you need to forgive yourself. When you forgive yourself you are saying, "I know what I did was wrong, but I will stop punishing myself for it."

Accept God’s forgiveness. Confess your sin to God and then accept his forgiveness. Did you mess up? Yes. Was it bad, and did it hurt others? Also yes. Does that mean God can’t or won’t forgive you? Absolutely not. God is longing to forgive you. Dwelling on your sin and believing it’s too much for God to forgive underestimates God's capacity for unconditional love. It’s like you are saying to God, “I know the Bible says that Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for ALL sinners, but MY sin is special. It's too big for your forgiveness to handle.” Nope! God is big enough to cover your mistakes too! Believe that! Rest assured that he has removed your sins from you as far as the east is from the west. He sees you as a precious child, not a cheater or a disappointment.

“If you think you’ve blown God’s plan for your life, rest in this. You, my friend, are not that powerful.”