Clean up your past: Forgive yourself

Are you still wallowing in sins God has forgiven?

Millions of singles are punishing themselves in a wrongheaded attempt to make amends. Their self-image is muddied with needless guilt. That's no way to live!

I'm not a psychologist. I don't know all the reasons behind this, but I do know what the Bible says. Once God forgives our sins, he remembers them no more. If God forgets them, he wants us to as well.

Jesus said, "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36)

Start enjoying your freedom. Read June's feature article on how to forgive yourself.

Get up pilgrim

There's a morbid satisfaction
comes from living in the past.
Holding little funerals
for the things that couldn't last.

But all that grief can't make things right.
It only ruins today.
So spare yourself the misery
and listen when I say:

Get up pilgrim!
Clear your mind.
Leave your sin and guilt behind.
When God forgives,
your sins are gone.
Get up pilgrim, travel on.

Jesus needs no help from you.
He paid your debt
in full
it's true.

So cast your boat off
from the shore,
'cause God remembers
sins no more.

Get up pilgrim!
Start anew.
You've got lots of things to do.
A fresh life comes
with every dawn.
Get up pilgrim, travel on.

~ Jack Zavada, www.inspiration-for-singles.com, 2022 ~

"Our lives turn into drudgery when we stop being grateful."

You've heard over and over and over how important it is to be grateful.

But being grateful only works when you DO it, and do it

every single day

until God changes your attitude.

Hope for Hurting Singles. shows you how to focus on the life principles that work and how to stay away from self-destructive behavior.

Life, at its most basic, is about Jesus Christ. That's why Hope for Hurting Singles. puts him front and center. We single people need an intimate relationship with Jesus. People who try to live without him get in trouble. So many of them crash and burn.

Hope for Hurting Singles. will show you how to strengthen your bond with Jesus. You'll learn how to stop sabotaging yourself and see yourself as God sees you.

If you're feeling down right now, Hope for Hurting Singles. will lift you up. If you're feeling great, get Hope for Hurting Singles. and save it for tough times.

In this skyrocketing inflation, help is affordable! $10.99 in paperback and $3.99 for the Kindle version.

QOTM: Do you outrank God?

C.S. Lewis, British university professor and popular Christian writer, often confronted readers with unassailable logic. Here's his June Quote of the Month:

I think that if God forgives us we must forgive ourselves. Otherwise it is almost like setting ourselves up as a higher tribunal than him.
~ CS Lewis (1898 - 1963) ~

Psychologists say some criminals have a subconscious desire to be punished. I think the same thing goes for sinners. We torture ourselves with guilt over our past offenses, believing that act somehow makes reparation for our misdeeds.

Two problems exist with that: We don't know when to stop, and Jesus already took the punishment for our sins on the cross 2,000 ago. Before he died, Jesus said "It is finished." (John 19:30, NIV)

If Jesus said the suffering and payment are finished, believe him. Obey him. Accept what he did for you and close the door on your forgiven sins.

Want to make life harder? Hold grudges!

Wait. What?

Well, no, of course you don't want to make life harder. It's too hard already. But if you're holding a grudge—any kind of grudge—you're dragging a heavy old boat anchor behind you every day.

I think we hold grudges because there's a perverse pleasure in fantasizing about revenge. We replay the different scenarios over and over.

But you know what? Holding a grudge is a sin. That's why it feels so good. Just as God commands us to forgive ourselves (see top article), he also commands us to forgive others.

We can only do that when we trust God to be our avenger. If you trust God for your salvation but don't trust him to do justice in your life, you're not trusting him 100 percent. God is trustworthy. All the time.

Read all the best reasons to stop holding a grudge.

Chucking old baggage, and other thoughts…

When I think about the things that have held me back in life, they boil down to two areas: the baggage of my past, and fear.

This single life is complicated. Usually we're so busy treading water in the present that we don't take time to clean up the bad influences from our past. That's why I wrote about forgiving yourself and giving up grudges. In future issues I'll cover fear.

What's the answer when the past, present and future are overwhelming? Jesus Christ. When we focus on him and his mighty love for us, he helps us keep things in their proper perspective. He saves us from ourselves and for eternal life with him.

People without Jesus are in trouble. Those of us who stand with him have found the true secret of life.

Thank you again for letting me visit you. God has given me the privilege of sharing with you in these newsletters, and I don't take that lightly. If you'd like to get in touch,, you can do so through our secure contact form.

I'm going to do something I've never done before in Inspire-O-Gram. Many of you have told me you pray for me, and I sincerely appreciate that. I ask each of you to pray for my mother, Shirley Zavada. She's 94 years old and is in extreme pain with bad knees. I've taken her to several doctors but none have been able to help. I ask you to pray that God will give her relief from this pain. Thank you so much, friend!

That's the June issue. May the Holy Spirit flood your life with love and encouragement,

Jack Zavada
PS: Not a Christian? Find out how to become one!

Back to Back Issues Page