Are you haunted by the past? Do you feel guilty or trapped because you can’t let go of something from years ago?

Rudyard Kipling said it well: “Nothing is ever settled until it is settled right.” We can point our finger and make up excuses, but the key to being free is confession.

Confess your sin to God and make things right with whomever you have wronged. Confess your sins before the Lord and experience God’s forgiveness. Come before Him and say, “Lord, I have sinned. I am unworthy. Please forgive me. Make me clean again.”

And, He will. He will also give you freedom and joy. You will be able to look every man and woman in the eye because you’re clean. You are forgiven. You will be at peace with God and with others.

James 5:16 says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”

Confess your sins to the Lord, experience His forgiveness, and then tell those in your world that they can be forgiven too. They need His freedom just as much as you. Will you tell the people in your world about the forgiveness Jesus offers?

Have ever considered the difference between a wet sponge and a dry sponge? A wet sponge can be used – it’s flexible and malleable. But a dry sponge is dull, hard, and crusty. It’s useless.

My friend, when we refuse to forgive someone, our hearts becomes like that dried up sponge! Bitter and ugly. Many people spoil their lives by refusing to forgive. They limit how God can use them because they aren’t free from the burden of resentment.

Some even have physical or emotional breakdowns because bitterness consumes them. No matter how great is the trespass against us, we cannot afford to harbor resentment in our soul.

The Bible says, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

If you know Jesus Christ today, you do not have to “muster up” the strength to forgive. You just need to pray and ask God’s Spirit to enable you to forgive. The Holy Spirit living in you is what makes forgiveness possible. By His power, forgive those who have wronged you and point them to Jesus Christ.

Christians aren’t perfect. I’ll be the first to testify to that. But one benefit we have in Jesus Christ is the eternal perspective He offers us.

When stresses and problems come our way, as they do in everyone’s life, a believer’s reaction is significantly different from a nonbeliever’s. The defining difference is the perspective with which we approach these problems.

As frustrating and painful as people and circumstances may be, Christ-followers know that this world is not the be-all and end-all. We live today in light of eternity! It’s a joyously free feeling to not be trapped by earthly burdens. We know that heaven is our true home.

This perspective is not something nonbelievers can understand. All they are living for is here and now. But the Bible says, “this world in its present form is passing away.”

There is so much more to life than the present! Won’t you reach out and tell someone about the reason for your lack of fear and worry? Won’t you tell someone what Jesus Christ has done for you?

My wife and I know of a woman who visits girls in a juvenile detention center. Once a month, the girls in this home have free time to leave the campus with a family member or friend. But sadly, many of them have no one to go with. Their family and friends simply don’t visit them.

So this woman asked ladies from her church to meet with the girls. Each woman takes one girl out for coffee, or to the mall, or on a walk. And they simply talk. One hour a month is all it takes to share Christ’s love with these young girls. Isn’t that powerful?

Hebrews 13:3 tells us, “Remember those in prison, as if you were their fellow prisoners.”

Now, talk about getting out of our comfort zones! This is perhaps one of the hardest places to imagine sharing the Good News Gospel. But many of the inmates have hit bottom and are hungry for hope, forgiveness, and a fresh start. You can be the one to tell them that Jesus Christ offers new life to all who believe in His name!

Think about some ways you can get alongside a prison ministry in your area. Perhaps you can mentor someone, or help lead a Bible study. As you let the Lord spiritually ’stretch’ you, He’ll bring about amazing results in people’s lives – including your own!