Have you lost your memory?

Psalms 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

D .L. Moody said, "Those who say they will forgive but can't forget, bury the hatchet, but they leave the handle out for immediate use."

My wife and I don't argue much, but we've had our moments, just like anyone else. And when the bickering begins, the remembering begins.

Have you ever noticed that when we get upset about something, we begin hashing up all these things that have happened in the past? Things we thought were long forgiven and forgotten suddenly flood our minds and stir up feelings of anger and bitterness. Before we know it, our enemy has us ensnared in a web of frustration and unforgiveness!

The same is true when we experience failure in our day-to-day lives. The devil knows how to bring up all the memories of past failures which make it exceedingly difficult for us to forgive ourselves and get free!

Satan would love nothing more than to keep us bound up in unforgiveness -- to bring up those bad memories and torment us with them. He knows how successfully these things keep us from moving forward for the Lord! But we need to recognize his tactics and loose ourselves!

When we repent and confess the Lord truly forgives us. Our sins are cast as far as the East is from the West. He removes them from His record loving us with a love undeserved. We need to do the same for ourselves, our loved ones, and even our worst enemies.

The Lord wants us to get free so that we can help others get free. We can't help anyone else when we're all bound up ourselves! Let's cast our painful memories onto the cross and ask Him to help us truly forgive and forget.

Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.

How to display the above article within the Worthy Suite WordPress Plugin.

[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]

Yesterday, there was a fascinating article in Bloomberg about how the prices of some paintings are falling rapidly. As I read the article I wondered just how much paintings actually go for.

During World War 2, a staggering 75 million died during those years.  In those fateful years, the world fought against the greatest evil it had ever seen, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime.

This is an interesting passage of Scripture which details how Josiah, a young and Godly king, went forth to cleanse the land, and in doing so, finds that he was fulfilling a prophecy given years before. Josiah went forth doing what was right — and in doing so, was walking out the works that God preordained for him — he was fulfilling the calling that God had set into motion years before!

Winston Churchill exemplified integrity and respect in the face of opposition. During his last year in office, he attended an official ceremony. Several rows behind him two gentlemen began whispering. "That's Winston Churchill." "They say he is getting senile." "They say he should step aside and leave the running of the nation to more dynamic and capable men." When the ceremony was over, Churchill turned to the men and said, "Gentlemen, they also say he is ...

Historian Shelby Foote tells of a soldier who was wounded at the battle of Shiloh during the American Civil War and was ordered to go to the rear. The fighting was fierce and within minutes he returned to his commanding officer. "Captain, give me a gun!" he shouted. "This fight ain't got any rear!"

I recently arrived back in Israel last week, and upon my arrival, there were severe thunderstorms, something unusual for this time of year. In these thunderstorms, rivers are often created in the desert, and the highway road along the Dead Sea is often closed during this time. Last week, a few people died traveling along this road as its car was carried away by a flash flood. This reminded me of another incident in my own life.

Let's consider Daniel for a moment. Here is one of the great rulers of the Persian empire, in charge of the King's affairs and of the affairs of the entire government. If anyone is really busy -- it's Daniel! But in spite of all this responsibility, he makes it a point to set himself apart from the world and pray three times a day.