To Cancel

2 Cor.5:¹⁷ “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. ‘he old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

How does this resurrection power benefit me? Over the next few days, God Himself will unpack this truth and help us see clearly the difference resurrection power makes in our lives. The first thing is, Resurrection Power Is The Power To Cancel Your Past. Many people cannot let go of their past. Sometimes, even when they want to let go of their past, the people around them will remind them of their past. The man wants to let go of his past, but it is his wife that keeps reminding him. Sometimes it is our siblings or even our colleagues. God says to us in Col.2:^13-14 “…he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross” (emphasis added).

God did not only forgive our sins; He also cancelled every record. So, you show up before God apologizing for the things you did wrong. But God says, once you have brought it to God and to the cross, it is cancelled! But most times, we still hold on to it and we show up before God with it. God says, “I honestly do not know what you are talking about.” We are like, “But God You cannot be that forgetful, You are God!” The Bible says He, God, cancelled every record of debt. To cancel means to neutralize, to offset, to be forgiven, and more importantly to wipe off. There is no record of wrong anymore. Jesus has the power to cancel the failures of your past. No records!

Mr. A and Mr. B are friends, partners in crime. Everything they are doing is being recorded, perhaps up to a billion wrongs against them. Then, at some point, Mr. A comes across a devotional like this, he encounters the power of the cross of Jesus. Mr. A hears that God has actually cancelled his debt. Mr. A says to Jesus, “I want that forgiveness.” Guess what happens? Heaven wipes off his wrongs with a “spiritual eraser”. The records are cancelled, not archived. But Mr. B, however, has not had the same experience. In fact, they still look alike on the outside and they still hang out because they are friends. But every time Mr. B’s record is called up, the record of wrong is shown. Every time Mr. A’s record is called up, it is a clean slate.

This is the picture of grace, a clean slate. God explains it in Jer.31:³⁴ “…And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.” (emphasis added). God says, He will not remember our sins. Jesus was crucified for you, so you need to stop crucifying yourself. Stop crucifying yourself! Jesus died on the cross for you. The question is, if God chooses not to remember your past failures, shouldn’t you? If God does not remember your past failures, how should you respond to the people that are trying to remind you? God does not remember; because of the cross He does not remember. The resurrection power is the power to cancel your past and that is the difference.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your sacrifice on the cross, for cancelling the record of my wrongs and for a clean slate, in Jesus Name. Amen!