Isaiah 59:1-2 King James Version (KJV)

1. Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
2. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

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Introduction

When we look at the world around us today or even trace it back to the time of Adam and Eve, it will be noticed there has been an alarming increase at the rate people Sin against God and even against one another, ranging from killing, wrong judgement, stealing, committing adultery and many other things. However, while some perceive it as bad, some don't. Some will even delve into sin knowingly, while some won't . But, no matter how you find yourself in it, sin is sin, either big or small. Anything done against God's commandments is a sin. Despite some of us know this fully well, we still prefer going into it. That's quite unfortunate anyways.

Let's now talk about what's meant by sin, it's havoc and solutions.

What is Sin?

Sin is disobedience to God's commandments, either by doing what is forbidden or failing to do what is required. And it is made known in the Bible that Sin is a serious evil that destroy our relationship with God.
Isaiah 59 Vs 1-2

Havoc our Sins might cause...

Carefully look at the illustration below;
Let the following letters represent our step by step process of praying;
A -Thanks giving

B(with thorns in the side facing A and magnet in the side facing C)

seeking forgiveness of sins

C-making request of what we want

A-----*B«-----C

If you properly study this, taking into consideration meaning of each sign as explained above, you would notice B is the biggest of all; where we spend most of the time while praying and remember it's with thorns. What these thorns(*) do is to counter our Thanksgiving thereby making it unacceptable before God. In the same manner, the magnet on B attracts our requests and make them unable to go to the right place.

When our prayers are not answered by God because they aren't going to the place, how do we want to progress in our doings? No way! This implies our sins cause a lot of hindrances to our progress.

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Forgiveness of Sins;The Panacea for Our Sins.

NLT, Luke 15 Vs 3-7

So Jesus used this illustration:

"If you had one hundred sheep, and one of them strayed away and was lost in the wilderness, wouldn't you leave the ninety-nine others to go and search for the lost one until you found it? And then you would joyfully carry it home on your shoulders. When you arrived, you would call together your friends and neighbors to rejoice with you because your lost sheep was found. In the same way, heaven will be happier over one lost sinner who returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven't strayed away!

The only way our sins can be washed away is through forgiveness and no any other means. Remember, God sent his only begotten Son to the world for the redemption of our Sins. Imagine the magnitude of love he had for us despite we have wronged Him virtually in all ways and acted against His will. We often overlook His commandments and act oblivious to them. Yet, He still love us and because of this love, He's able to forgive and make us clean as white as snow.

Before God could forgive us of our sins, we ourselves must be willing and able to forgive any other person that offends us, or else our sins will not be forgiven. Now, as human beings, can we really replicate what God has done for us despite all the love shown to us? While some find it easy to do, some certainly find it difficult to do. But remember what the Bible says;
In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus. Christ himself was like God in everything...

Philippines 2 Vs 5-6

Therefore, we must be willing to forgive a fellow unconditionally if we want God to forgive us too.

However, there are some sins that once committed, cannot be forgiven. I call them The Unpardonable Sins; Example is blasphemy.

NIV, Mark 3:28-29

Jesus said blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is an unpardonable or unforgivable sin:
I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.

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Forgiving Oneself

Many people still feel guilty and unworthy, even after completing the steps required for God's forgiveness. However, there is no need to feel that way; the Bible assures us that God does not hold our forgiven sins against us, Luke 15:7, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Hebrews 10:15-22. Of course, some sins against other people cannot be undone, and that is reason enough for extra resolve not to repeat the sin. However, there is no need to keep hating oneself. Instead, we can view it as a learning experience and an incentive to do good in the future instead of evil. So, even after learning to forgive others, we should also learn to forgive ourselves for our mind to be free from sins.

Conclusion

The havoc sin does to us is more than the good it does. Why then do most people prefer living a sinful life. However, God does not want the death of a sinner than for him to repent.
The truth of the matter is that; God wants us to adopt the habit of forgiving one another unconditionally. No matter how small or big our sins could be, He's ready to forgive us as long as we are not willing to put on the mantle of old habits and ready to forgive those who sin against us.

Thanks for reading...

Your contributions are highly welcomed.