Do you feel as though you’ve made a mess out of your life? I hope continue to read this because you will be encouraged to see how God can salvage a messed-up life for his glory.
Remember Rahab? Most any time her name is mentioned, her infamous title accompanies it: Rahab the Harlot! Well, we really should never refer to her with that title any longer because God gave her a second chance and brought her out of that sinful life and used her mightily. You’ll find her story in Joshua 2.
Rahab went the way of a lot of women of her day. She had to earn a living and she chose the world’s oldest profession. We aren’t told too many details of her early life, but we know she lived this life of sin for many years. But through a series of events, she bargained for her life with the two spies from the people of God, hid them in her home in exchange for protection for her family, and survived the slaughter and destruction of her country.
Well, that’s a good enough story as it is, but it doesn’t end there. She marries one of those Israelites and becomes a foremother in the lineage of Jesus Christ. Her name is listed in Hebrews 11 as a great woman of faith. What a comeback! From a notorious harlot to the grandmother—many times removed—of Jesus Christ.
Maybe you have a past to be ashamed of. Could it be that for many years you lived a life of sin and you feel dirty and tainted as a result? If so, I want you to think about Rahab today and remember that God gives second chances to people with sordid pasts.
You see, the enemy will try to hinder you and handicap you because of your past. He would have preferred that you never find forgiveness for that sin, but since you’ve done that already, at least he hopes to keep you mired in guilt and rotten memories.
But dear friend, if you’ve asked God to forgive you, that past is behind you, He remembers it no more, and he wants you to go forward, free from guilt, with a new slate and a second chance. Let God take the guilt of your past, put it under his precious blood, and set you free to see what he can do with you. It’s never too late, and nothing is too hard for the Lord.
