SCRIPTURE
18 Where is another God like you,
who pardons the guilt of the remnant,
overlooking the sins of his special people?
You will not stay angry with your people forever,
because you delight in showing unfailing love.
19 Once again you will have compassion on us.
You will trample our sins under your feet
and throw them into the depths of the ocean!
20 You will show us your faithfulness and unfailing love
as you promised to our ancestors Abraham and Jacob long ago.
Micah 7:18-20

OBSERVATION
Micah closes his book with an uplifting message of hope. He is very clear confronting and pointing out the sins of the people, and equally clear proclaiming the grace of God to forgive their sins. In this translation, it says that God overlooks our sin. This should not be confused with pandering. Many Israelites believed that God would pander them simply because of their lineage. What Micah means here is that once God forgives our transgressions, He does not keep looking at them to continue angry at us. He overlooks our past record of failures and sin. He puts His foot on our past sins and throw them into the depths of the ocean, where they cannot be remember or brought back anymore. God focuses in His grace and unfailing love.

APPLICATION
The enemy of our soul tries to make us believe, consciously or unconsciously, that God still remembers our past record of sins - that God is still angry at us and that He enjoys bringing the hammer down to those who have fail Him in doing His will. The problem of believing such a lie is that we sabotage God's plan for our lives. And instead of mastering our sin, we allow our sin to continue mastering us. Very often I find myself dealing with my own sin the wrong way. Rather than asking for forgiveness, repenting, and staying away from falling again, I go through a spin of guilt, doubt, and hopelessness. I think that I will never be able to master my sin, that God does not like me, and that He is angry at me. Ultimately, our faith weakens and the enemy gains some ground in the battle for our minds. And whoever wins the mind, the high ground, wins the heart.

I rememebr one time while I was in prayer, asking God for forgiveness about a recent sinful episode, that I staretd to bring the same instances from the past. I was saying, "Oh God, rememeber when I did this in the past?" And almost immediately I felt in my heart as if God was saying, "No! I don't rememeber. Why you bring back those things I forgave you for?"

I need to believe with all of my heart that Micah's words of hope are 100% true. Once my sin is forgiven and covered by the blood of Jesus, God overlooks my sin. He truly forgets my past record of wrongdoing. My filth is in the deepest depth of the ocean.

PRAYER
Dear heavenly Father, your unfailing love is real and effective to restore my soul. Who am I to bring this stuff back before God with my insecurities and lack of faith? Please forgive me for the many times I bring back things from the past. I know you are not angry at me anymore. I know that as long as I stay repentant at the foot of the cross and willing to be molded according to your image, I will experience your forgiveness and the power of the resurrection in my own sinful nature. Let me master my sin with faith and trust in your grace and power to save me. Amen!