“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” — Psalm 51:10, NIV

Second chances, fresh starts, a clean slate — all these things are not easy to come by. In our world, cancel culture can make our mistakes extremely costly and it leaves no room for grace or second chances.

Fortunately for us as Christians, when we sin and fall short, God does not push us away or give up on us. He extends grace and forgiveness to us. In Romans 6:1-2, Paul brings up a very important point about this: “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”

We should live not in the old ways of sin. Rather, we should lead lives that reflect Christ and our title as new creations. We have a clean slate and a new day.

‘‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ — Revelation 21:4-5, NIV

Perhaps for some of us, guilt of our past mistakes tries to prohibit us from moving on. We may believe that, for us, a clean slate or fresh start is impossible. Although we may still have to deal with the consequences of our actions, we do not have to worry that we are too much for God or that our sins are too great.

When we have doubts, we can remember God’s faithfulness and promises for us. For instance, in 1 John 1:9 we are told “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” We can trust Him and His Word, even when our own doubts try to tell us otherwise. We are imperfect human beings with struggles but through Jesus Christ we have hope, redemption and a new life with him.

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“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 3:13-14, NIV

Through Jesus Christ, we are given a fresh start. Psalm 103:12 says, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” However, being given a new opportunity does not mean we are going to stop struggling with our sin. Instead, it should motivate us to grow in our relationship with Jesus and push ourselves to mature and move away from our sin.

We can forget what is behind us as Philippians 3:13-14 puts it, and we can press on toward the goal. Following God’s will requires us to stay motivated and keep looking toward the One who is with us each step of the way for guidance.