Have you experienced the saving power of Jesus?

I was reading Church Planter: The Man, The Message, The Mission by Darrin Patrick, and realized that he makes an excellent point on page 21. Paraphrased, it says that no one should attempt to shepherd a church without having experienced the saving power of Jesus. That got me to thinking.. How many "Christians" have not come to terms with their salvation? 

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1Jn 1:9 ESV)

In today's society, forgiveness is somewhat of a mystery to most of us. It has become common place for people to nurse grudges, and to slander and to hate. Not only is it common, but it's encouraged. This occurs almost everywhere we look. Even television shows that are geared towards children/teens encourages them to be mean spirited and hold grudges. It's no wonder that we have difficulty in feeling that the God of the Universe sent his Son on PURPOSE to die for our sins. 

Even though many of us say that we know that we are forgiven, do we feel forgiven? Is this feeling of "almost, but not quite" from God, or man? I believe it is of man. We have difficulty understanding that God has forgiven us, because he loves us. It's a concept that is rather foreign to us; forgiveness. Jesus taught about forgiveness on numerous occasions. Why? He knows that forgiveness is something that we struggle with almost daily. 

Probably the most difficult person to forgive is ourselves. Many of us struggle with guilt about our past lifestyles, mistakes, and the people we may have hurt (in one way or another). We must strive to put this behind us, and allow Jesus to save us, despite ourselves. No, we don't deserve it. The Apostle Paul was inspired to address this:

"but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 ESV)

God new that we were sinners, but he sent Jesus ANYWAY! If you still struggle with accepting salvation, or have not yet "felt" the healing of a savior, pray for God to take your doubts, and your feelings of past guilt away from you. Confess that you were a sinner, and ask for forgiveness, if you still have not experienced an encounter with Christ, pray that you will, and that your sin will be put behind you.