Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
The devil will often try to get us to focus on those things we did in the past for which we are now ashamed. As I have been reminded of many sins, I have returned to this truth: Those sins were committed before I was born again. They don't count! They are invalid.
Here is God's truth on the matter ...
II Cor. 5:17 ... if any man be in Christ (being born again of Christ's Spirit), he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
After we are born again, another Spirit, the Spirit of God works in us. We are a new creature now. We are not as we once were. All that is passed away. Once we lived for ourselves. Now we live for God.
II Cor. 5 ... 14For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 15And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
My cousin once said to me, "I know you are a Christian ... I just don't know how you are."
She had been in church all her life but she didn't understand being born again.
Later her husband did a similar thing to me. He and his dad were leaders in Church of Christ denomination. But he didn't understand being born again.
To these people, they think salvation is a matter of your own will. That by will power you do things of the Bible. They do not understand having the Spirit of God in you and being born again.
I was born again by God by His Spirit in 1975 when HE revealed (by His Spirit) truth to me ... saying ... "Joan, you know all these mistakes you've made... they weren't mistakes ... they were sin." I was shocked at this revelation. And in a blink of the eye, instantly, I was born again and changed from the previous life and given HIS Spirit to lead me in the new life.
Many in churches have not been born again. They just copy other people and think themselves to be of God and try to be of God. But you cannot be of God this way. You must be born again to be of God and to follow God.
Jn. 3 ... 3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
... Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.