I often find myself caught up in the past, feeling guilty, or in the moment feeling guilty for using my time in ways our society deems “unproductive.” As I began praying about it God revealed to me two kinds of guilt: the false guilt, or lies from the enemy, and then true guilt, when I actually have sinned and need to repent. The truth is we are all guilty. We commit countless sins everyday. We break Gods commandments and fall into the devil’s sinful traps.
We as human beings torment ourselves with feelings of guilt. We try to find ways to “make up” for our wrong doings. But this is unnecessary, for God says we no longer have to make worldly sacrifices. The only sacrifices God calls us to make are confession, repentance, love, and praise. Those really don’t seem like sacrifices to me. They are blessings. What’s more of a blessing though is that Jesus already made the ultimate sacrifice on the cross. We cannot “make up” for the wrongs we have committed, but we can and ought to show others how sorry we are through love, because “Love covers all multitudes of sin.” 1 Peter 4:8.
I personally struggle with letting go of my past. We need to surrender everything to God. He forgave us for ALL of our sins and loves us 100% regardless of our actions. We can and must let go of those feelings of guilt because we are forgiven. God’s love covers our sins and his love shines through us. No matter what, God is in control. Nothing is too difficult for Him. “He is before all things and in Him all things hold together,” Colossians 1:17. This includes our lives and actions. It is because of his unfailing love and the grace He extends to us that we can walk in FREEDOM.
Jesus, the great high priest took it all so that we can, “approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” Hebrews 4: 16. Jesus struggled on Earth, He faced temptations, He suffered through excruciating pain, was humiliated, and through it all lived a blameless life. So I encourage us, when we find ourselves falling into temptation or engaging in unhealthy habits to turn to God. Because God, and God alone, fully understands your pain. He carried it with him on the cross, and He forgives you for everything. And if God, the great high priest forgives us, then surely we can forgive ourselves.
Accept God’s Grace and Love,
Learn from your mistakes,
And stand firm in your faith.
You are no longer a sinner,
But through Christ a Saint.
All because He washed us clean with his blood.
The enemy can and will try to deceive us into believing otherwise, but the more we speak this truth into ourselves and each other, the farther from us he will run, because nothing scares the devil more than truth. And nothing pleases Christ more than when we walk in Him, and allow the Holy Spirit to expose itself through us.
