Knock Knock. Who’s There? Guilt

I have carried my fair share of guilt during my lifetime.  I’ve felt guilty for eating too much junk food or too many cookies.  I’ve felt guilty for making a mistake at work because I was rushing.  I’ve felt guilty for choosing to spend the day vegging instead of getting yard work done.  But the guilt that weighs heaviest on my heart is the guilt I’ve felt when I’ve screwed up as a mom, wife, friend.  When I lost my cool and my temper.  When I look back at selfish decisions or knee-jerk reactions that didn’t reflect the woman of God I want to be.  

I will certainly encounter more situations where guilt knocks loudly as I navigate this world as an imperfect human.  But guilt, by itself, isn’t a negative emotion.  Guilt can keep us connected to our moral compass.  To remind us of right vs. wrong.  To hold us accountable to values that define us as Christians.  It is when we pitch a tent and camp out in our guilt, that we miss an opportunity to grow. 

And if we aren’t careful, our guilt can be manipulated by the enemy to keep us from achieving God’s plan for our lives.  Guilt can keep us stagnant, lost in a never-ending loop of “I screwed up, again.”  “I can’t do anything right.”  “I’m a disappointment.”  “I’m worthless.”  The lie of guilt is that it makes you unusable by God.  The truth of Jesus says otherwise.

Through Jesus Christ, God has given us a way to overcome the mistakes we’ve made and will make.  Through repentance, God has provided the key to unlock the door to forgiveness and growth.  Guilt keeps us standing still.  Repentance propels us toward God.  

The enemy wants to keep us mired in the mud of our guilt and shame.  To believe that we cannot truly be forgiven.  That God doesn’t really “forget” our sins.  He counts on our worldly perspective to blind us to God’s heavenly forgiveness.  God has made it clear that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

But get this!  Not only does God forgive us, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, He forgets our transgressions.  But how can God forget?  God knows every decision, every mistake, every pang of guilt we’ll feel, long before we do.  That is what slays me.  Our Father in Heaven chooses to forget our transgressions.  Be honest with yourself.  How many times have you held a grudge?  Forgiven someone but not forgotten what they did?  Using that memory to justify how you view their future actions?  

But not our God.  In Jeremiah 31:34B, it says, “For I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more.”

Hebrews 8:12 tells us, “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

Hebrews 10:17: “…then he adds, I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

Our Father in heaven makes a conscious and unbelievably gracious and merciful choice to never think about our moral failures once we repent.  He will not harp on them or hold them over our heads.  He won’t use them to threaten us, control us, or keep them in His back pocket to pull out to condemn us later.  When we repent and are forgiven, it is done.  

The transgression is forgiven.  The punishment we are due was paid for by Jesus on the cross.  The sentence we deserve is cancelled.  

“No more.”

I know that I will feel guilty in my life.  And I am grateful for a God that sends me a warning signal.  It is what I do with that signal that determines who I believe.  Do I believe the God that promises to forgive and remove my guilt and shame?  Or do I believe the enemy who speaks the lies of the Garden of Eden? “Did God really say…”.   

Did my God really send His son to pay for my sins?  Yes, He did.

Did my God say that when I confess my sins, I will be forgiven?  Yes, He did.

Did my God really say that He would remember my transgressions no more?  Yes, He did.

It is the ultimate act of arrogance when we refuse to forgive ourselves and embrace guilt as a badge of honor.  To beat ourselves up instead of accepting that Jesus Christ endured the beating centuries ago that removed all condemnation.  When we choose guilt and shame over forgiveness and mercy, we turn our backs on the overwhelming, all consuming, debt-cancelling love of the Father.

James 4:7-8 tells us, “So submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

Guilt keeps us standing still.  Repentance propels us toward God.  Grace guarantees forgiveness.

This week’s prayer can be found at https://simplyjoy.online/prayers/guilt-prayers/i-repent/