Guilt is simply a feeling of having committed wrong or failed in an obligation. And as a Christian believer, you will always have such a feeling when you miss the mark. The truth of the matter is that when we receive Christ in our lives, we are transformed into new creations, and we receive a new nature and a new heart. That nature is more sensitive to the things of God, but also to sin. The way you feel when you do wrong is different from how an unbeliever feels because they don’t have that relationship with God to help them realize their wrong. The Holy Spirit always convicts us of our nature, the righteousness of God. He helps us realize that some things are not who we are, and therefore can not and should not hold us captive. It is this conviction that sometimes creates the feeling of guilt in our earthen vessels, because you will always know when you have hurt your friend by your actions.
However, God has taught us through His word that He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. (Psalm 103:10 -12)
Firstly, we need to learn to acknowledge when we have done wrong. Guilt can not come unless there was a committed wrong. The feeling of guilt follows missing the mark in some way. Therefore, acknowledging a committed wrong is the first step in dealing with guilt that comes with it. For he has promised that If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) Our confession though is not in the acknowledgment of sin as a nature, but as a committed wrong. The assurance we have is that He has promised to forgive our mistakes and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.
Secondly, we need to receive this forgiveness and grace that has been freely given to us by God through Jesus; For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. (Romans 3:23-26)
Thirdly, we need to let go of our past, knowing that we are forgiven, set free and delivered. You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed[d] the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. (Colossians 2:13-15). We don’t owe the past anything; so you can as well dust your feet and move on because God has called you to shine brighter than your past. Your purpose is defined in the life ahead of you.
Lastly, we need to keep acknowledging this truth about who we are and what God has done for and in us. Jesus is the best gift given and the bible says through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it. (Colossians 1:20-23)
What we can be excited about today is that God has made a way for us through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ and therefore there is now no condemnation [no guilty verdict, no punishment] for those who are in Christ Jesus [who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior]. For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has set you free from the law of sin and of death. (Romans 8:1-2).
Guilt is not your portion, and no matter how many times it will try to raise its head, allow the Spirit of God to raise the standard in your life. You can live above certain things with the help of the Holy Spirit. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence (1John 3:20-21).
For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin. Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment]. (Hebrews 4:15-16)
Hallelujah.
Stay Blessed.
