Guilt

I am convinced that most people live under a load of guilt.  They may act like they have no guilt, but when they get real with you they have guilt.  They may even have buried it but it is there.  Some time ago, People magazine had a cover story entitled, "Learning to Live with a Past that Failed."  The article talked about how guilt leaves people struggling under condemnation, defeat and discouragement because of regret and guilt. 

If you feel guilty, God has good news for you!  God likes to make wrong things right.  Do you have anything wrong in your life you'd like to have made right?  God wants to do it.  Isaiah 43:25 says, “I am the God who forgives your sins, and I do this because of who I am.”  Why does God forgive?  Because you earn it?  No, because God loves to forgive sin.  

The Bible says, “We have all sinned.”  That's the bad news, but the good news is “...God declares us ‘not guilty’ if we ask Jesus Christ to forgive us.”  That is good news indeed! 

When you start saying, “I blew it again!  It's hopeless!  I'm a cruddy mother!  I'm a lousy dad!” God says, “Yes, it's true.  You've all sinned; you all fall short.”  But God declares us “Not Guilty!”  Even if there were no such thing as heaven, it would be worth becoming a Christian in order to have a clear conscience and to be able to walk around in freedom knowing you do not have to carry around guilt.

I encourage you to say something like, “God, you know it's wrong and I want to admit it to you.  I am repenting and will live for you.”  Now you can write the word “FORGIVEN” over the word “fault.” Now you can live as God intended for you to live.