Proverbs 19-21

20:9 says:

Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin”?

The Bible tells us no one is righteous.  Not even one. It also says all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. 

We all sin. And just because we have a personal relationship with the Lord doesn’t mean we are immune from sinning. Satan doesn’t just write us off when we accept Jesus as our Savior. In fact, if we’re honest Satan often steps up his game a little in the lives of Christians.

Sometimes I think we can be too hard on ourselves about past sins. We might have committed what we consider to be some pretty awful sins or we might feel guilty about lying to someone. 

One thing I see in the Bible is that God doesn’t grade sins. He doesn’t consider murder more of an offense than gluttony. He didn’t die once for some sins and twice for others. He died once and for all.

Ok. So you’re a sinner. Welcome to the human race. Repent and move on. Jesus died for you. Your sins… all of them… are forgiven when you repent. If you carry the guilt of your sin, if you keep beating yourself up for past mistakes, if you allow those things to hold you back, that’s on you. It’s not from God. In fact, it just might be Satan’s weapon to keep you ineffective for the kingdom.

When we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness. Did you get that? You can stand before God today whiter than snow because Jesus’ blood paid the price. 

If you have gone to God and asked him to forgive you, then trust him to do that. The guilt you hold on to just might be a sin you need to confess. Let him free you of that, too.

And remember, no one can say they have kept a pure heart or are clean and without sin. Don’t let Satan make you think your sins are too ugly for God to forgive. Or that you deserve this feeling of guilt. All of us are in the same boat. And we have a great God who wants us to accept what he has to offer: forgiveness, cleansing, freedom.

Letting go of guilt doesn’t mean we don’t remember. We should remember so we don’t repeat our sin. Letting go of guilt doesn’t mean we think we got away with something. The penalty for that sin cost Jesus his life. But he wanted to pay for it. He wanted to go to the cross to free us from that sin. My prayer is that we all will let him do that.

If you are feeling guilty about something, thank God for his grace and use the memory of that sin to remind you how really awesome his grace is to forgive even that. Don’t let Satan steal your joy. Let God turn Satan’s attack into a blessing.

Father in Heaven, I pray for hurting people today. I know there isn’t one person reading this today who hasn’t done something or said something that they regret. I know some are carrying the physical consequences of past sins. But, God, I also know you are faithful to forgive when we ask. Please help your people to forgive ourselves, too, so that we can be free to reach out to others. Defeat Satan in our lives when he would keep us captive to past sins. Thank you for Jesus and his work on the cross that allows us to live lives free of sin that would entangle us. Help us to walk free today.