Make Your Life Free Of Guilt, Shame, and Blame Now
Guilt. Shame. Blame.
You know . . . those things the enemy uses to discourage you. There’s nothing he loves more than to remind us of our past failures. His goal is to get us to nod in agreement and live defeated.
Why?
Because when we are discouraged and defeated . . . focused on our sinful failures, we pull back from the One who loves us and wants us to come to Him for forgiveness.
Psalm 6 is called the first of seven “penitential” psalms. David realized that he was living out the consequences of sin.
Oh, how we hate that word. We don’t want our sins to have consequences. So, we make excuses and blame and “hide.”
But our perfect Heavenly Father wants so much more for us that He allows us to live out the aftermath of our sinful choices.
And it was in the consequential aftermath that David found himself. But rather than wallowing in shame and blame, he honestly took it all to the Lord in prayer…
Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak.
Psalm 6:2,4,6
Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.
Return, O Lord, and rescue me.
Save me because of Your unfailing love.
I am worn out from sobbing.
All night I flood my bed with weeping,
drenching it with my tears.
It’s easy to end up overwhelmed by guilt and shame when we realize that our circumstances are the result of our bad choices. We end up weak, in agony, and worn out because of something we’ve said or done.
That’s why, it’s a blessing that we can, like David, run to our Heavenly Father with our tears of remorse and repentance.
And we can, like David, know and proclaim…
The Lord has heard my plea;
Psalm 6:9
the Lord will answer my prayer.
He hears the repentant cries of our hearts and promises us forgiveness and freedom.
But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
1 John 1:9
It’s something we can be sure of because He gave us a covenant promise in Christ Jesus.
Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered Himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.
Hebrews 9:14
A promise that God shows unfailing love and compassion to all who come to Him for forgiveness.
Where is another God like you,
Micah 7:18–19
who pardons the guilt of the remnant,
overlooking the sins of His special people?
You will not stay angry with Your people forever,
because You delight in showing unfailing love.
Once again You will have compassion on us.
You will trample our sins under Your feet
and throw them into the depths of the ocean!
Guilt. Shame. Blame. We don’t have to live there.
By God’s grace, we can humbly take our tears of remorse and run to our perfect Parent in repentance trusting that He will forgive us taking our sins and “throwing them into the depths of the ocean.”
He may not remove our consequences but because He loves us so much, He will use them to guide us and grow us so that we might make better choices in the future.
A Prayer of Repentance and for Freedom From
Guilt, Shame, and Blame
Father, every day the enemy taunts me with whispers of guilt and shame. As I live through the consequences of my own sinful choices, he delights in my foolishness and jeers at me telling me I will never change.
I’m so tired of these feelings of failure and hopelessness. I’m tired of trying to do it myself and failing.
I need Your forgiveness. I need Your help. I’m so very sorry for ___________, please forgive me. Rescue me and deliver me through Your unfailing love.
I am abundantly thankful for Your promises. Your Word says that if we confess our sins to You, You will forgive us. All because Jesus gave Himself for us. I am humbled by Your grace, mercy, and love.
Lord, I surrender myself to Your loving care. Please strengthen me by the power of Your Spirit that I might KNOW, TRUST, and OBEY You. I will SEEK You first that I might know Your heart and follow Your will. And with Your help, I will live each day for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
I don’t want to spend another day tearful and weak over my sinful words or actions. I want to surrender my heart and my will to the Lord and invite Him to help me TRUST and OBEY. And I want to quickly take my sins—things I think, do and say and things I fail to think, do, and say—to my Heavenly Father in repentance.
If you’re ready to live without . . . Guilt. Shame. Blame. If you’re ready to live forgiven and free.
Run to your Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus and trust His promises.
He does not punish us for all our sins;
Psalm 103:10–13
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.
The Lord is like a father to His children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear Him.
God bless you and give you peace and joy knowing that you are forgiven and free.
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Happy New Year. I was curious as if it is just my eyesight or my short-term term memory, all in good faith…lol. Did you change the font or size in your devotions? It might just be the new update on my phone but it appears smaller and a little hard to read the last couple of times I have read them before I get out of bed.
No big deal, either way. I was just curious and my daughter( who is 11 years old) is still sleeping to help me adjust but will. Lol
I truly enjoy these devotions, references in them to God’s word and they are perfect to read to my son(9years old ) and my daughter (11years old) on the way to school or home if we are running behind in the morning. The longer ones I save for dinner time or do with bed time prayers.
Thank you for sharing the Unconditional Love, Teachings, and Dicipline; so to speak of our Heavenly Father in your own way that God Blesess you as his child.
Blessings,
Ms. Amanda Spradley
Hi, Ms. Spradley. Thank you so much for being a regular reader. I truly appreciate you! I have not changed the text size but I have noticed my texts are smaller since the update. I hope your daughter was able to help you enlarge it to make reading easier and more enjoyable. Thanks too for your kind encouragement. God bless you!
Deb,
Oh how I needed this today!! I have gone through so much of my life with guilt, blame and shame. Shame that I have not been as trusting as I have needed to be. I know that God is so good and has been so good to me. Guilt and blame for everything that has not gone right in my life. I have always blamed myself for so many things that didn’t work out or with relationship problems with my family. Someone dear to me, a person that I have the most trust in, told me that they don’t understand why I think I am such a terrible person and everyone else is a saint. I was told that I am not always in the wrong. Hearing that and believing it is not easy for me. I blame myself for everything that goes wrong. Seeing the Psalms that you quoted this morning really helped me. I have read them so many times but you have opened my eyes to see a different perspective. I enjoy your wisdom so much and the replys of your other readers. Thanks for the blessing you are in my life and also for the blessings of your other readers.
Hi, Sue! I’m glad you were blessed and encouraged. I was nodding and smiling as I read your comment. My daughter tells her friends that I feel guilty about everything that happens . . . by me or anyone around me. Her friends say they love it. They’ve decided they’ll just blame me when things go wrong and let me feel guilty for them. Their teasing has been a good reminder. I want to reject the enemy’s tauntings of flaws and failures and trust my Father’s forgiveness and perfect love. Thanks for joining the conversation and for helping me know that I’m not the only one who struggles with this. Blessings!
Deb,
Your reply made me laugh and smile too. Your daughter and her friends had to get a laugh out of you with that comment. You are really a wonderful person!! Thanks for letting me know as well that I am not the only one.
We definitely gotta work on this with the help of Jesus!!
I love this message. It’s deeply personal as most of us, I’ve been through all these phases. Love to see in my mind the picture of me as a little child, running to my Heavenly Father, climb in His lap and be safe in His hugging arms.
Especially lately, plagues me the question of the “what if”…..how different my life could have been if I’d be able to honestly TRUST in Jesus and in His promises. How life could have been living in that perfect inner freedom, full reliance on Him, in that knowing that whatever I have to face I’m not alone as Jesus is there with me. How many choices I would have made differently in this knowledge. All the missed opportunities to live with Him and in Him. And all those missed blessings to experience heavenly living here on earth.
But I also realize the trapping of all these “what ifs”…as focusing on them can easily lead to dwindling away all the opportunities of the NOW. Jesus can ease the pain of the lost blessings but I have to make sure that I grab Him and the blessings in store of the now and the future. I like a Chambers’ quote that says: “Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ. Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.”
Gaby, I love that Chamber’s quote. I need to remember that! I’m trying to focus on the fact that even with my “what ifs” God has been so good to me. Isn’t it wonderful that He is our Redeemer and the One who comforts us when we are burdened by the pain of lost blessings? What an awesome God we serve! Blessings to you! Thanks as always for adding to our conversation.
None of us need the burdens of guilt, shame or blame, Deb. Let us be ready to go to our Father in prayer, asking His forgiveness.
Blessings!
Amen, Martha! He is so good and gracious. Blessings, friend!
I think you touched on deeply felt wounds and emotions with this post, Deb! And I think we all feel guilt, shame, and blame almost daily over one thing or another. And not that we are intentionally doing things that make us feel that way…I’ve thought to myself (or maybe the enemy planted it in my mind), the harder I try, the more I mess up! We are not perfect and we will never be totally sinless this side of heaven. But God in His mercy does forgive us, when we repent. And one of the hardest things for me has been to forgive myself, learn from it, and move on. I think the enemy delights in making us our own worst enemy! I fight this battle constantly, but praise God, He is my Shield! Thank you, for all the encouragement your ministry gives to us! I love reading the comments too, and can always relate, be uplifted, or whisper a prayer for them! Community can be such a comfort! Thank you for that too!! Blessings always, sweet friend and warrior!
Kathy,
You said it so perfectly. Lots of feelings you revealed have certainly been my feelings as well. Thank you for your input as well as the input of others.
Yes, we all deal with our past struggles, and oh, how the enemy loves to remind us of them. Thank God for His love, forgiveness, and protective care of our hearts. And thank you, for being such an encouraging member of our community! Blessings and hugs!
Love your message of encouragement. Everyone needs this reminder at some point.
Thank you so much, Sue! You just made my day… A blessed lift to my heart!
Thank you, Michelle. God bless you!
Love this Deb. Yes, I’ve noticed that when we focus on sin, not doing wrong, well me personally–I get bogged down a bit because I never want to purposefully hurt my Father. But when I focus on what He has done for me, who He is…it is like a well springing up with joy reminding me He conquered death. Yet, I know we need to be warned of sin and its consequences. Maybe this is one of the ways we are to be kept spiritually fit, so as not get too confident or proud (lest we fall?)
Thanks for this, Meghan! It is so beautifully said! I want to focus on who He is and all He does praising Him for His grace, mercy, and love. In all things may it be less of me and more of Him. God be with you and bless you!