The Truth about Living Your Life Guilt Free
Guilt.
Everyone has to deal with it and handle it one way or another because we all have something, maybe multiple somethings, that makes us cringe and want to hide in shame.
I thought about adding a list of examples, but then decided it would only be a distraction.
You have your list, and I have mine. Some things only come to mind occasionally. Others — well, the enemy wants us to carry them around 24/7.
I have something on my list that I didn’t even realize was a sin for the longest time. But when the Holy Spirit convicted me with the truth, I was flattened.
And you know what?
The enemy immediately started taunting me, incessantly working to defeat me with despair over the label of sin he tells me I wear.
I hate that, don’t you?
Satan tempts us, entices us to sin, and then calls us by the label of the very thing he made seem so appealing earlier.
Liar. Thief. Murderer. Adulterer. Fool. Or something else.
And you and I wear it like it’s branded on our foreheads. We hate it, but still we wear it.
Guilt!
It’s nothing new. We’re not the first to experience it.
In fact, let’s go back to where it all started. …
The Garden of Eden. Picture yourself there with me. (Not as an observer but as a participant.)
Visualize the snake hissing and telling you, “God is holding out on you. If He really loved you, He would…”
You know you should resist him with all you know to be true about God…
Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17
Resist the devil, and make him flee from you. James 4:7
But you don’t.
Oh, he knows exactly what to say … every word you and I want to hear. He nudges us to take charge of our own lives and do what we want, even though we know God said “no” or at least “not now.”
We stand there, looking at the fruit and it looks amazing. So, we reach out, grab it, and take a bite.
Scripture says…
[Eve] saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it.
Genesis 3:6
In those first moments, it all felt right and good. You got what you wanted. It’s sweet, and it tastes great.
But then, it starts to sour in your mouth. You feel guilty, and the enemy begins sneering, snarling, and shaming you.
But God…
He knows what you’ve done, but He loves you so much that He immediately comes looking for you. And when He finds you, He speaks His absolute TRUTH.
He’s right. He’s always been right! We should have trusted Him! We should have obeyed Him.
We know that we deserve His punishment. You and I are guilty!
But now because of Jesus…
The scene for you and me. The Spirit transports us to the foot of the cross, inviting us to cry out, “Lord Jesus, forgive me!”
And… It’s done!
All is forgiven.
Your guilt. My guilt. It’s all gone.
God has graciously and mercifully removed our guilt and ‘sin’ label, replacing it with words like… Chosen. Child. Friend. Masterpiece. Treasure. Beloved.
He promises that through Jesus, we belong to Him.
Why?
Because we’re good. Because we deserve it.
No!
Because He is good!
Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in Him!
Psalm 34:8
And because God is good, He wants good things for you and me.
Things like … Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Hope. Contentment. And Life with Him Forever.
David wrote in Psalm 32:
Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes! What joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt.
Psalm 32:1–2
Because of God’s amazing grace and perfect love, He wants to replace our guilt with the blessings of His absolute Truth!
Through Jesus, our guilt is gone!
So, why do we pause to imagine ourselves in both the Garden and at the Cross?
Because it’s easy to blame this sinful world for our failures. Or blame Eve and then Adam for messing things up in the first place. But the truth is … we don’t just sin because we live in a sinful world. We sin because we are sinners who can never be free of our labels of guilt and shame on our own.
But God…
But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Romans 5:8
So, we stand at the foot of the cross — humble, broken, and in need of forgiveness.
And we hear Jesus say.
“Your sins are forgiven.”
Luke 7:48 and John 10:10
And..
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
The truth about guilt is … we don’t have to carry it one minute longer. We can stand with every other forgiven sinner and joyfully shout, “Because of JESUS, MY GUILT IS GONE!”
Let’s pray…
A Prayer to Live Guilt Free Through Jesus
Heavenly Father, I thank and praise You for Your magnificent love and for the gracious gift of my Lord and Savior, Jesus. We are all guilty. I am guilty. But Jesus carried all our guilt to the cross after living the perfect life; we are unable to live.
We are sinful. You are loving and gracious. When guilt burdens my heart, I will come to the cross in repentance, humbly asking You to forgive me and wash me clean. I will trust Your promises and live with gratitude, praising and thanking You for making it possible for me to live guilt-free in faith, for Your glory. Amen.
The next time Satan tries to taunt and shame you, remind him of God’s promises…
- I’m forgiven.
- I belong to Jesus.
- I’m clean.
- My sin is gone… as far as the east is from the west!
- My guilt has been replaced with joy!
Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Psalm 32:1 and Romans 4:7
So, what do you think?
Are you ready to embrace the truth about guilt?
Stand in the Garden. Fall before the cross. Ask Jesus to forgive you.
Then…
Celebrate! You are forgiven. You can live guilt-free.
Now, that is Good News!
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Living guilt-free because of what Jesus has done for us. What a fantastic reminder this is, Deb, especially in this season of Lent. Blessings!
Thanks, Martha! It’s Good News to remember every day. Blessings to you, dear friend!
“Because He is good!” I love that! I carry a lot of guilt, and I am working on accepting the forgiveness that Jesus offers me.
I can feel guilty over even the smallest of things. (They don’t seem small to me)
I love the verses you gave, and I love the reminder of Jesus and His death on the cross taking away all of my sins. AND THAT GOD LOVES ME ANYWAY!! Oh, how I love Jesus!!
God bless you my friend with a beautiful and safe weekend.
It sounds like we were raised similarly. I’ve always over analyzed my everything and easily find reasons to feel guilt. Isn’t it awesome that the Lord loves, forgives, and removes our guilt. Blessings and Hugs, dear friend! Have a wonderful weekend.