God’s Remedy for Guilt

2 Corinthians 7:10 (NLT®)
The kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.

Guilt, or sorrow, can be unhealthy or healthy. Unhealthy guilt is condemning and leaves you feeling unworthy, cast aside, and irredeemable. That kind of guilt does not come from the Spirit of God. Healthy guilt, on the other hand, will lead you to examine your thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. It will allow you to see them through the light of God’s Word and the perspective of the Holy Spirit to make needed changes. We call that repentance. Some people seem to embrace feelings of guilt, whether through the tendencies of their personalities, or the way they have been treated by their parents or other people. I encourage you to examine the guilt in your life and determine its sources. Are they imposed on you by people who want to make you feel unworthy? Or are they promptings of the Spirit to draw you closer to God?

THINK ABOUT IT
Guilt is an emotion we feel when we make a mistake. A healthy reaction is repentance. Repent, and ask God to give you strength to not sin in that way again.

PRAYER
Heavenly Father, please set me free of any shame or unhealthy guilt in my life that keeps me from lifting my face to You. Thank You that Jesus bore my rejection, shame, and guilt so I might receive the acceptance, glory, and righteousness belonging to Him. Holy Spirit, help me recognize when You are convicting me of sin so I might repent. In Jesus’ name, amen.