Releasing Guilt and Shame

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17

The old has come and the new is here. Let that sink in.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2

We have been set free. What does it mean to be set free in Christ? I talked in a previous blog (Walking in the Freedom of Christ) about how walking in freedom means that we are no longer held back by our former way of life. As believers in Christ, we are made new, our paths have been changed FOREVER. The past is the past.

But in this post, I wanted to talk about one of the enemy’s most used tools. He loves to remind us of our former way of life. He plants thoughts of regret, shame, and guilt in our minds to make us feel less than, or that we are undeserving of God’s love.

According to Merriam Webster, guilt is the fact of having committed a breach of conduct especially violating law and involving a penalty. Another given definition is a feeling of deserving blame for offenses.

The given definition for shame is a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilty, shortcoming, or impropriety, a condition of humiliating disgrace or disrepute.

So we feel guilty when we have done something wrong, and that guilt can turn into shame, the emotion.

For me personally, the enemy will try to replay scenarios in my head. Reminding me of things I’ve done in the past that I’m not proud of. Things that are attached to my former way of life and things that I have already been forgiven for. The good thing about our Heavenly Father is that he says in his Word that he no longer remembers our sins once we repent. The enemy wants to get in our thoughts and trick us into spending time in our past instead of allowing God to do a new thing in and through us.

For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Hebrews 8:12

To repent means to feel genuinely and sincerely remorseful about wrongdoing. When we repent, we confess, and we turn from our old ways. This doesn’t mean we are perfect moving forward; it means that we try to live our lives in a way that glorifies the Father. When we fall short, and we will, we can rest in the grace the God gives. We remember that we are still loved and chosen by him. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. No sin is too great for God to forgive. There was only one perfect person to walk this earth and that was Jesus Christ.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23

The job of the Holy Spirit is to lead us to conviction, not condemnation. When we are convicted, we are led to confession and repentance. The goal of conviction is to bring us back to God. Condemnation has a negative connotation that usually leaves a person feeling guilty and in need of harsh punishment. But Glory to God, we never receive the punishment we deserve, Jesus handled that on the cross.

As the perfect Father that he is, God sent the Holy Spirit to serve as our Helper, our Comforter, and our Intercessor.  The Holy Spirit is a helper when we need guidance, a comforter when we feel down, and an intercessor when we fall short.

God wants us to bring our entire selves to him. He can handle whatever it is that we are dealing with. He no longer sees us as our former selves, but instead as our new self. He calls us holy and righteous. Our flesh is used to having to prove ourselves. We look for validation and approval that is earned based on our actions and accomplishments. But God’s word says that his grace is given to us not because of what we do, but because of who He is! He knows the thoughts of shame and guilt that we have. He wants to exchange our anxious thoughts for his gift of grace.

When we allow the enemy to call us anything other than what God has called us, we are giving him a foothold to come in affect our mood and our mind.

The enemy says we are cursed, God calls us BLESSED.

The enemy says we are overlooked and disregarded; God says we are CHOSEN.

The enemy says we are shameful; God says we are HOLY and BLAMELESS.

The enemy says we are defined by our mistakes; God says we are PREDESTINED.

The enemy says we must earn God’s grace; God says we are REDEEMED.

The enemy says we are guilty; God says we are FORGIVEN.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. Ephesians 1:3-8

God calls us His workmanship, his handiwork. As His workmanship, his Holy Spirit is always working to make us more like Christ. Life is a journey, and we will always make mistakes. But even with all of our sinful ways and mishaps, God still chose us and predestined us. He doesn’t hold our mistakes over our head.

God’s view of sin did not change, it is still a big deal and something we must take the appropriate steps to avoid it. Sin can be damaging to us individually, collectively, and cause a hedge between us and our Heavenly Father.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

So when you have feelings of guilt confess them to the Lord.

Then I acknowledged my sin to youand did not cover up my iniquity.I said, “I will confessmy transgressions to the Lord.”And you forgavethe guilt of my sin. Psalms 32: 5

After confessing, pray and ask God to allow you to fully accept his gift of grace. Sit in his presence and read Ephesians 1 out loud and allow it to minister to your soul. Like the prodigal son, the Lord celebrates all who were lost and now found! Believe in your heart that when we fall, the Father is waiting to catch us and bring us back to himself.

As the quote says ” I’m not perfect, but I’m loved by a God who is.”

🤎