How Can You Rid Yourself of Guilt?

Matthew 5:23, 24

Consider several key steps required to be free from guilt, all under the banner of forgiveness.

1. Admit to the sin that created your guilt. Repent of your sin to God. If you have sinned against another person, confess to that person. Also, in facing your sin, make certain that it is a sin before God. The "sin" you think you have committed may have been merely a mistake or error or someone else's sin. On the other hand, remember that our society is quick to accept some sinful behaviors as normal. The Bible presents very clear picture of what is sin and isn't. If you have any doubt about whether you have sinned, consult the Scriptures. When you confess to God or a person that you have sinned, don't try to justify what you did. Simply state your sin or error. Then ask God or that person to forgive you.
2. Make amends. If you have wronged another person, don't try to substitute a request for forgiveness by doing kind deeds for that person. This same principle holds for your relationship with God-don't try to substitute works for genuine forgiveness.
   In seeking to make amends for a wrong committed against another person, you may be wise to ask the person what he or she would consider fair payment for the hurt or injury, or you may want to offer satisfaction of some type. The best repayment may be a genuine change in your life (which may involve counseling or professional help or therapy.)
   Ask God to give you wisdom in identifying appropriate amends. Also ask Him to give you the courage and the fortitude to follow through on your commitment to the offended person.
3. Accept forgiveness. If you have sinned against God and have repented, you can be assured that He has forgiven you. His Word promises that He will pardon you-and God always keeps His Word. If you have sinned against another person and he forgives you, accept his words of forgiveness at face value. Don't try to second-guess his sincerity or motives.
   What happens if you confess a sin against another person and the person refuses to forgive you? That person bears the responsibility for failing to forgive; you don't. You have done what the Lord requires of you, and you stand clear before the Lord.

The Importance of Forgiving Others

Mark 11:25-26

All of us at some point, have to deal with the issue of unforgiveness. When we allow a bitter spirit to lodge in our souls, where it grows and festers, it becomes both painful and destructive. Unforgiveness lies at the root of many of the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual problems we see today.

The apostle Paul wrote, "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you" (Eph. 4:31-32). When Paul spoke of bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking, he was describing the ugly manifestations of a "spirit of unforgiveness."

A spirit of unfogiveness goes beyond a temporary unwillingness to forgive, the period between the time a person gets hurt and the time he forgives the one who hurt him. A spirit of unforgiveness develops when the one hurt chooses to remain in that unforgiving state.

People who develop this nasty spirit often say, "I just don't think I could ever forgive that." They make the statement when they feel they have been treated in such an unjust, unfair, harmful way that they simply can't let go of the pain.

We are all going to be hurt, Every one of us has been hurt, are hurting now, or are going to be hurt by somebody. The only way we can insulate ourselves against being hurt is to completely remove ourselves from the possibility of love. To risk love is to risk hurt.

Hurt is unavoidable, but we can deal with hurt. No pain is too deep or too wdidespread to lie beyond the power of God's forgiveness, working in and through us. Unforgiveness is a choice we make with the will- and it's a devastatingly bad choice, not only for the relationship, not only for the cause of Christ, but also for the one who refuses to forgive.

We shouldn't forget that it was our loving Savior, Jesus Christ, who ended a story on the necessity of forgiveness with these words: "And his master was angry, and delivered him to the tortures until he should pay all that was due to him. So my Heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses" (Matt. 18:34-35).

DAVID: The Joy of Forgiveness

Psalm 32:1-11

Psalm 32 is David's confession of his sin with Bathsheba. He wrote it after his encounter with the prophet Nathan, and probably after he had spent time alone with God in prayer and repentance.

If we were to give this psalm a title, a good one would be The Joy of Forgiveness. David writes; "Blessed is he whose transgressions is forgiven, whose sin is covered." "How blessed" can be translated, "How happy!"

Sin blocks our fellowship with the Lord. It also keeps us from experiencing God's goodness.David could not enjoy the sweetness of God's presence so long as he had not repented of his sin.

When you find yourself discouraged because you have repeated a certain sin, turn to God in prayer. Ask Him to apply His forgiveness to your life and receive His mercy. He loves you and wants to enjoy your fellowship once again.