Feeling Guilty?

“For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.”

(Psalm 103:14 ESV)

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word “guilt”? My best answer begins with a story. In Junior High, I went on a guys only back packing trip with my church. We headed to West Virginia, each carrying a 60 lbs. backpack. It was early June, just out of school and we were having a blast. The first two days we hit the trail hard. Our goal was to conquer the peaks early in the week so we could enjoy our time along the river before heading home. One of our campsites was along the river and we found a swim hole. It was a stunning view with a ledge overlooking a deep pool. We quickly climbed as high as we could and took a big jump. Not realizing that this was recently melted snow water. As soon as I hit the water it was like I was sucker punched in the belly. I lost my breath, my lungs felt heavy and I was freezing.

That is a picture of what I think of when I think of guilt. This icy cold feeling flowing over my head and causing a heaviness to my chest. Far from the joy and elation of jumping in the swim hole, guilt is a miserable experience.

When you feel guilty, do you ever stop to wonder why you have that feeling? When you examine the source of guilt it can be very revealing to what is going on.

In the Gospel of John, chapter 16 we read about the convicting work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-11). Often we will feel guilt because of our sin in our life. Unconfessed sin in our lives will lead to a sense of guilt because it breaks our fellowship with God and He longs for us to be close to Him.

Sometimes we have guilt over stupid things we do or say. However, most of the time I think Christians struggle with “false guilt”. What exactly is false guilt? Great question. One manifestation of false guilt is when you feel guilty over a sin you already confessed to God, as if God has not forgiven you. 1 John 1:9 tells us that when we confess our sins to God, He forgives us and cleanses us. He will no longer bring that sin up against us, so why do we? When you truly confess your sin to God, be done with it. Don’t let the enemy bring it up again and again.

False guilt also surfaces when we do not keep up with misplaced expectations. This is the one that has caused me to want to write today. Sometimes we feel guilty over things we do not need to be. As a youth pastor, I try to encourage teens, parents, friends and family to do a Quiet Time everyday. We should spend time with God as often as we can. However, if you are like me it is easy to miss a day. When I miss a day I am tempted to feel guilty, like God is disappointed in me because I did not do it. God has forgiven me of sin, he went to the cross because of my sin. He knows that in my heart is anger, bitterness, wrath, jealousy, lust, greed and pride (to name a few), and yet He still chose to forgive me. Why do I think that missing my Quiet Time will change that?

Do you know that sense of guilt? When you fail to do some spiritual discipline you want to do? The Apostle Paul understood this and his description in Romans 7:15. It is a constant battle, and that is why I love Psalm 103:14. God remembers that we are dust, he knows we are fragile and that on our own we can do nothing.

So instead of feeling guilty over forgetting your quiet time, not praying, not reading your Bible or ___________________, thank God for loving you in spite of your sinfulness.

Remember this, the God of all the Universe loves you! The God who spoke the world into existence loves you! The God who sent His only Son to die for the sins of the world, loves you! This God knows everything about you. He knows your sins: past, present and future. He knows what goes on in your thoughts, your deepest darkest secret. He knows your biggest failure. And yet He still loves you!

This God promises you that if you will draw near to Him, He will draw near to you! He promises that He will never ever leave you and He will not forsake you! He says He will be a friend that sticks closer than a brother. He delights when you spend time with Him! Nothing you do will cause Him to stop loving you!

The more you realize how much He loves you the more you will desire to spend time with Him. Stop feeling guilty, and start feeling loved! Fix your eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2) and thank Him for forgiveness. The Son has come to set you free, so be free!