Topic: You Don’t Have to Live With Guilt [RICK WARREN Devotional 5 June 2024]
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You Don’t Have to Live With Guilt
BY RICK WARREN — JUNE 5, 2024
FROM BUILDING MY LIFE ON VALUES THAT LAST
“A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance.”
Proverbs 28:13 (TLB)
God is always ready to give you another chance. That’s a foundational piece of Christianity. We’ve all been irresponsible. We’ve all screwed up. The Bible tells us, “Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20 NLT).
You’re not meant to go through life with a guilt trip about all the ways you’ve been irresponsible. Guilt destroys your confidence, damages your relationships, keeps you stuck in the past, and even hurts your health. I read a report a few years back that said 70 percent of people in the hospital could leave if they knew how to resolve their guilt.
God wants far better for your life than that. You don’t want to live with guilt. And here’s an important truth to always hang on to: You don’t have to.
Instead, God wants you to live with a sense of promise and hope. He can even bring good out of the foolish decisions that you’ve made if you’ll give those failures to him.
How do you do that?
Admit to God you’ve made a mistake. It doesn’t surprise him. And it won’t change his perception of you. When you take this step, here’s what you can expect from him:
God forgives instantly. The very moment you admit your sin to God, he forgives you.
God forgives freely. You don’t need to earn it, and you’ll never deserve it.
God forgives completely. He wipes your sin absolutely clean.
The Bible promises that a “man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance” (Proverbs 28:13 TLB).
If you’re mired in guilt and shame, then you’ll likely perpetuate whatever problem you have. You’ll tell yourself that you blew it, so you’re bad. Since you’re bad, you believe you’ll blow it again. It’s a nasty cycle we often can’t seem to escape from—at least not on our own.
You need a power beyond yourself. You need a Savior! You need to let go of your guilt and live in the freedom of God’s forgiveness.
Talk It Over
- How has guilt affected you physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually?
- What keeps you from asking God to forgive you?
- What do you need to ask forgiveness for today?
No matter what you’ve done or where you’ve been . . .
God will forgive you.
Trust in God’s character and the grace he extends. Confess your sins and ask God to forgive you. Claim the promise of Jesus, that salvation is free and open to anyone who turns from their sins and agrees to follow him as their Lord and Savior. Humbly ask God to accept you into his forever family.
Are you ready? Then start your journey with Jesus by praying this simple prayer: “Dear God, I know when I die, I’m going to give an account of my life to you. I know I have sinned against you, and I have lived by my plan, not yours. I want that to change, starting right now. I want to turn away from my sins and toward you.
“Thank you for sending Jesus to die for all that I’ve done wrong so that I don’t have to pay the penalty. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness. I know only your grace can save me, Lord. I could never be good enough to match your holy standard.
“Jesus, thank you for loving me so much that you took all my guilt on yourself. You made me acceptable for heaven, and I humbly ask you to save me. I believe in you, Jesus. And I believe you will keep your promise to save me instantly and certainly and completely and eternally. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”
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