Guilt be gone! Jesus died to break the gravity of guilt’s hold on your life.

Receiving God’s forgiveness is the pathway to mental health. Because his (or her) guilt is gone, a forgiven person is free from the desire to hide from God. He can walk in the light of honesty and truth because he no longer feels a need to deceive himself or others. The ongoing experience of God’s mercy frees him from striving and conniving for self-justification. His heavy burden of shame and blame is washed away and replaced by humility and inner peace. He overflows with ongoing love for and gratitude to God.

God’s forgiveness is conditional. It’s not earned. It must be received as a gift. God’s forgiveness is received by what the Bible calls repentance. To repent is to be genuinely sorry for your sins, to confess them to God, and to receive His grace to daily resist temptation, so that sin can no longer control your life.

Because we humans can easily step out of sync with God, true repentance is ongoing. It is to keep aligning and realigning your thoughts, feelings, desires, and behaviors with the kingdom (the inner government) of God – “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” That alignment involves surrendering to and being “led by the Spirit” throughout each day. It fills your heart and life with the nine aspects of the fruit of the Spirit that include: love, joy, and peace. (See Galatians 5:22-23.)

Jesus put it this way: “Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.” How do you get started? Notice any guilt that you’re secretly carrying inside of you. It may be deeply hidden and suppressed in your memory. Ask God to show it to you. As guilt comes to your consciousness, humbly own it and admit it with “godly sorrow.” Express your sorrow to God and ask Him to forgive you. From that point on, make every sin that temps you your enemy. Anytime a sin overtakes you and you begin to act on it or think about it, hurl it aside and ask God to forgive you for that specific sin.

If you are sincere, God will forgive you and cleanse you (whether you feel anything or not.) Look up the Bible verse 1 John 1:9 and embrace its incredible assurance. Memorize it until it continually burns in your heart. Quote it any time guilt tries to sneak back into you. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

It’s alive! It’s alive! The Bible overflows with the living word of God. It’s alive and will ignite God’s life in all who will humbly open their heart to read and obey it as a love letter from the risen Lord Jesus. Let God tattoo His word all over your heart so that you will be empowered to obey Him with your body, mind, and spirit.