Daily writing prompt

If you had a freeway billboard, what would it say?

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If I had a freeway billboard it would say: “Guilt and Shame Be Gone!” Underneath that it would direct people to my blog: hopethoughts.com so that they could find out how to experience ongoing freedom from guilt and shame.

All the time keep your heart, your eyes, and your ears focused on Jesus, His commandments, and His innocence. (2 Corinthians 5:21) Love Him with all you’ve got. Keep Him as the center of your everyday life.

Refuse to let guilty feelings keep you from living in openhearted intimacy with the risen Jesus. Every time an impure thought grabs your attention, push it aside and turn your attention back (Luke 5:32) to the presence of Jesus (Matthew 28:20) and to His wisdom. Let the gift of Christ’s forgiveness free you up to live your life free from guilt and shame and unceasingly empower you to deeply love Him and to keep His commandments. (John 14:15)

When toying with temptation (James 1:14-15) has taken away your innocence and filled you with guilty feelings, making excuses won’t remove the accusations that gnaw on you from within. Pleading not guilty won’t ease your conscience, but Jesus can drive away the accusations that assault you. (John 8:1-11)

Every loss of innocence quenches God the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19) and hinders the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) from growing within you. Use God’s gift of discernment (1 Corinthians 12:10) to guard your heart (Proverbs 4:23-27) and protect your innocence. Avoid exposing yourself to things that steal innocence. Instead, continually watch, read, and think about what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy. (Philippians 4:8)

Humbly receiving Christ’s forgiveness is the way (John 14:6) back to inner peace. (John 14:27) Every time you sin in thought, words, or actions, cry out to Jesus and sincerely ask Him to have mercy on you. (Mark 10:47-48) Genuinely ask Him to forgive you and to create a clean heart within you. (Psalm 51:10) If you truthfully do that, He will cleanse you, (Isaiah 1:18) flood you with forgiveness, and give you the desire to daily follow and obey Him. (Mark 8:34)

Saying that you’re innocent doesn’t make you not guilty. If you want to lose that guilty feeling till it’s gone, gone, gone; put away your guilt producing thoughts and behaviors, and fully surrender your life to the risen Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19) Let Him forgive you and cleanse you (1 John 1:9) Let Jesus make and keep you pure within. (Matthew 5:8)

Let the nostalgia that you feel for innocence, whenever you see a small child playing, (Matthew 2:5) motivate you to always seek first the kingdom — inner government — of God in your life (Matthew 6:33) and the ever-increasing cleansing, healing, and freedom that Christ offers you. (2 Corinthians 3:12-17)

Jesus asks us to get out of the boat and walk on water with Him. When He does, we need to be free to obey Jesus and not be bound by religious traditions, (Mark 7:13) protocol, and human control. (1 Peter 5:3)