God Wants You to be Free from Guilt and Shame in Your Life
Have you ever done something in your life that made you realize later that what you did was a sin? Did that sin produce guilt in your life? Or shame?
When you’ve made a mistake against God or someone else and you’re condemning yourself feelings of guilt and shame can follow you. How could I’ve done this? Why did I do this? Does God still love me?
When we have sinned against God what can we do? In the Bible, in 2 Samuel 12, King David, a man after God’s heart, made many terrible mistakes. David committed sexual adultery with Bathsheba, he made Uriah (Bathsheba’s husband) get drunk, he tried to cover up his sin, he coveted someone else’s wife, and he eventually caused Uriah to die (murder). The sins that David committed were not small but big. In fact four of the sins David committed are listed in the Ten Commandments.
But when God confronted David through prophet Nathan he made one statement that was really important. He said “I have had sinned against God" (2 Samuel 12: 13).
We can also say the same words to God, "Lord I’ve sinned against you." When we have this genuine remorse and genuine pain in our hearts that we have sinned against God, Almighty God sees our heart and he can and will show us compassion. That’s what God did with David. Nathan said to him you’re not going die, God is taking your sins away from you (2 Samuel 12: 13). The same God that forgave David of his sins is the same God that forgives us of our sins and that’s why we praise him! The Bible says God's mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3: 23) and as far as the east is from the west so far has he removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103: 12). The good news is God will forgive us!
But just like David, we will have to deal with the consequence of our sin. In the story, David’s son from Bathsheba was struck ill and died. This was the consequence of David's sin. Sometimes we don’t want to confront this part of our life but we have to deal with the fact that sin produces a consequence. A lie can could cause us to lose a job. Stealing could mean jail time. Infidelity can cause us to lose a relationship. God forgives us of our sin, but there are consequences to our sins.
Are you willing to accept the consequence of your sin?
When David son died the Bible says David got up, washed himself, ate food, and worshiped the Lord. When David worshiped God, even though he lost his son, this showed that David had a lot humility and a lot of maturity. Why did David act like everything was normal again? Because he accepted the consequence of his sin. He accepted that his son was dead and was not coming back to life.
Are we like David, when we know we have sinned against God and we’re facing a consequence, are we able to worship God? Or have we been walking in anger, bitterness, accusing others, blaming others, and not taking responsibility for our actions? Let’s be like David and deal with the consequences of our sin and accept it.
Does life have to stop even after we sin against God? Absolutely not. If you have repented of your sins and humble yourself before God, he will forgive and he will still bless us.
The Bible says after the son died David went back to Bathsheba, who was now his wife, and conceived of a child. The Bible says God loved this child (2 Samuel 12: 24). And this is the hope that we carry in our walk with God. Despite us making mistakes, God still loves us and still wants to bless us.
God still wants us to have a good marriage, children, a great job, a successful business, good relationships, good health, financial blessings, and more. God still wants to bless us.
What sin have you committed against God? Are you willing to repent of your sin? Are you willing to accept the consequence of sin ? Will you go back to God and worship him? Do you realize that God loves you and still wants to bless you?
Today, you can be free from guilt and shame by repenting of your sins. When you do this God will forgive you and above all God wants you to know he loves you. You are his child and he does not want you to walk around with guilt and shame. He wants you to be free in him.
Dear Father, I have sinned against you. I ask you to forgive me of my sin. I am sorry that I did what was wrong. Thank you for forgiving me and giving me new life and hope. Thank you for loving me even when I have made mistakes. Thank you for being my Father. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Please click here to watch the full sermon on this topic.
