GOD does not hold grudges...

i want to continue what we started yesterday about this matter of convicting or condemning.

if you are a CHRISTian, if you have put your faith in JESUS CHRIST and asked HIM to forgive all your sins and asked HIM to be your SAVIOUR and LORD, it means this: everything you've ever done wrong is forgiven. your sins have all been nailed to the cross. that is why JESUS said, "it is finished." it's paid for. it's done."

so should a CHRISTian ever feel guilty? the answer is yes. for about one nano second. that's about how long it takes to realize "i blew it" and you then come and confess it to GOD and HE instantly forgives and it's taken care of, it's wiped away.

many people think that to be SPIRITual you should walk around all of the time feeling, "i'm so guilty! i've really let GOD down!" no, you don't let GOD down because you're not holding him up. HE holds you up. you can never disappoint GOD.

so what do you do, when you've done something wrong? you immediately breathe in GOD’s SPIRIT (say, "GOD forgive me") and breathe out your sin. it's just that quick. you get instantly back into your relationship with GOD. GOD doesn't want you going around carrying all that guilt all the time. HE knows that will make a difference in your relationship with HIM. it will.

just say, "GOD, i blew it. i was wrong! help me change!" then get on with it. keep short accounts with GOD. don't let it stockpile. that can kill a relationship.

listen, conviction from GOD leads to confession, repentance, and forgiveness – 1 john 1.9 in the contemporary english version, but if we confess our sins to GOD, HE can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.

HE wipes the slate clean. GOD does not hold grudges.

on the other hand, if you still feel guilty after you've confessed it, that guilt is not from GOD, it's from satan. satan minimizes your sin before you do it, "it's no big deal," and after you do it he goes, "look what you did!" he wants you to walk around in constant guilt because guilty CHRISTians are worthless in serving GOD. he will maximize it after you confess it.

if you have confessed it and it's forgiven, any guilt you feel after you've confessed it is not from GOD. it's from the devil. revelation 12.10 (cev) says, ...satan accused our people...

satan is the accuser of our brethren, believers. that means GOD never tells you that you're worthless and GOD will never tell you that you're hopeless. is it convicting rather than condemnation.

just a thought from the front porch…