What does God say, when you mess up and feel broken?
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18).
He doesn't beat us over the head with our mistakes. His love for us is everlasting. He is compassionate and he knows that though we try hard, sometimes we will make mistakes. He sees and knows our broken hearts. He knows our fears and struggles. He will help us through them, and in time, He will heal us of them all.
Psalm 145:14 - “The Lord upholds all who fall; and lifts up all who are bowed down.”
Our God watches over His people at all times – When we fail, we can turn to God and ask for forgiveness, and also find comfort in scripture verses about failure, which show God is indeed, still with us, knows our sorrows, and is eager to forgive. He knows every tear that falls from our eyes. He is intimately aware of, and cares for our suffering, as noted in Psalm 56:8 and Revelation 21:4, which speaks of God keeping track of our tears and promising to wipe them away.
"Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?" Psalm 56:8
Yes, God loves us so much, he even keeps track of our tears. When we sin, we don't have to hide from God or ever be afraid. He still loves us, even though we sin at times. However, it is important to admit to ourselves that we have sinned, confess it, then ask for God to forgive us. He wants us to come to him, so he can forgive us, heal our hurting heart, and restore our fellowship with him. He remembers our sins no more. Hebrews 8:12
So why do we still feel bad after we have repented?
It's not what you think. God has already forgiven and forgotten your sin. That means it's a closed subject....not even remembered by God. God's grace covers your confessed sin and declares you "not guilty" before God, because of what Jesus did on the cross to pay for our sins. So why do we still feel guilty?
It is not because God is still punishing you or holding a grudge. That matter has been closed in God's mind. It's because sorrow sometimes lingers in our mind. It helps to remind us not to commit the same sin again...to be careful of our thoughts and actions, so we won't want to sin again. It creates within believers, a motivation to do better and to pay attention to what we say and do, so we're not drawn in by temptation to sin again, but depend upon God to give us the strength and wisdom not to repeat the sin. In this way, good does come out of bad... if we learn from the lesson. When we love God, we're not glad we sinned, but we can be grateful for the lesson, as this is the way we learn and grow in the Lord.
But don't forget...
When God forgives us, he wants us to also forgive ourselves. I know that's not easy, but it is just as much a sin, to keep beating ourselves up over past sins, keep track of them, or to keep dwelling on them. When God forgives us, in His eyes, "It is finished." The matter is closed and the key thrown away! God doesn't want you to keep record of it, nor pay attention to it anymore. It has been confessed and forgiven, so leave it in the past where it belongs. Your not going that way.
The main thing is, you learned a lesson. And to keep bringing it up and throwing it up in God's face once again, is an insult to God. It's saying, "Yeah, I know you said you forgive me, but I don't quite believe you." There's no trust there. You have not one good reason, to hold on to what God has already forgiven. It's sinful and only hurtful to yourself, to keep reminding yourself of a painful incident from the past. You must resist the temptation from Satan, to dig up your dead past by constantly overthinking and punishing yourself. This is not what God planned, nor wants for your life. Not when he has given you the victory. Keep your focus on Jesus and these thoughts won't keep hounding and tempting you.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Don't live like a beat up Christian. Some may struggle with feelings of guilt and shame related to past actions, leading them to engage in self-punishing behaviors as a way to cope with these negative emotions. Some religions or "spiritual practices" emphasize the importance of atonement for wrongdoing, leading individuals to falsely believe that self-punishment or penance, is necessary to atone for sins or to purify the soul. Nothing in the Bible says that is of God...nor does God approve of it. The Bible is crystal clear, when it says one cannot pay for their own sins nor earn their way to heaven! Salvation is a gift, not something to be earned through good deeds or works. It is received through faith and grace, not through human effort or merit.
A strong sense of self-criticism and negativity, does not profit you, but keeps you bound in sin. That's not what God wants for your life. That is totally unnecessary. Though unhealthy strict self-discipline may be seen by some as a form of penance and spiritual discipline intended to share in the sufferings of Jesus or to focus on God, he doesn’t see it that way. Nor does he require or demand that we engage in such abusive self-punishing behaviors as a way to cope with negative emotions. Jesus took our sins to the cross, so that we could be spared and forgiven...relieved of the burden of them, never to remember them again. He took our punishment upon himself and has given us the strength and victory to overcome. Therefore, He wants us to focus on Him, pay attention to what we're saying and doing, and be on guard against the temptations of Satan. Remember...the power of God residing within each believer, is greater than the power of the devil or evil in this world...empowering us to overcome. Stand firm in your faith and do not be swayed by Satan, temptation, false teachings, nor worldly influences.
We Are Not Helpless Nor Hopeless
We have the power of the Holy Spirit within us...the divine presence that dwells within each of us, who believe in Jesus Christ and His resurrection power. We have that same power to overcome evil, temptation by Satan, and his influence in this world. We possess and have been gifted the very same Holy Spirit power that lives in God himself, to overcome temptation. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead! That's a lot of power! Holy Spirit power! Enough to resist Satan when he tries to tempt us, and when we do that, scripture says Satan will flee. Just remember who you are in Christ, and you shall have victory over sin.
"Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world." 1 John 4:4
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I always struggled with this. But I am 99% cured after you put Word of God in my ears. I feel very much relaxed than I was. When I know that somebody tells me, "Hey, look, keep going buddy, I already have your sins, they crucified me for it so that you could be free from this bondage. Give your burdens (sins) to me, I will take care of them, you move ahead and repeat not the same mistake again and again"
These words have a very calming effect like a morning ocean breeze running through my body. But as Great power comes with great responsibility, we should try not to get tempted
Thank you for this beautiful post and Good Morning
@DanielsASJ Yes, Christ went through so much suffering to free is from guilt and shame and then we throw it back up in his face when we abuse ourselves like this, as if it did no good. Christ truly wants us to be free from the chains of sin and when he says you're forgiven, that's what he means and sins washed away by his blood, to be remembered no more. He doesn't remember them and he doesn't want us to remember them but to just learn the lesson and move forward. I'm grateful for the lessons where he has corrected me. It wasn't fun and it wasn't easy, but he disciplines in such a loving way. He just is so willing to forgive us and love us. He says "I have forgiven you, so why can't you forgive yourself? That's what I want you to do and follow Me. Let's move on."
God doesn't want you holding on to that 1%. When we follow Christ and he forgives us we give our burdens to him 100% not 99.9%. He wants it all. Complete surrender of our burdens. Holding onto the past can have several psychological and emotional consequences. Here are some key points to consider: Emotional burden. And clinging to past experiences, especially negative ones, can lead to ongoing feelings of sadness, anger, or resentment. This emotional burden can hinder personal growth and happiness in Christ. I hope you won't skip these next parts because the explanation is long. These points are made for everyone, not just one and they're very important to learn. In fact I'm going to write them out in detail for everyone to benefit from so that's why this will be a little long.
Grieving people tend to isolate because of fear and judgement. Isolation then becomes familiar. Believe it or not, grievers also become loyal to the pain because it's familiar. Another reason someone holds on to their pain is for protection, but the lesson just teaches us to be more cautious and on our toes the next time we come across challenges, so no need to hold on to them. That can become a very bad habit and keep us trapped to certain ways of thinking or behaving, making it difficult to break free from patterns of dwelling on the past.
There's other reasons why people hold on to the past, as well, but that's not to say it's healthy. It's not. It tears us down inside little by little and that's why we need to confess it, let God forgive us, forgive ourselves and move on.
Many find comfort in the familiar, even if that familiarity is rooted in negative experiences. Holding onto the past can provide a sense of predictability and control in an uncertain world.
People often long for positive past experiences, seeking to recapture a sense of comfort, security, or belonging.
Unresolved feelings, such as guilt, regret, or anger, can keep people fixated on past events.
Dwelling on the past can be a way to avoid the unknown or potential for future pain or disappointment.
Holding on to the past, can become dangerous to us and our health, because it becomes a psychological payoff, giving us a sense of entitlement, justice, or validation, even if it means dwelling on negative experiences.
Past experiences, both positive and negative, can shape a person's identity and self-perception, making it difficult to let go of certain memories or lessons.
Holding onto resentments, even after the initial trigger has passed, can be a way to maintain a sense of power or control over a situation or person.
This is the hardest one for people to accept. This one, Dr. Phil always mentions on his show. There's a powerful psychological payoff for holding onto the past, no matter what form it takes: it allows people to avoid personal responsibility. When you can blame external circumstances for your problems, you can then turn all your resentment and anger on others.
If we want to let go of the past, we must take the valuable lessons from it so we can then move forward. Most people get stuck in the past because they think it predicts the future. They feel destined to repeat the same mistakes so they wallow in the past instead of learning value. We can find help and comfort from being stuck in the past, my fellowshipping with God, praying, reading His Word and surrounding ourselves with positive people. They know that what you focus on, you feel. The energy you put out into the world, is what you get back. And who you surround yourself with, is who you become. Letting go of the past is much more difficult, if you are around people who constantly remind you about it. And last but not least, stay away from toxic people that bring negativity to your life. Choose good friends. Not ones you know will use you.
