How to Be Free From GuiltExemplo

Overcoming Guilt Through Confession

As Christians, we might experience the feeling of guilt over past sins. When we do, we have to remind ourselves that Christ has already forgiven us. However, sometimes we need to examine our hearts to know exactly why we are feeling guilty.

The Bible says that a human heart is extremely deceitful. This means that sometimes we hide the truth of what is going on inside of us even from ourselves. In other words, the issue we are willing to confess or attach our guilt to might not be the real issue. There could be something else going on in our souls.

That is why God gave us our conscience. Our conscience, informed by the Holy Spirit, reveals sin in our lives that we need to address. This internal prompting guides us to confront and confess our sins honestly. However, we often deflect from the real issue by placing this guilt on a sin in our past. We might tell ourselves that we are feeling guilty about our former behavior, yet in reality, we are harboring a hidden sin. Why? Because, as believers, we might be more eager to confess a past sin; a present sin is more shameful to admit.

To live a victorious Christian life, we have to be completely honest with ourselves. Our spirit knows what the real problem is. We need to pray for the Spirit of God to reveal our hearts to us. We must examine our hearts daily. We need to ask ourselves, “Is there any sin that I am allowing in my life at this moment? Am I unwilling to deal with it? Is the real issue I am feeling guilty about in my past or in my present?” The Lord will always point us to the truth. We just need to be willing to receive His guidance. The good news is that the Scripture tells us that we can pray for our spirit to be willing to receive God’s revelation.

Once we recognize that the sin we are dealing with is a present sin, we need to confess it. The Scripture tells us that if we confess our sins, God will forgive us and cleanse us from any unrighteousness. The feeling of guilt is indeed a heavy burden to carry. It weighs down on our soul; it sucks the life from us. Thankfully, Christ gave us a way of escape from guilt through confession.