Daily Devotion | New Rocky Creek Baptist Church

Freedom From Guilt

Posted on Jun 4, 2021 in Devotions |

Introduction: Have you ever done something that you knew was wrong? Displeasing to God? How did you feel? GUILTY? SHAMEFUL? Truthfully, we have all “Missed the Mark”!

The word “sinned” is ἁμαρτάνω, (ham-ar-tan’-o), which means to miss the mark, do wrong, sin; I make a mistake, I sin, commit a sin (against God); sometimes the idea of sinning against a fellow-creature is present.

The Bible declares, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Rom 3:23)

Keep in mind, there are sins of omission and co-mission; i.e. things we do that are wrong, and things we ought to do that are right. The heart-searching, mind-provoking question is really, what do we do to get rid of the GUILT?

1. We must REALIZE that we were made to be in a right relationship with God thru Jesus Christ our Lord!

“And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 9And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?” (Gen 3:8-13)

“25Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” (Rom 4:25)

God had already made provisions for Adam’s, long before he fell.

“8And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Rev 13:8)

Throughout the Bible, Sinful man could be reconciled and restored to holy God through confession, and substitution (lambs, goats, doves, etc). Blood had to be shed.

“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” (Heb 9:22)

2. We must take RESPONSIBILITY for our actions and reaction!

“12And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” (Gen 3:12-13)

After Adam disobeyed an violated the Word of God -which typically GUILT always follows sin- he tried to cover his sin with fig leaves. Not to mention, he went in hiding because of his SHAME.

The next automatic response was to PLAY the BLAME GAME!
Adam’s response.. it is the woman’s fault you gave to me!
Eve’s response….it is the serpent’s fault!
Someone has said, the serpent did not have a leg to stand on!

Are we taking responsibility for what we have done? Not only should we acknowledge what we have done, but there should be a CHANGE of heart toward ourselves, our sin, and our Lord!

Godly sorrow should be the result. Clarification needed: The sorrow or remorse should go beyond “just getting caught”!

3. We must accept the ACCOUNTABILITY that comes in a relationship with our Lord!

“5I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.” (Psalm 32:5)

We must follow with CONFESSION to our Lord! Confession is not meant for God’s sake but for our sake.

4. We must RECEIVE His CLEANSING from the sin!

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1John 1:9)

To “confess” -ὁμολογέω- means to agree or say the same thing, admit.

This is what FREES the mind and heart from GUILT!

5. We must REJOICE in His Goodness and GRACE!

“8Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. 9Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 13Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.” (Psa 51:12)

David BLEW it!
David SINNED!!
David finally confessed to God and got things RIGHT!!!
David was RELIEVED and REJOICED.

Conclusion: Is there anything that we need to “GET RIGHT” with our Lord today? If so, follow the steps in this devotion and do not forget to REJOICE in the Lord because you are FREE from GUILT!

Love y’all,

Dr. Randy Reese