How well do you forgive yourself?

• Are you naturally critical of others? Yourself?
• Do you find your never satisfied with "how well you did?"
• Do you find yourself measuring others (their value) by how efficient, effective, and reliable they are?
• Do you feel guilty too much (resulting in either "gritted teeth-try harder" antics or "I give up . . . it's no use resignation)?

Guilt focuses on what we "DO" wrong (or failed to do)! We live in the "should have" or "shouldn't have" shadows of the past.

Guilt can leave us trapped in poisonous regrets. It harms our relationship with others and ourself. But for all the "bad guilt" there's an authentic "good guilt" too!

Good Guilt sets us free from past failures and present "human-falling-shortness!" Because it leads us to see Jesus as our forgiver, forever-friend, and the one who will accept us and change our life! Good guilt takes away the blindness of harmful things we "do" to ourselves and others. But it gives us more hope because instead of trying harder we run to Jesus and let Him love into and out of us!

What kind of guilt do you have right now?

Good guilt helps us ask forgiveness quicker and without excuses (sometimes an "explanation" is "nicer" word for making an excuse). Excuses cancel the powerful freedom of forgiveness!

Question: How quickly do I return to accept God's free forgiveness after messing up? Do I focus, and celebrate my return instead of my fall?

I John 1:9 - Want to be clean and "right" with God? Follow God's plan - confess and then live in forgivenesses freedom!

All of get to choose: We can GIVE UP our guilt or TAKE UP the burden keep dragging it along!

If we hang onto the garbage of guilt we're likely to build a huge compost of SHAME!

Shame scars relationships even more than guilt. Guilt focuses on our "mess-ups," while shame lies to us and says we "are a mess up!"

"Your bad girl."

"Your a bad boy!"

This is a lie and much more painful than a "you did something bad."

Psalm 32 - Don't hide (vs. 3-4). Tell God, confession, that you've believed the lie that your a "mess-up" (v.5). Now live in the freedom! If you fall, fall forward into the arms of Jesus (6,7,11)!

Try reading the story of Peter and his lesson of learning to forgive himself! Luke 22:24-34, 54-62. John 21:1-17

When I believe the shaming lies of Satan I'm left with abandonment. Please come back to this blog for a powerful 3-word prayer that so helps me accept this forgiveness.