After All Is Said and Done

We all sin. And since I believe we can't stop sinning until we arrive at Heaven's Gate, we'll deal with it for our whole life.  Sin is a choice. You could argue with me and have some valid points, but for the most part I think Sin is a choice. But what happens after that choice has been made, after the sin has been committed?

Conviction sets in! Conviction is the holy spirits way of letting us know we were WRONG! Do you feel your's anywhere? I feel mine in my stomach. I can't eat. I feel horrible and don't recover for days even after amends have been made.

Now what?! Well obviously we need to admit we were wrong. We might need to apologize to someone and talk to the Lord about what we've done. Seek forgiveness. Hard enough for you? YES! Next: Do Not Wait! Unconfessed sin is a toxic poison to us! It turns regular people into paranoid wackjobs! It comes between us and The Lord and our relationships. I'm sure you've seen it affect familes, jobs, and churches. So do it! Be quick about it!  After forgiveness is given everything goes back to normal right?

Not always. Sometimes our sins are more complicated and they affect us and our relationships for a period of time. Sometimes, even though we've been forgiven, the consequences are waiting. Would your kids be glad to know that discipline happens to adults? Not usually in the form of a spanking or grounding, but it surely happens.

Then (sometimes) comes something I'll call 'post op' guilt. We've been forgiven. We've dealt with the consequences. We've moved on. Then one day Satan says 'yeah you aren't over that'. 'You aren't forgiven'. Have you even lived with this 'post op' guilt? I have. For years! I was crippled by it! This 'post op' guilt affects relationships and it can affect our time with God. When we believe Satan's lies we can be just as crippled as if we hadn't of sought forgiveness in the first place!

The whole point comes down to this: Camp on Forgiveness. Stay there as long as you need to. Daily reminders of forgiveness instead of daily confessions of the same sin. Don't live in the shadow of guilt that is no longer warranted!

One more thing; if you've given forgiveness to someone for an offense, Don't hang it over their head. Let the wonderful forgiveness and mercy wash over you both and enjoy the healing =)