My Bad

“I have really screwed up!” Have you ever thought that or said that? Me too! It might be a major or minor mess up, but it leaves us feeling bad. Jesus had a dear friend named Peter. Peter felt he had severely let Jesus down when, just after he had declared his unwavering allegiance to Jesus and His message, Peter actually denied that he even knew Jesus! Peter really screwed up!
Sometimes our response to our bad behavior may be one of fear or failure. Has there been a time in your life when you felt like you might be fired, rejected, kicked out of a club, or cut from a team?  How did it feel? Or have you ever felt that you had ‘failed’ God so severely that He couldn’t possibly forgive you? Sometimes, mistakes and bad actions can leave us feeling guilty and ashamed. We may beat ourselves up over what we've done, and we may feel like we're not worthy of God's love.

Looking at Peter again, Jesus very intentionally reached out to Peter and assured him that Jesus still loved him and forgave him.  It was hard for Peter to understand the grace that Jesus extended to him, but he embraced it, and it changed his life! Peter spent the rest of his life telling of God’s love and forgiveness through Christ. God offers this, even when we screw up!

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 8:35; 37-39

Trust this promise God’s extends to us through His Word.

If you're struggling with guilt, here are some suggestions:
Remember that God loves you unconditionally. He doesn't love you because of what you've done, but because of who you are. He knows that you're a sinner, but He also knows that you've been forgiven through Jesus Christ.
Confess your sin to God. This doesn't mean that you have to go into great detail about what you've done. But it does mean that you need to be honest with God about your sin and ask for His forgiveness. The Bible assures us "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
Forgive yourself. It's easy to say that we forgive ourselves, but it's often harder to do. But if we want to overcome guilt, we need to trust God at His word and be willing to forgive ourselves.
Focus on God's love. When we focus on God's love. It reminds us that we're forgiven, and that we're loved unconditionally.