“By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;” - 1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭19‬-‭21,‬ ‭ESV‬‬.

Living with a guilty conscience is like wearing shoulder pads made of iron all day, every day. It weighs on you, hurts you, and eventually pushes you to your knees. No one can live with guilt indefinitely. And yet, guilt can push us to God for forgiveness and restoration. When that happens, the weight is lifted, and we learn to avoid the sin that put us in that situation.

John says when our hearts condemn us (make us feel guilty), God is greater than the thing causing guilt. God knows who is His and who is not. He knows each person He has forgiven for past, present, and future sins. Not that we ever feel comfortable in sin, but we can be assured that God will get us through the pain it causes.

So, God deals with us, and when we are restored, the guilt is gone, and we return to living under the blessings of God. We are free to live lighter, freer, and with confidence, the way God intended for us to live when He saved us.

If you should find yourself weighed down by guilt, let it push you down into a posture of repentance. Admit your sin, apologize for it, and agree with God to fight it in the future. That is the fastest and only way to get out from under it. - Pastor Mike

BTW, What do you call two monkeys that share an Amazon account? Prime mates.