Weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning

Dear friends,
I hope you are prospering in the Lord. I woke up early this morning thinking about how so many Christians live with shame and regret over past sins. The psalmist said that weeping may last a night, but joy cometh in the morning. In this letter, I want to encourage those who feel shame, regret, or guilt. I pray that this will encourage someone today.

In my years of counseling I have found that many people live in shame and regret over past sins. They spend their entire lives apologizing for their failures. I want to make a few statements and ask some rhetorical questions that I hope will get us to the root of the issue. It is essential that we get our focus off the past or it will destroy our future. You cannot move into your future destiny if you are looking backward. Remember Lot's wife. God told them not to look back. She did and turned into a pillar of salt. One little boy in Sunday school said his mother looked back and turned into a telephone pole. We cannot embrace our future if we are looking back.

Those who live in shame and regret tend to be entirely self-focused. They walk about with head held low unworthy of God's blessings. Because of the self focus they often engage in self-pity. They are constantly plagued with the "if only I had" or "if only I hadn't". This is totally unproductive thinking. Religious thinking will keep us introspective all the time and we will be forever doing penance for our sin. The truth is that this type of thinking is:
1. Egocentric- It is all about me. It puts the focus on the wrong person. It should be about Christ. It is still rooted in the mindset, "I am what I do" or worse yet, "I am what I have done." We cannot save ourselves. It is not by works that we have been saved. It is grace through faith.

2. Rooted in unbelief. Is there anything that I have done that the blood of Jesus and the finished work of the cross is insufficient to cover? Has the blood of Jesus lost its power? If I am still carrying the burden of past sins I have never appropriated the cross of Christ. Shame and regret were nailed to the tree.

3. A lie of the enemy. One of satan's greatest fears is that Christians would discover who they are. In Colossians that certificate of debt was nailed to the tree and principalities and powers were spoiled. That which you are grieving over has been paid for. The enemies right to hold that against you was taken from him.

4. Antithetical to forgiveness. To think this way is a failure to appropriate the forgiveness of God. God's forgiveness is not only extended to you, but is to be extended through you to others. For some people it is easy to forgive others, but the hardest person to forgive is themselves. Friend, if God has forgiven you and you can't forgive yourself then your standard is higher than His. You are rejecting His grace and opening yourself up to the tormentors.

There is good news. Remorse was to last only a short time. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Look at the scriptures. He has turned my mourning into joy. He has turned my mourning into dancing. Their mourning shall be turned into laughter. It was for freedom that Christ has set us free. There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. We have been called to joy and freedom.

What must you do? Take your burden to the cross and leave it there. Guilt, shame, and regret were nailed to the cross. Appropiate the finished work of the cross. Choose to forgive yourself. Change your focus from self to the author and finisher of your salvation. Adopt an attitude of gratitude. Replace wrong thinking with God's truth. Instead of "I am what I do" replace it with "I am what I am by the grace of God". Paul said,"Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Phil.3:13b,14

My friends, be blessed today and may you forever be encouraged by His love.
In His love,
Herb Dean