When You Don't Feel Guilty About Your Sins--Guest Post

This post was first published by Laura Rose at God Never Fades.

One day awhile back ago I did something that fills me with shame. I tarnished the trust between me and one of my teachers, and the worst part is that she didn’t even know that I had done so. She continued to trust me even though I knew that I did not deserve it. Right now the thought of it fills me with shame and remorse, but at the time, I didn’t care. I actually condoned what I had done.

I had sinned and I knew it. I didn’t care though. I couldn’t care less. This shocked me. Never before in my life had I ever felt this way. Whenever I did anything ‘bad’ I immediately felt guilty. I made myself sick to my stomach thinking about it until I asked for forgiveness or somehow fixed the situation. This time though, was different.

I didn’t feel any of that, during or in the following days. It was as if nothing happened because I didn’t feel that I had done anything wrong, even though I knew that I had.

The truth is that our feelings are deceiving sometimes. Just because you don’t feel something, doesn’t mean that those feelings are the truth. 

You feeling one way does NOT mean that you SHOULD be feeling that way. 

Feelings do NOT equal truth.

Sinning is not always going to feel bad. In fact, sinning can actually be enjoyable. Just read James 1:14-15.

“But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”

James 1:14-15

 

Sinning comes from our own desires, so it’s not always going to seem bad. You trust yourself to make good decisions. Maybe you won’t think that you did something wrong due to this trust. However, God knows what you did. And God wasn’t pleased. God is very serious about our sins. They don’t seem okay to Him, and you can’t just brush them away.

Whatever you desire is directly correlated to your actions.

In my case, I desired a good grade. This desire directly correlated to my actions.

I wasn’t desiring to be a good Christian at the time and I wasn’t desiring to follow God and His principals, so my actions showed that. Your heart holds your desires, and those desires can’t stay hidden forever.

“But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.’"

Ephesians 5:13-14

You can’t hide the condition of your heart forever. So, turn yourself over; turn your desires over to God. Get rid of your desires that don’t point towards Him. They lead to sin, temptation, idolatry. Nothing good can come from a heart that desires something other than God. Throw off your old, sinful nature and point your heart to Jesus. Let the Spirit renew your heart. Clothe yourself in this new nature. Be pure. 

Obey His Word. Don’t let your heart wander wherever it pleases.

“So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

Ephesians 4:17-24

“How can a young man keep his way pure?

By keeping it according to Your word.

With all my heart I have sought You;

Do not let me wander from Your commandments.

Your word I have treasured in my heart,

That I may not sin against You.

Blessed are You, O Lord;

Teach me Your statutes.

With my lips I have told of

All the ordinances of Your mouth.

I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,

As much as in all riches.

I will meditate on Your precepts

And regard Your ways.

I shall delight in Your statutes;

I shall not forget Your word.”

Psalm 119:9-16

Laura Rose is a child of God and a blogger who is on a mission to share that God NEVER Fades. She loves gardening, reading, spending time with her family, and spending time with God. To learn more about Laura and her journey with Christ, visit her at godneverfades.wordpress.com!

Sorry, the comment section is still disabled. Thank you for your patience! But feel free to check out this post on her website and comment there!

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What's Your Definition of Success?

As I stood upon the little green-blue stage of the multi-purpose room of my school and accepted my awards for this school year, I blushed and halfheartedly accepted them. I glanced around nervously at the sea of students, each individually successful in their own way. Successful. I stumbled over that word.

Even though I received many awards tonight, I don't know if I would consider myself...successful. Grades are great, sure. I just felt though, that the definition of success seemed a bit...wrong.

Good grades are, well good, but are they really all that we should strive for... to be successful? Society deems success as having good grades, having a large house, having a multitude of money, and having a high paying, stressful, over-the-top job that you could consider a 'bragging right'. To me it all seems wrong.

Success should not be measured in achievements, but rather the way you live your life.

I listen to my parents discuss their success. They seem disappointed. They seem to feel that they hadn't achieved much... they hadn't succeeded in their endeavors. I feel the complete opposite though.

My parents are good, kind, hardworking people who care deeply about their family and God. They have raised three good and kind children who have a love for God and care about other people. These children respect those around them and treat others with the utmost kindness in their hearts. They are quiet and courteous, and just a dash bashful!

Is that not successful? Is being a good person not an achievement? Is serving God not respectable or an achievement? Something that should be held in high honor?

I feel that success in God's eyes in measured in love, not awards.

Accepting these awards made me feel embarrassed. I know that I've done well in school... anyone who tries hard enough can do that. But only a few people can actually say that they have succeeded in loving their neighbor and following God's commands.

Succeeding in love often goes unnoticed, but I feel that it deserves the greatest award, with which you will be repaid with... God's eternal home.

"Blessed is the one

who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take

or sit in the company of mockers

but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,

and who meditates on his law day and night.

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither—

whatever they do prospers."

Psalms 1: 1-3

Success is not being dazzling and glamorous with a fancy job, it's serving God to the best of your abilities. It's loving your neighbor. It's living a life of purposeful fulfillment, not one in which you strive to be the biggest or the best.

God bless you and may you be successful in love, walking a good path, and delighting in the Lord. Then, you will be truly successful.

Laura Rose is a child of God and a blogger who is on a mission to share that God NEVER Fades. She loves gardening, reading, spending time with her family, and spending time with God. To learn more about Laura and her journey with Christ, visit her at godneverfades.wordpress.com!

I encourage you to hop over to Laura's blog and get to see a bit more of her heart! Click on the button, and don't forget to leave a comment with your thoughts on this post!

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