Sin is not diminished, nor is God's ability to forgive it. The saint dwells in grace, not guilt. This is the tranquil soul.

Sin not only breaks our relationship with God, it also hampers our relationships with others.

Guilt is God's idea. He uses it the way highway engineers use rumble strips. When we swerve off track, they call us back. Guilt does the same. It leaves us more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverant, more human, more passionate,more responsible.

Father, you are good. I need help. Heal me and forgive me. They need help. Thank you. In Jesus' name, amen.

The power of confession lies not with the person who makes it but the God who hears it.

Ever broken a promise you've made to God? Don't you deserve to be punished? And yet, here you are. Reading this book. Breathing. Still witnessing sunsets and hearing babies gurgle. Still watching the seasons change. There are no lashes on your back or hooks in your nose or shackles on your feet. Apparently God hasn't kept a list of your wrongs.

The fighter remained. And thank God that he did. Thank God that he endured, because you cannot deal with your own sins. "Only God can forgive sins" (Mark 2:7 NCV). Jesus is "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29 NCV).

That's what guilt is: a healthy regret for telling God one thing and doing another.

And sometimes, no, oftentimes, we allow those mistakes to keep us from God. Our guilty conscience becomes a curtain that separates us from God. As a result we hide from our Master.

It's time to let God's love cover all things in your life. All secrets. All hurts. All hours of evil, minutes of worry. The mornings you awoke in the bed of a stranger? His love will cover that. The years you peddled prejudice and pride? His love will cover that. Every promise broken, drug taken, penny stolen. Every cross word, cuss word, and harsh word. His love covers all things.

Regardless of what you've done, it's not too late. Regardless of how far you've fallen, it's not too late. It doesn't matter how low the mistake is, it's not too late to dig down, pull out that mistake, and then let it go—and be free. What makes a Christian a Christian is not perfection but forgiveness.

If so, don't pretend nothing is wrong. Don't pretend you don't fall. Don't try to get back in the game. Go first to God. The first step after a stumble must be in the direction of the cross. "If we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away" (1 John 1:9 CEV).