“Guilt without repentance stunts spiritual growth.”
– Prodigal Confessions: 10 Principles That Lead Us Back to the Father

Even though we want to please God, we can find ourselves failing again and again.  And we really want to get along with other people, but we may find them rubbing us the wrong way.  Some press our buttons.  Some take us for granted.  Our feelings can rise up against the very people that God calls us to love.

Some days our to do-lists are too long.  These days can feel filled up, fast-paced, and frantic.  In the midst of all this striving, we can become so involved with chasing our personal goals, that we miss God’s bigger plan for us.  Some days we find ourselves serving our to-do lists instead of loving God above all else.

We were made for so much more.

God created us with a wonderful purpose in mind: to carry the message of His love and mercy to the world.  But before we can share it, we must experience it ourselves.

God says, “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.
With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself” (Jeremiah 31:3, NLT).

God is a generous Father!  According to scripture:

The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.
(Psalm 103:8-14).

When we sin (when we fail to do what God calls us to do) the Holy Spirit convicts us (1) to teach us and (2) to provoke our repentance.  To repent is to turn around, turn back to God, recognize that His way is the right way, and pursue it.  Repentance leads us to peace.

But not every guilty feeling leads us to repentance.  Feeling guilty without repenting keeps us in a broken place of disobedience.  Feeling guilty after we have repented overlooks the forgiveness that Jesus died to purchase for us.

God doesn’t want us to feel guilty; guilt is a cheap substitute for repentance.  Whenever we experience separation from God, He wants us to turn around and run to Him.  He is always faithfully waiting for us, like the loving father described by Jesus in the Parable of the Prodigal Son: “So [the wayward son] returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20).

Learn the practical steps to take to enable you to walk in the freedom that Jesus purchased for you in Prodigal Confessions: 10 Principles That Lead Us Back to the Father.

I shared this post today over at DixieAndrade.com.  Dixie was a speaker at Allume and we met and hit it off on the shuttle ride from the airport to the hotel.  She is an amazing godly woman and her mission is help women follow their dreams and find life balance. A lot of her clients have become momprenuers! Dixie knows what it takes for a mom’s life to feel full and would love to partner with you to help you fill yours!

Are you ready to reclaim your schedule, transform your to do list and find peace and balance?  Download your free Copy of 3 Simple Steps to Get Focused and Organized (even when you don’t have the time) and sign up for her newsletter in the sidebar of her webpage here.