Psalm 32 and following notes

Psalm 32

“How blessed is he whose wrongdoing is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered!

“How blessed is a person whose guilt the Lord does not take into account,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit!

“When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away
Through my groaning all day long.

“For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality failed as with the dry heat of summer.

“I acknowledged my sin to You,
And I did not hide my guilt;
I said, ‘I will confess my wrongdoings to the Lord’;
And You forgave the guilt of my sin.

“Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found;
Certainly in a flood of great waters, they will not reach him.

“You are my hiding place; You keep me from trouble;
You surround me with songs of deliverance.

[God says] ‘I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will advise you with My eye upon you.’

“Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding,
Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,
Otherwise they will not come near to you.

“The sorrows of the wicked are many,
But the one who trusts in the Lord, goodness will surround him.

“Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones;
And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.”

Guilt (vs. Shame)

Guilt is not the same thing as shame. The enemy “shame” attacks our identity. Shame says, “I am bad.” I am a mistake. Shame is not productive and does not lead to change. It creates a cycle of wrong thinking and self-destructive behavior. Shame says, “I cannot be fixed and I am trapped in my behavior.”

Guilt is behavior-focused. It prompts confession, repentance, forgiveness. Guilt says, “I have done wrong.” It certainly doesn’t feel good but leads to change (repentance) that will lead to forgiveness and healing. Guilt is a useful tool designed to prompt us to take action against the wrong thing(s) we have done. Guilt says, “I can turn from my behavior and be healed and free in Jesus.”

Psalm 38:4

“My guilt has covered me; it’s more than I can handle; this burden is too heavy for me to carry.”

Confession

Confession is the offspring of guilt. It is the next step in righting the wrongs in life. True confession leads to repentance. They walk hand in hand into the presence of God. Declaring the wrongs in life—confession—is a necessary step to change (repentance).

1 John 1:9

“If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose].”

Repentance

Where there is no change in wrong behavior, there is no repentance. That does not mean one will no longer struggle with a certain sin; It means there is concerted effort to right the wrong behavior. After confessing, repentance is necessary. It is a turning away from sin and toward God. It takes humility (vs. prideful justification of wrong behavior), but with God’s help and support of loving Jesus-followers, repentance is the doorway that leads to healing and freedom.

Acts 3:19

“So now you need to rethink everything and turn to God so your sins will be forgiven and a new day can dawn, days of refreshing times flowing from the Lord.”

Forgiveness

Where there is confession there is forgiveness. But it is not a one-way street. In other words, in order to be forgiven by God we must forgive others. I believe this is due to the condition of the heart. A heart open to God and open to receiving his correction and forgiveness (as we repent) is also open to forgiving others any wrong done against us.

If God can forgive the entire world of humans throughout the ages for the wrongs done against His Word (which includes every sin from every human of all times), certainly we can forgive the handful of humans who have offended us. Wronged us. Abused us. Sinned against us.

This does not always mean a restored relationship. If the human we forgive does not repent, we can forgive and remain outside a relationship with that person. The key is to forgive. Unforgiveness is a prison for the self and those who have wronged us.

Matthew 6:12

“And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors [letting go of both the wrong and the resentment].”

Freedom!

The sweet result of the guilt, confession, repentance, and forgiveness process is freedom!

If you’ve never truly tasted the inner freedom of forgiving and being forgiven, the time is now! This is not the sort of freedom a society offers. Not the sort of freedom found anywhere on earth. It is a freedom of the heart, a freedom of the spirit. And it is wonderful. It supersedes circumstances and culture and government. It is free and available to all. It is attainable anytime and anywhere.

1 Peter 2:16

“[Live] as free people, [yet] without employing your freedom as a pretext for wickedness; but [live at all times] as servants of God.”

John 8:36

“So think of it this way: if the Son comes to make you free, you will really be free.”