Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.

All Christians battle the giant of guilt and shame at some point in their lives. There are right ways to handle these emotions, such as facing them and seeking forgiveness, and there are wrong ways, like trying to justify our actions.

Instead of moving the boundaries, we must move toward God and confess our sins to Him. God is merciful and will forgive those who genuinely repent. King David expresses in Psalm 32:5 that hiding sins leads to pain and pressure, while confessing and seeking forgiveness brings peace and joy: “I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.”

We can also look to the repentant woman in Luke 7 as an example. She took responsibility for her sins, showed godly sorrow, and sought Jesus’ forgiveness. This type of sorrow leads to genuine repentance and a change in behavior instead of mere regret.

The first step is taking full responsibility for what you’ve done, the second is bringing your guilt and shame to Jesus, and the third is surrendering them to Him. Once we have confessed and received forgiveness, we don’t have to keep carrying the heaviness. We can walk in freedom and joy, knowing God loves, accepts, and forgives us.

So what are you going to do with your guilt and shame? Come to the Lord in true repentance and godly sorrow. Confess what you’ve done and believe He completely forgives you. Peace can be yours today if you will follow His plan to be released from guilt and shame.

Father, I love this story of the immoral woman weeping at the feet of Jesus. She had so much sin and felt separated, guilt-ridden, and ashamed. Yet she found forgiveness at the feet of Jesus. She heard those beautiful words: “Your sins are forgiven.” Lord, I want to be free from guilt and shame. I pray that You would speak to me through Your Word and that I would believe Your truth. In Jesus’ Name, amen.