For too long, Christians have allowed themselves to become subject to a spirit of religion that tells them God doesn’t love them, or is waiting to strike them with a lightening bolt when they miss the mark. Nothing could be farther from the truth. God is not a condemner, and neither is He holding your past against you. Only the devil does that. On the contrary, God is a loving and forgiving God, Who wants to do you good and make you happy. He is waiting to bless you if you will only rise up against condemnation and walk in your righteousness.

Many Believers don’t really have an understanding of what the righteousness of God is all about. Consequently, they spend the majority of their time trying to do good things that they think will win God’s affection or attention. You don’t have to do anything to win God’s attention other than accepting Jesus! No amount of goody-goody works you do will ever be enough to clean you up when you miss it. Only the blood of Jesus can do that.

The Word of God says that sin entered the world through one man—Adam, but through Jesus Christ, righteousness has been made available to mankind as well (Romans 5:12-15). That means that you didn’t have to do anything to be a sinner except be born (Psalm 51:5). So likewise, righteousness has nothing to do with your good works. You are made the righteousness of God when you accept Jesus as your Lord and personal Savior.

When you invite Jesus into your heart, your Heavenly Father looks at you through “Jesus-lenses.” That means when you sin, or miss the mark, you have a right to be cleansed of your sin, through repentance and the blood of Jesus. The Bible says that God is faithful and just to forgive you of your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

The mistake that a lot of Christians make is running away from God when they miss it rather than running to Him. They feel so condemned by the enemy, as well as  other Christians, that they would rather try to fight life’s battles alone. The Church has, too often, created a culture of condemnation in which people don’t feel comfortable making a mistake. Oftentimes, religious people point their fingers at others, while refusing to look at their own lives. Instead of walking in forgiveness and love, they condemn and judge other Believers. This is just plain wrong.

God loves you. He doesn’t want you walking around feeling guilty about something you did last year, last week, or even last night. Please understand that sin has consequences, and that is why God doesn’t want you to mess with it. Sin makes you a coward, and when you turn on the spiritual laws of sin and death, there are serious repercussions. But even when you do sin, God has made provision for you through His Word and through the blood of Jesus.

If you are feeling guilty or condemned about something you have done, recognize that the enemy is attacking you. The Bible says that Satan is the accuser of the brethren, not God (Revelation 12:10). So if you feel bad about something, and you have already asked God to forgive you, you should know the devil is trying to get you to feel guilty and turn away from your righteousness. Shut him down by immediately speaking the Word of God and declaring the truth about who you are in Jesus. Remember that once you ask God to forgive you, He doesn’t remember the offense anymore. Once it has been thrown into the sea of forgetfulness, don’t go fishing for it!

God wants to restore you and bring you to a place of understanding who you are in Him. If you have made a mistake in the past, it is time to let it go, no matter how bad you may think it is. Don’t walk around in condemnation; you have been set free from bondage! Call on your big Daddy and He will answer you. Your sin is none of the devil’s business; it is God’s, and He has already taken care of it through the blood of His Son.

Be sure to stop by our Bible Study Center and discover keys to help you strengthen your walk with the Lord and become the victorious Christian you were designed to be!

— Creflo A. Dollar