I have good news for you! What you feel is the work of the Holy Spirit in your life letting you know when you’ve sinned and “missed the mark.” Recognizing sin in our life is a sign of spiritual growth. However, God does not intend for us to live in condemnation over our sin. (for example---being too hard on yourself) There’s a difference between repentance (feeling sorry) for your sin, and self-loathing. It’s ok to feel sorry for your sin (confession is an important part of your relationship with God), but when we mess up and get really mad at ourselves it says that we thought we were good enough to do it by ourselves to begin with.
Here’s the thing: God is perfect and demands perfection, but He wants us to rely on HIM for that holiness, not us. It’s impossible for us to achieve without Him, but because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, believers are seen as righteous in His sight. Jesus has already paid the price for our sin!
Next time you make a mistake, confess it to God, and remember that Jesus Christ already died on the cross for that sin, paying your punishment. Thank God for His forgiveness, and then ask Him for the strength to conquer that sin.
Comments (3)
i used to be very hard on my self and i would have high expectations for my self in all that i do. Well... i stil kinda do. But i just got into my youth at my church and i just got back from a mission trip about being hard on yourself so just pray god can do impossible things and just....
PRAY ABOUT IT.
~hannah
Posted by hannah | September 10, 2007 3:15 PM
Same here I have that problem with being too hard on myself but it's not because I try to rely on myself to be perfect it's just that I'm a perfectionist well I guess I try to rely on myself to be perfect but I don't mean to. Just pray 4 me please.
Posted by Anonymous | September 6, 2008 2:34 PM
I love this article! I had (and still do, but the Lord is helping me) a really hard time with "beating myself up" about my sin, and not only that, but trying to do everything on my own, and not rely completely on Christ. What helped and encouraged me was the book "Stepping Heavenward" by Elizabeth Prentiss. I would encourage anyone who is struggling with what the article speaks of is to read that book and pray the Lord will help you to rest entirely on Him. =)
Posted by Christine | December 9, 2009 1:11 PM