“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
Psalm 103:12

We have all sinned. We have all fallen short of God's perfect standard. We have all lied, stolen and entertained thoughts we shouldn't have. No one is perfect and everyone has something from their past that they regret and in some way are ashamed of. If you are experiencing this in your own life, remember that you are not alone. The key here is not if we have regret or shame, but how we allow that past event or mistake to control or remain in our thoughts, actions and life as a whole.

Many people allow a mistake from their past to define their current identity and purpose. For example, if a person was an addict and abused a substance, they can often feel such shame or guilt over that season of life and the pain it caused others that they define themselves by their regret, and define who they are based on something that should have been forgotten and left in the past. They say of themselves, "I am an addict", which is part of every 12-step program. Although it is done with good intention and as a reminder of where you came from, the statement, 'I am an addict,' is simply not true in terms of your identity. Your actions and past mistakes do not define you. The only one who can define you is the one who created you. You are who God says you are. You are a child of God. You are a royal priesthood, created on purpose and for a purpose. You are loved and highly favored. You are a part of the kingdom of God if you choose to be. Your sins have been forgiven and removed from you as far as the East is from the West. God removes the sin...but Satan loves to bring it back to you and remind you of it. He is the great accuser and slanderer of the children of God.

We need to constantly be reminded that our sins of the past, and mistakes should no longer take up any space in our heart or our thoughts. If we have repented and turned away from those desires, we no longer need to feel guilt, shame or regret over those things. Be careful not to confuse healthy conviction and wise boundaries with unhealthy condemnation that doesn't come from God and is meant not to bring you closer to God, but meant to keep you stuck and unable to grow spiritually. When you get your mind right about where guilt and shame come from, then you will more carefully guard your heart and not allow things that are not from God to cloud your identity, purpose and keep you from what God has called you to. Instead, whenever those accusations come up into your thoughts, replace them with the truth of scripture as you quote verses to yourself over and over. The verse which began this lesson might be a good place to start.