There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. – Romans 8:1

All of us have made mistakes. Sometimes, we are swept up by events that encourage us to behave in ways that we later come to regret. And sometimes, even when our intentions are honorable, we make errors in judgment that have long-lasting consequences. When we look back at our actions with remorse, we may experience intense feelings of guilt. But God has an answer for the guilt that we feel. That answer is His forgiveness.

Sometimes, long after God has forgiven us, we may continue to withhold forgiveness from ourselves. Instead of accepting God’s mercy and accepting our past, we may think far too long and hard about the things that “might have been,” the things that “could have been,” or the things that “should have been.”

Are you troubled by feelings of guilt, even after you’ve received God’s forgiveness? Are you still struggling with painful memories of mistakes you made long ago? Are you focused so intently on yesterday that your vision of today is clouded? If so, you still have work to do, spiritual work. You should ask your Heavenly Father not for forgiveness (He granted that gift the very first time you asked Him!) but instead for acceptance and trust: acceptance of the past and trust in God’s plan for your life.

If you find yourself plagued by feelings of guilt or shame, consult God’s survival guide: His Holy Word. And as you do so, consider the following Biblically-based tips for overcoming those feelings of guilt once and for all:

1.Stop doing the things that make you feel guilty: How can you expect not to feel guilty if you should feel guilty? (Acts 26:20)
2.Ask God for forgiveness. When you ask for it, He will give it. (1 John 1:9)
3.Ask forgiveness from the people you have harmed: This step is hard, but helpful. And even if the other folks cannot find it in their hearts to forgive you, you have the satisfaction of knowing that you asked. (Proverbs 28:13)
4.Forgive yourself: if you’re no longer making the mistake, it’s the right thing to do. And today is the right day to do it. (Romans 14:22)
5.Become more diligent in your daily time of prayer and Bible study. A regular time of quiet reflection and prayer will allow you to praise your Creator, to focus your thoughts, to remind yourself of His love, and to seek His guidance in matters great and small. (Isaiah 50:45)
6.Get busy making the world a better place. Now that God has forgiven you, it’s time for you to show your gratitude by serving Him. (Matthew 23:11-12)

Guilt is a gift that leads us to grace. – Franklin Graham

Today’s Prayer

Lord Jesus, help me to forgive myself as you forgive me. Amen.

May you find forgiveness and peace today!

Blessings,

Chaplin Rob

To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God. – Jonah 2:6

Don’t curse or grumble about the obstacles in your path, look at them as character builders. Find a way to move them, or pray your way through them. Call to mind the words of the great American educator Booker T. Washington, who said: “I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. People are surprisingly generous with advice, especially if you take the time to befriend them first. And remember to be thankful.

You may meet a mentor who’ll encourage and support you for years to come.

The main thing, however, is not to throw in the towel when you encounter bumps in the road. Remember, when you’re traveling up a mountain, it’s the bumps you climb on.

Only by contending with challenges that seem to be beyond your strength to handle at the moment, you can grow more surely toward the stars. – Brian Tracy

Blessings,

Chaplain Rob

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling, and slander, along with every form of malice. – Ephesians 4:31

Two shopkeepers owned stores directly across the street from each other. Each spent his days tracking the others’ business, and gloating triumphantly each time a customer chose his own store. Over time, they became bitter rivals.

One night an angel appeared to one of the shopkeepers and said, “I’ll give you anything you request, but whatever you receive, your competitor will receive double. Would you be rich? You can be very rich indeed, but he’ll be twice as wealthy. Do you desire a long and healthy life? Request it, but his life will be longer and healthier. What’s your desire?”

The man thought for a moment, and with a sly grin, stated, “Strike me blind in one eye!”

Bitterness is relentless and dangerous when allowed to take root in our hearts. It destroys decision-making abilities and compromises otherwise focused and productive lives. Its only remedy is forgiveness freely by Jesus Christ. And if you believe the Bible, we are to dispense it generously to others.

Take a step out of bitterness into forgiveness today. Forgive the unforgivable. You can do it!

We forgive to the extent that we love. – La Rochefoucauld

Blessings,

Chaplin Rob

If I have put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security’, if I have rejoiced over my great wealth, the fortune my hands had gained, then these also would be sins to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high. – Job 31:24, 25, 28

A rich man prayed, “I’ve worked so hard and I want to take my fortune to heaven.”

“We don’t do that,” God said.

“Please,” he begged, “let me bring it so my children will be spared from an indulgent life.”

“Okay,” God amended “you may bring one suitcase.”

Weeks later, the man found himself at heaven’s gates with a suitcase full of gold bricks.

“A suitcase?” the angel guarding the gates questioned. “You can’t bring anything with you!”

“Oh, I have a special arrangement with God.”

The angel looked into the suitcase and lifted his head, “Lord, I’ve got a man here who says he’s made a special arrangement with you.”

The heavens rumbled, “What sort of arrangement?”

“For some reason he wants to bring in a suitcase full of paving material.”

In God’s economy, your gold will be worth less than the pavement under your feet! But the things often overlooked, children, the poor, our relationships with others, are priceless.

Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from the praise of men, but from doing something worthwhile. – Sir Wilfred Grenfell

Blessings,

Chaplin Rob

(Today’s devotional comes directly from Rev. Billy Graham and his website. Over the years I have meditated on these devotionals and with his recent passing I have begun again reading them. I hope this devotional impacts you the way it has impacted me.)

Some people have received Christ but have never reached spiritual maturity. They have been in church all their lives, and yet they have never become mature Christians. They are still considered “spiritual children” and “babes in Christ.” They know little Scripture. They have little desire to pray, and bear few of the marks of a Christian in their daily living. To say, “I will resolve to do better, I will muster all my will power and revise my way of living,” is noble, but futile. A corpse could as well say, “I will-through sheer effort-rise out of this coffin and be a living man again.” You need a power outside yourself. You cannot get over the habits and chains that are binding you. You need outside help. You need Christ.

The Bible tells of a bridge of faith which reaches from the valley of despair to the high hills of glorious hope in Christ. It tells where we are, but beyond that-it tells where we may be in Christ. Now, of course, you will not be completely mature until you are in the presence of Christ, but you should be growing every day as a Christian.

Billy Graham

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. – Hebrews 10:36

Have you ever seen Michelangelo’s David or experienced a live stage performance of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet? These are amazing works of art and literature. They will most certainly be admired through all time.

But what if either of these men had allowed life’s difficulties to get in the way of their passion, their life’s work? We all face difficulties and we all have dreams.

What’s the difference between average men/ women and those who rise to greatness?

Perseverance.

If a project is worth pursuing, it will require initiative, energy, and endurance. One stroke of the hammer didn’t chisel Michelangelo’s David. And Shakespeare didn’t pen Romeo and Juliet over a spot of afternoon tea. Any accomplishment worth attaining requires sustained effort. You must persevere to see your dream through.

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. – Thomas Edison

Blessings,

Chaplain Rob

“When you pray and you ask for something, believe that you have received it and you will be given what you asked for” (Mark 11:24 GNT).

Faith is not believing God can do something. Faith is not hoping he will do something. Faith is thanking God in advance.

Jesus said, “When you pray and you ask for something, believe that you have received it and you will be given what you asked for” (Mark 11:24 GNT).

You say, “Wait a minute! I’ve got to thank God in advance before I get it in order to get it?” Yes. If you thank God after you’ve got it, that’s gratitude. When you thank him in advance, that’s called faith.

This illustration really helps explain the idea of thanking God in advance: If someone handed you a check right now for a thousand dollars, would you wait until you cashed it to say “thank you”? No!

You’d thank that person right away. Yet the thousand dollars wouldn’t really be yours until you actually cashed it, because that check is simply a promise. When you are given the check, you can genuinely say thanks, believing that the promise is credible and that the person has enough money in the bank to cover that amount.

Faith is like that. It is thanking God in advance.

What I’m saying is this: If God tells you to go after Moby Dick in a rowboat, take the tartar sauce with you. You’re going to have a fish fry tonight!

Jesus said, “Because of your faith, it will happen” (Matthew 9:29 NLT).

Chaplin Rob