Good Morning Gorgeous,

It’s a brand new day. A brand new start!

A new day to release the pain you’ve been carrying. The burden you have been carrying and shifting from side to side can finally be put down.

That thing that you have needed forgiveness for..the mistake of your past that you have brought to Jesus again and again and asked for forgiveness. It’s forgiven..The enemy may be lying to you. He will tell you that your mistake is unforgivable. He will tell you that you’ve blown it with this choice you’ve made long, long ago.

Listen, these are lies to keep you enslaved in the prison walls of shame. If you have turned from the sin, and brought it to the Lord in prayer and asked for forgiveness. It’s behind you. You are forgiven! You are set free!!

About 3 weeks ago, my two year old daughter was playing with my hair.I was completely engrossed in helping my other daughter with fractions. I was not fully paying attention as my baby girl yanked and “braided” my hair. She plays with my hair often, so nothing seemed amiss.

Until, she said….”Momma, I cut your hair!” She was holding a huge clump of my hair in her little hand and she was beaming with pride. I said, “What Nia?! No Nia! You don’t cut mommy’s hair!” I reached to my head and more hair came out. It was coming in long and short pieces. There was alot and the more I put my hand to my head, the more hair would come out in my hand. She could see that I was upset. I kept saying, “No Nia. Scissors are for paper.” While pulling more and more cut hair out.

Nia was crying at my reaction. I ran to the bathroom expecting the worst. Instead I found that even though she cut alot of hair, it was hard to see the spot because I have really thick hair. It could have been way worse. I hugged her and told her again that she isn’t allowed to cut my hair. I reminded her that I loved her. In her little voice, she said, “I’m sorry I cut your hair. I promise I won’t cut it again.” She melted my heart. I held her close and told her I forgived her and I loved her.

Then, we went on with life, and I let it go. My hair is fine. I am fine. I have forgiven my little baby girl completely. However for the next few weeks, as I was buckling her in her carseat or giving her a bath, she would get this troubled look on her face. She would look downcast and say, “I’m sorry I cut your hair.” I would tell her again and again, “It’s okay Nia.” And this repeated again and again. Every couple of days she would bring her mistake back up and ask for forgiveness. Even though she was already forgiven and I had mostly forgotten about the unexpected haircut, it would bother her.

We are the same with the Father. We mess up, and we go to Him for forgiveness. When we do that, He is kind and loving and He forgives us. Then, He washes us clean and the sin is behind us. Yet again and again we bring it back up. Asking the Lord for forgiveness again and again as if the first time didn’t quite cover it. But, it did!

If you come before the Lord with a repentant, sorrowful heart and ask for forgiveness for a sin, He will forgive you.

Jesus came and became the sacrificial lamb, so that we could be forgiven once and for all and be in right relationship with the Lord.

You can rest assured this morning that if you believe that Jesus was the son of God, born into the earth who lived the perfect, sinless life, and then died for us and rose again to conquer sin and death. If you have Jesus as your Savior, you can approach the grace of God with your mess ups and mishaps, your bad choices, and your past. You can boldly say, “I have sinned against You, please forgive me.”

He will forgive you, unlock the chains of guilt that have held you hostage, and set you free.

The next part is yours. You have to walk free. You do not have to live in guilt or shame. You don’t have to ask for forgiveness for the same mistake over and over again like my sweet Nia. You can ask once, turn away from the sin, and know that regardless of how you feel, you are forgiven by God. Don’t run backwards and pick up the shackles of guilt and shame. Move forward and ahead.

Use this I am statement:

I am forgiven and set free. The Lord has paid my ransom. I do not have to live in the chains of guilt for my past sins. I am a new creation in Christ Jesus. The old life is gone, the new has begun. I will not go back and dance with guilt. I am forgiven and set free because of Jesus.

Speak it again and again daily until you believe the truth.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Help us to release the guilt and shame. Cleanse us and help us to feel set free. Help us to forgive ourselves and walk free from the past and into our destiny. In Jesus’s name, Amen.