Daily Devo

The Weight of Unforgiveness

By: Gina Welsh

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Repent then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. Acts 3:19

Have you ever drifted away from God? Did you end up feeling isolated? Is unrepented sin making God seem distant? Guilt does that! Our guilt blinds us to the simplicity (and necessity) of repentance. Remember, God is holy, so we can't be living in sin if we want to remain close to Him. The moment we allow anything or anyone to come between us and God is the moment we start drifting away from Him.

Recently, I had a conversation with someone who was struggling with guilt. She admitted she was feeling guilty about her sin because it was causing her to drift away from righteousness. As we talked, I not only sensed regret, I sensed her desire for a renewed relationship with The Lord. As we continued talking, she added "I just want to feel close to God again"... but she wasn't sure how to bridge the gap of guilt and shame.

For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT)

I’m happy to say I had the joy of helping my friend restore her relationship with God. How did she do it? Through repentance! When she repented of her sin, her guilt disappeared! God replaced her guilt and shame with forgiveness and love. When we repent, God responds, refreshing us with His presence. The Lord wants to spend time with us because He loves us. Christ follower, never forget your heavenly Father delights in being close to you!

Unrepented sin makes us feel trapped, and we start listening to the enemy's lies. We can even believe we are a "lost cause", someone that makes God angry. But God is extremely patient. He doesn't want anyone feeling hopeless about sin; He just wants our repentance. Exodus 34 reminds us that when we repent, The Lord forgives.

..."The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin." Exodus 34:6-7

If you're feeling guilty, maybe God is spiritually nudging you towards repentance. To remove that guilt, confess your sins to God and tell Him you're sorry. Repentance will restore your relationship!

Read: 2 Peter 3:9