Sometimes, past life choices seem to haunt us, buffet us, and plague us for years. Learning from Christian regret helps us keep the proper perspective without “beating” ourselves up as we grow.
Further complicating the issue is the enemy’s willingness to beat us down with guilt until we feel condemned and hopeless.
In case you didn’t know, condemnation is not God’s will for our lives at all. Not even a little bit.
Check out this definition of the word “condemn”:
1.: to declare to be reprehensible, wrong, or evil usually after weighing evidence and without reservation
(read Romans 5:1, 10:9-10, 8:33)
2. : to pronounce guilty
(check out Colossians 2: 13-14, Luke 6:37)
3. To adjudge unfit for use or consumption
(God has a purpose and destiny for you!)
Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/condemning?show=0&t=1313272078
Learning from Christian regret and viewing it the “right” way.
Regeneration, not condemnation…that’s the way!
The work of the Holy Spirit is to:
(a) convict us of sin,
(b) reveal and remind us of God’s word/plan while, (c) guiding us back to right standing with God through godly sorrow. (Read 2 Cor. 7:10)
“….Then neither do I condemn you, “Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
John 8:11
God never condemns, in fact, He frees you from it! Instead of condemnation, the Holy Spirit convicts us in our spirit. We feel something that “THAT’S NOT GOOD, APOLOGIZE!!!” Or “Maybe you shouldn’t do that…”
Conviction has a solid purpose to help us change and be more like Jesus – not beating us over the head with failure until we feel useless.
He doesn’t want me to regret my mistakes as much as He wants me to learn from them…or to stop before I do them.
Yeah, He heals, renews, and redeems. Good news, huh?
I think Christian regret has a positive side.
I’ve heard people, some famous and some unknown, say “I don’t have any regrets”. In my opinion, a root of arrogance rests deep within this popular statement.
Hmmmm….
I almost agreed with that statement until I measured it against the word of God and my Christian experience.
Gotta have it…
You see, the cornerstone of true repentance is to acknowledge wrong while being humble enough to let the shame propel you toward change.
Good regret says “WOW! I blew it. I want to be better and I will be better.
The “right” kind of regret and Godly sorrow heals, forgives, and brings about change. We can’t ignore it or act as though it doesn’t exist! Read through the Psalms (esp. 51) and see how godly regret can look.
If I’m not learning from Christian regret…
If you don’t learn from the regret you risk a hardened heart and a reprobate mind. As a matter of fact, true repentance is a component of true regret.
Repentance means changing your path to be better. How can you get there unless you feel your path was wrong?
Bottom line about Christian regret and change…
All this to say, if you have fallen short of God’s plan, make haste to repent (stop, redirect and change paths).
Then watch God cleanse you, strengthen you, and make all things new in your life!
You may at one time say “I wish I hadn’t done that, but I’m so glad I did because God used it to teach me about grace, forgiveness, and a fresh start.
That’s how I see it anyway.
Some of the Bible verses I’ve referenced:
Romans 5:1 New International Version (NIV)
Peace and Hope
5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Romans 10:9-10 New International Version (NIV)
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
Romans 8:33 New International Version (NIV)
33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
Colossians 2:13-14 New International Version (NIV)
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you[a] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.
Luke 6:37 New International Version (NIV)
Judging Others
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
you speak truth. We must acknowledge to God that He is right and we are wrong so to say we have no regrets is definitely arrogance in my opinion…thanks for sharing another thoughtful post….