Welcome Encouragement for Today friends! I’m so glad you hopped over after reading my devotion! I’ll explain in just a minute how to enter today’s giveaway. But first I want to share 3 ways we can replace our guilt-induced doubt with grace-infused confidence pulled from Day 12 of my “60-Days to Stop Doubting Yourself Confident Heart Devotional“:
“She never thought anyone would find out about their affair, but now her secret and her sin would be public.
Just as the people gathered in the temple, surrounding Jesus as he sat down to teach them, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman who had be caught in the act of adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus,
“Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.” (John 8:2–6)
They hoped Jesus would condemn her, but the opposite happened.
Instead of lording over her, Jesus lowered Himself before her. Grace knelt down to write on the ground. {tweet this?}
“But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. (vv. 6–8)
The Bible doesn’t tell us what Jesus wrote but I’ve always wondered if it was the Ten Commandments, since her accusers said Moses’s law commanded them to stone her. Plus, after writing, Jesus challenged them to examine their own sins and see if any of them were without fault.
When Jesus stooped down to write a second time, perhaps He wrote over the law with redemption. Could it be that He covered the commandments with words like grace, forgiveness, and mercy. Scripture doesn’t say. But we do know that something radical happened. Everyone dropped their stones and walked away.
“At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?'”
“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (vv. 9–11)
In my Proverbs 31 Ministries devotion today, I shared about a time when I really blew it and guilt convinced me I was no longer qualified for my calling. But God used my friend and spiritual mentor/mom, MaryAnn Ruff, to show me what the redemption of God’s grace looks like. And ever since that day, Jesus has been teaching me how to replace my guilt-induced doubt with His grace-infused confidence.
3 Ways to Replace Guilt-Induced Doubt with God’s Grace-Infused Confidence
Remember: Remember sin is not who you are; sin is what you do.
Although Jesus knew this woman had sinned, He made sure she and the crowd knew her sin was not who she was. It was what she had done.
Her sin didn’t get the final say. Jesus did.
Refuse: Refuse condemnation, but lean into loving conviction.
They hoped Jesus would condemn the woman, but the opposite happened. Instead of lording over her, Jesus lowered Himself before her.
When you fall into a trap of the Accuser (Rev. 12:10), close your eyes and picture Jesus – the person of Grace – kneeling down before you, looking into your eyes and loving you out of your sin.
Ask Jesus to help you recognize condemnation’s accusing statements like “You’re a failure” or “You can never be counted on.”Refuse to listen to his lies. Instead lean into God’s loving conviction that is specific. Instead of a broad, sweeping you-are-a-loser label, Jesus will point out our sin and show us what to do to right the wrong.
Instead of “You’re such a failure,” God might say: You were critical in the way you talked to _________ . You need to say you’re sorry and ask forgiveness. Then tell _____ something to build them up.
Replace: Replace the guilt of sin with God’s redemptive grace.
In the presence of Jesus, the woman’s accusers walked away. He dismissed them one by one, until He was the only one left standing. He replaced their position of authority. He was the only One left speaking into her life.
Jesus help me replace my guilt-induced doubt with God’s grace-infused confidence. @ReneeSwope {click to TWEET}
God’s grace lures us out of darkness; His kindness leads our hearts to repentance. (Romans 2:4)
He wants to draw us away from destructive behaviors that hinder our relationship with Him and others, so we can live in the freedom of His forgiveness and the security of His love.
Lord, You say there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, and my life is hidden in You. Thank You that because of Your love and grace, my sin never gets the final say about me—You do! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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This truly touched my soul! I have been evaluating my life for the past year and I know it’s been the Grace of God that has kept me together. So much turmoil and confusion but GOD has shown me triumph and reconciliation! My spirit was so drained from providing for individuals but me! I know my soul and spirit is in transformation, restoration and I’m giving aaaaallll the Glory to Our LORD and Savior! I was each of the women in the passage but GRACE , LOVE AND FORGIVENESS IS GRANTED TO MY HEALING. Thank you so much and even if I don’t win I still will purchase the book. I know it will be an asset to my journey ??
When I have sinned I need to learn better how to embrace His mercy and grace when guilt sets in especially from the enemy of my soul. It is difficult for me to overcome the battle because it is hard for me to forgive myself, get back in step with my Lord and start walking with Him again although that is my heart’s desire but inside I don’t feel confident because of my failure. I need help in this area of my life. I need to grow in His love for me and my love for Him! I so appreciated your story and it lifted me out of my despondency and I laughed at my stuck-in-condemnation self, repented and embraced His mercy and grace and I have my peace in Him back. I don’t feel like a failure anymore. Thank you Lord and thank you Renee and God bless you!
Renee, I loved your book! It has been such a blessing to me and I have passed it on to several of my friends who loved it too! To be able to learn how to use God’s full armor in fighting my spiritual battles has been a tremendous blessing as well. I’ve learned more about who I am in Christ and am growing in my walk with Christ choice by choice as I stay in His word! Thank you for your obedience to The Lord!
Thank you for reminding me this morning that God’s grace is all I need to get through what I’ve been going through. Also to show that same grace to others.
This message hits me so close to my heart for so long I have been bitter from a divorce that left me with 4 children. From this day forward I leave the past and start a new life I will never again use my tong to bi little my children but only to give them words of love and uplift. I need to apologize and recognize my sins. Thank u for such a powerful message.
i am so sorry for your pain and thankful to Jesus that he gave us the Holy Spirit as our Comforter. I am thankful that you recognize what you were doing to your children they have suffered loss too. My heart breaks when I hear of children that can’t see both parents daily because I have seen my grandkids miss their mom. Words stay with you, at 64 yrs. old I still hear the negative words that my father used to me. They hold no power over me now but I do believe they held me back in my formative years.
Speak Life and Love and Blessings over your children. I pray right now that God will send you the help you need in every area of your life. Taking care of 4 children can be exhausting and God knows that, He will provide the strength.
Remember we are making memories whether they are good or bad . I choose to make good ones today.
Love and Prayers.
Have and mercy are ever offered and sometimes so hard to receive. Feelings of less than or self doubt and guilt from songs gone by are forever covered by them. A lesson I need over and over as the enemy whispers lies.
Thank God for reaching out to my spirit through this devotional.I have been struggling with bad choices for the past almost 8yrs now and each day has left me feeling so unworthy,so worthless and depressed. I wonder if there is still grace and mercy left for me,if this is how my life is gonna end.These past days I have been asking God for mercy and reading this reminded me he is the only one standing and He’s is the word that matters,not what I say or what others say about me.God ,I need your help
This is exactly what I needed. Yesterday I caught myself sinning 3 times (to my knowledge). I felt so guilt ridden that I couldn’t sleep all night wondering how God could forgive me since two of these are areas I am working in but keep battling. Your message came at the right time as I couldn’t even bring myself to pray. All I have been saying is Lord have mercy on me and I keep recounting what I did.
Thank you for reminding me that there is condemnation for me as a child of God and it’s in my power to accept grace that God provides
I’m writing this at 3:33 am because the guilt woke me up. Just after attending a special service last night, my family and I had been invited to, my husband, the kids and I got in the car and a few things happened and bam I snapped and lost my composure and just like that our peace was gone. Not even sure why it happened, if I was just too tired but I felt terrible so terrible the guilt woke me up and I got my phone because I needed to fill myself with Gods word and I came upon this. God is so good, I came upon this devotional through Proverbs 31 which then brought me to this blog. It was clear God was having a conversation with me at this crazy hour of the night. He wanted me to refuse the guilt and be filled with His loving conviction and let God’s grace replace my guilt. Gods timing is perfect. Thank you Jesus because you are all we need to fill every area of our lives.
Oh how He loves you Martha. He doesn’t want all that guilt getting the final say. His grace is enough. Remember, you are His. Your sin is an action but not a reflection of who you are – You are a child of God. Loved. Pursued. Delighted In. Cherished. Forgiven. Redeemed.
So so grateful He led you to this place to find HIS grace waiting here for you. 🙂
Thank you for this post.
You know, as much as I try to be a godly person, the devil tries to work double in getting me to blow it all off… and when I do, it leaves me feeling guilty. I wouldn’t want to go to church or attend Bible studies because I think I’m just not a real, living testimony of God’s goodness. I failed! Who am I to talk about God? Who would believe me if I, myself, failed to walk the talk… And consequently, not only I end up missing spiritual messages and encouragement for myself, I also miss out on opportunities sharing my experiences with other people and touching their lives as well.
This post is a reminder that God’s grace covers all our doubts and failures… and He really could turn our ugly messes into powerful, life-enriching messages.
And oh how He does. He’s so good at taking our messes and turning them into messages that reveal His grace and truth.
Thank you for the gentle reminder of what redemption we have in Jesus. Satin tried to make Jesus doubt by tempting Him and he had no sin. The enemy is going to try to make us feel ashamed to turn to God. We need to re train our thinking as new creatures in Christ. That takes time,but with anointed people like you,we have been given another tool to remind us what the word says and encouragement to know we’re not alone.
Yes and amen Michele! We are not alone. 🙂
Gods grace is always always sufficient. We just have to let that sin go and never ever look back.
Amen and amen.
I do well with words until it comes to condensing them! My immediate thought after reading your blog post was, “This is the perfect way to deal with the occasional person that says to me, ‘That’s right. You just keep acting like you’re this great Christian.'” I used to be the only one that would say that to me, but in the past year or so, at least two other people have told me that. They don’t say it to my face, but use text or Facebook messaging to let me know. I’ve dealt with severe clinical depression for 23 years, I grew up feeling guilty for everything and other than the accuser, I’ve been my own harshest critic. God has worked wonders on me with the guilt and self blame (and continues to do so), and I believe He is using the depression for me to help others with the same illness. When the accuser is whispering endlessly in my ears, I know what steps I need to take – just as you’ve outlined here. But there are times when the simplest answer needs to be pushed under my nose (Thank You, God!) in order for me to see how it applies to more than one situation!! I know I’m not perfect, and I pray that no one that sees me thinks that I view myself as more than anyone else. I’m a child of the King like everyone else. Thank you for all you do for our Father and Proverbs 31 Ministries!
His grace is too good to be true so we all need to be reminded, again and again. Praying today’s truths will sink deep into your heart today Jenny as you look into His eyes and let Him love you!!
I really needed this post today. Thank you for speaking into my heart.
Today I had to drive a route that I usually avoid, because it is a reminder of how ashamed and guilty I feel of past behaviour. It is well 25 years ago, but still my stomach tightens and I whisper “forgive me Lord, forgive me Lord” then “just don’t think about it” “just don’t think about it”.
The lie the enemy tells me is that this still matters, this is still unforgiven, that this is unforgivable. Thank you Renee, you are so right – Jesus is the only one standing. And he offers grace to the young woman who made a poor, naive choice and got badly hurt in the process.
Praying for you Rachel. His grace is enough, if we will let Him have the final say. Remember, those are things you did but they are NOT who you are. YOU are His girl, His child, chosen, holy and dearly loved.
I am redeemed through grace to God’s loving arms. I have made mistakes in my life but through God’s grace and forgiveness I am set free. I struggle with guilt over what I have done and how I have hurt my family. But God reminds me daily that He is has already forgiven me and that He is not done with me yet. 🙂
Praying HIS grace will grow stronger than your guilt. Ask for forgiveness, from Him and them, receive His mercy and then give it away. Healing and hope will come with each step we take to Remember, Refuse and Replace. You are His!
I constantly feel guilty.I Haven’t visited my lonely mother in law, haven’t spoken to my parents, not done enough school work, not spent enough time with God, wasted time watching tv, sworn at my husband, moaned about my colleagues.I could go on. Today I am go to visit Jesus Grace on myself. Life changer! thanks
Amen!! Praying for you Dawn.
I so needed to hear this today. Had a very challenging Friday and Saturday, and I’ve lost my composure more than once. Walked into church this morning feeling like I had no right to be there. Thank you for your transparency. Am learning to receive His conviction as an extension of His grace and not allow the enemy to translate it into condemnation.
So sorry you had a hard weekend. I was a big grouch on Saturday. Something happened to upset me and I just let it stay with me all day. So grateful for God’s grace – and my husband’s patience. Let’s walk in HIS love today. He understands our weakness and His grace is there to help us, forgive us, remind us that sin is what we do but it’s not WHO we are. We are HIS beloved, imperfect, cherished children. 🙂
Guilt is often an emotion I find in my heart. It leaks into my conversations and instead of focusing on what God can do about the situation…I focus on what I did or didn’t do. This doesn’t speak to the freedom that I have in Christ. Trying to just get rid of it doesn’t work- because it needs to be replaced with something. Sometimes that’s fear. Sometimes that’s anxiety over the situation. But reading this helped me recognize how guilt does turn into other things and leads my heart into deeper darkness. Replacing the guilt right away with repentance and turning to the Lord and embracing the freedom the have is the ONLY way to combat the struggle that I battle with guilt daily.
Praying for you today Abby!
Abby, I really appreciate your thoughts and empathize, connect to what you shared. We overthink many situations, conversations in our lives, so quick to place blame upon ourselves. Placing our focus and priority to please our heavenly father first sharpens our intentions. Am feeling less articulate, just wanted to say I appreciate what you shared, thank you!
Learning about grace and trying to replace years of lies.
“God’s love and grace lures us out of darkness and leads our hearts to repentance. His desire is to draw us away from destructive behaviors that hinder our relationship with Him and others, so we can live in the freedom of His forgiveness and the security of His love.” This spoke to me the most because I am in the midst of God working on what feels like A Lot in me right now and this puts it into such a good perspective for me. Everything He is working on is for my good, but I get caught up in the difficulty or the “I’m not capable or good enough” trap. Thanks for godly encouragement and helping me see more of God’s love and grace at work in my life.
You’re so welcome Heather. Just prayed for you as I read your comment. xoxo