The guilty are usually living in a vicious cycle of feelings that cause them to not experience true forgiveness. Our sins are what sent the King of Glory, Jesus Christ, to the cross. Sin was the fall of man, but on the cross it became the rise of a Hero. The cross is the place that we can come to and be changed. Because of God’s kindness, He sent His son to take our place. Jesus came to bridge the gap between who we are and who God created us to be. He came to restore the reflection of the Father in His children. Sin broke the mirror image of God within us and our lives became all about us. Jesus came down to pick up the pieces and restore the mirror. He showed us the reflection of the Father and offered to put us back together into who we were originally created to be. What a great God! He does not break us by condemnation, guilt, and abuse. He breaks us by showing us the reality of Who He is: a holy, righteous, merciful, and loving God. I cannot think of a gentler way of breaking the sin nature within us than the way Christ does. Something that sounds so harsh as to break us is really all about His love restoring us. We must be broken in order to be restored. We are “guilty” of sin but do not have to live in the guilt of it, because the blood of Jesus set us free.  

Why then do people live in a cycle of guilt? Because they haven’t entered into the true brokenness that comes through the unending, unmeasurable love of God. Their life hasn’t been moved from a “me mentality” to a “Him mentality.” They are too wrapped up in the idea that God must be upset with them. They believe that He must be angry with them. It’s all about them, them, them, not Him, Him, Him. Guilt and self-pity can turn into pride, by thinking that it’s all about how God cannot love someone like me, me, me. But God’s love is farther reaching than the farthest galaxies.  

Just like a child can feel the brokenness of letting their parents down, it should break us that we let God down rather than that we did something wrong in the rule book. Our lives become broken in the presence of God yet restored in the love of His forgiveness. The cross changes the condition of our heart. Our heart gains confidence even in the midst of brokenness because we know that God is love. Our confidence is not in our ability to be perfect, but in God’s ability to love us perfectly in the midst of our faults. It’s all about His power not our own. We must come to God with confidence that His love is bigger than our failures.  

1 John 1:8-10

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His Word is not in us. 

God is faithful and just, the only One with the power to purify our heart. So how is your heart condition? Has your heart been broken for God? Are you getting your regular check-ups to make sure everything is properly functioning the way that honors God? Just like heart patients get regular check-ups, so we need to keep our hearts in check before God in order to live in a state of brokenness. Worship Revolutionists are a broken people that have encountered the life-changing forgiveness of God. Because of the forgiveness they have received, their lives are boldly pouring out a sweet fragrance of honor to their King.

*Taken from my book THE WORSHIP REVOLUTION available on Amazon here