Have you ever done anything that has caused you immense shame and guilt?
This happened to me my senior year of college. I was experiencing suicidal ideation and my desire to live was low; the pain I was feeling was building to a point that I did not know how to handle it. I was dating my now wife, I had good grades, I had (and still have) a loving family, but to no one’s fault I felt as if I could not escape this darkness. No matter what anyone said, no matter what distraction I put in front of me, the pain kept coming back.
I began to question God.
How can He be good? How can He love me and let me feel like this? What did I do to deserve this?
I was so sick of the pain and unsure if God was good that I wondered if the devil is even that bad? I knew that Satan and the world could offer things that would bring me pleasure, but then the Holy Spirit that God placed inside of me reminded me that only God is good.
Even so, the fact that I asked the question brought on guilt, shame, and doubt. I felt distant from God and unable to be saved by His grace and mercy. In search of help, I went to my pastor at my church back home and he shared with me this passage of Scripture:
This happened to me my senior year of college. I was experiencing suicidal ideation and my desire to live was low; the pain I was feeling was building to a point that I did not know how to handle it. I was dating my now wife, I had good grades, I had (and still have) a loving family, but to no one’s fault I felt as if I could not escape this darkness. No matter what anyone said, no matter what distraction I put in front of me, the pain kept coming back.
I began to question God.
How can He be good? How can He love me and let me feel like this? What did I do to deserve this?
I was so sick of the pain and unsure if God was good that I wondered if the devil is even that bad? I knew that Satan and the world could offer things that would bring me pleasure, but then the Holy Spirit that God placed inside of me reminded me that only God is good.
Even so, the fact that I asked the question brought on guilt, shame, and doubt. I felt distant from God and unable to be saved by His grace and mercy. In search of help, I went to my pastor at my church back home and he shared with me this passage of Scripture:
I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry—even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them. But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
– 1Timothy 1:12-17 (HCSB)
If you are holding on to shame and guilt, I encourage you to bring it to God, because no matter what it is, no matter what’s causing it… He will forgive you.
He told me to replace each “I” in each verse with my name and to read it over and over again until I believed it.
So that is what I did, and it worked. God showed me all over again that His grace, His love, and His mercy are unfailing and never ending.
If you are holding on to shame and guilt, I encourage you to bring it to God, because no matter what it is, no matter what’s causing it… He will forgive you.
So that is what I did, and it worked. God showed me all over again that His grace, His love, and His mercy are unfailing and never ending.
If you are holding on to shame and guilt, I encourage you to bring it to God, because no matter what it is, no matter what’s causing it… He will forgive you.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
– 1 John 1:9 (HCSB)
If that guilt, shame, and doubt still linger for you, as it did for me, do the same exercise and substitute each “I” you see in 1 Timothy 1:12-17 with your name and read it over and over again until you believe it for yourself — until you believe that you are forgiven.

Author: Ian Young, Middle School Director
Posted in Devotional
Recent
Archive
2023
2022
January
February
March
April
Prayer Plan // April 2022Famous Last Words - Part 3 [Devo]Day 1 - Triumphal Entry // Holy WeekDay 2 - Cleansing the Temple // Holy WeekDay 3 - Last Supper // Holy WeekDay 4 - Jesus in the Garden // Holy WeekDay 5 - Barabbas // Holy WeekDay 6 - The Cross // Holy WeekDay 7 - Jesus in the Tomb // Holy WeekDay 8 - Resurrection // Holy WeekFinding Purpose - Part 1 [Notes]Finding Purpose - Part 1 [Devo]
May
June
Baptism Sunday [Devo]Prayer Plan // June 2022Face to Face - Part 1 [Notes]Finding Purpose, Part 5 [Devo]Face to Face - Part 2 [Notes]Face to Face - Part 1 [Devo]Face to Face - Part 3 [Notes]Face to Face - Part 2 [Devo]Face to Face - Part 3 [Devo]Face to Face - Part 4 [Notes]Face to Face - Part 4 [Devo]
July
Face to Face - Part 5 [Notes]Prayer Plan // July 2022Face to Face - Part 5 [Devo]Face to Face - Part 6 [Notes]Face to Face - Part 6 [Devo]Face to Face - Part 7 [Notes]Put Down The Gavel // DevotionalFace to Face - Part 8 [Notes]Out of the Darkness// Face to Face, Part 8 [Devo]Face to Face - Part 9 [Notes]
August
Prayer Plan // August 2022Walk the Walk // Face to Face, Part 9 [Devo]MOVE UP Sunday // 2022Art of Neighboring - Part 1 [Notes]Won't You Be My Neighbor // Art of Neighboring, Part 1 [Devo]Art of Neighboring - Part 2 [Notes]Southern Hospitality // Art of Neighboring, Part 2 [Devo]Immovable - Part 1 [Notes]The Bible Is True // Immovable, Part 1 [Devo]Immovable - Part 2 [Notes]
September
Prayer Plan // September 2022Baptism Sunday - September 2022 [Notes]Yesterday for Today // Immovable, Part 2 [Devo]Be An Influencer // Baptism Sunday [Devo]Homecoming - Part 1 [Notes]Run The Race // Homecoming, Part 1 [Devo]Homecoming - Part 2 [Notes]The Truth Will Set You Free // Homecoming, Part 2 [Devo]Homecoming - Part 3 [Notes]Our Heavenly Bridge // Homecoming, Part 3 [Devo]
October
Homecoming - Part 4 [Notes]Prayer Plan // October 2022This Is Not Where We Belong // Homecoming, Part 4 [Devo]Homecoming - Part 5 [Notes]Treasures In Heaven // Homecoming, Part 5 [Devo]Homecoming - Part 6 [Notes]Worship As In Heaven // Homecoming, Part 6 [Devo]Homecoming - Part 7 [Notes]Choices // Homecoming, Part 7 [Devo]Take Time - Part 1 [Notes]
Categories
Tags
1 Timothy 4:3-4
1 corinthians 13
Barb
Christ
Control
Isaiah 41
James 1:22
James 4:14
Jesus
Romans 6:9
Significant Others
You Say
abandon
abby conner
acts 1:8
acts
adam etris
adam
adulteror
advent
andrew archer
andrew
angels sing
anguish
appreciation
archer
arch
art of neighboring
attributes
austin michels
austin
baptism
barabbas
barb barnhart
barnhart
be still
better
be
brandy gibson
brandy
bruce lane
bruce
carols
christmas
circles
colossians 1:13
concentric circles
connection
cross
crowd
death
delaney
devotional
doers
do
elderly
ephesians5:21
eternal life
eternal security
etris
exhausted
extended family
face to face
faith
family
famous last words
forgiveness
forgiven
forsaken
freedom
free
garden of gethsemane
generosity
generous
gibson
gloria
grace hill
grace
grateful
groups
haring
he has come
heaven
hell
hill
holy week
homecoming
hope
huggins
ian young
ian
identity
immovable
in all things
in christ
jamie huggins
jamie
jill wargo
jill
john 8:1-11
john
josh rhodes
josh
joy
judgemental
judge
katie lemley
katie
key relationships
kim sheets
kim
lane
last supper
lemley
light
luke 10:42
luke 23:34
made new
marriage
martha
matthew 22:37-39
matthew 6:3-4
melissa parker
melissa
michelle lemley
michelle trimmer
michelle
michels
new year
new
o holy night
parenting
parents
parent
parker
peace
people
philippians
point
prayer
pray
purpose
quality time
recreated
resurrection
rhodes
roger sealey
roger
romans 12:12
romans
salvation
sealey
secure
selfish
set free
shame
sheets
sing
sin
still
strained
submit
take time
thanksgiving
thanks
tim haring
tim
trimmer
two lies and the truth
ukraine
unclean
victorious
victory
volunteer
wargo
who am i
who i am
who we are
work
worry
young