Soaring Above

If you ever feel guilt, remorse, condemnation, or self-blame in any way, the following message may offer you hope.

As you read this, remember that you are loved unconditionally, no matter what your situation. In your case, the source of these negative feelings might be something you did or failed to do in the recent or distant past. It might be related to decisions that, with the benefit of hindsight, you now feel were wrong.

It’s a sense that you haven’t done enough for Jesus or others; or that maybe you haven’t been able to get victories or change in some areas of your life, and on and on the list goes of reasons why you might be beating yourself up.

No matter what, His love for you is just as great as the love He has for any of His children. He wants you to be able to redeem and garner good from every situation and to grow wiser as a result. He wants you to let go of the burdens of condemnation or remorse and let them fall into His hands.

He wants to see you victorious! He will help you to soar in spirit above the past and into His glorious future. There isn’t an adult on earth who hasn’t had cause to feel the weight of their mistakes and sins at times. But God is powerful enough to use even those things for our good.

You know Jesus loves you greatly! You’ve heard that for years! But have you stopped to realize how uniquely and how personally His love is manifested to you? Maybe you can get an idea by listening to what He said in prophecy to this beloved one of His who wrote me asking for prayer.

Jesus: My love, I know it’s difficult. I know that you are battling. I know very well; I’m there with you. Let Me comfort you and provide the loving care and support you need. The enemy tries to overwhelm you with mental and physical exhaustion. He tries to weaken your determination to hold on to Me. Don’t let him persuade you that I am punishing you, because that is absolutely not true.

Put down your burdens, and let Me wrap My arms around you and gently encourage you to rest your head on My shoulder. I want you to listen carefully to what I’m saying, My love. This life isn’t about you trying to do everything exactly right and Me punishing you for what isn’t perfect. This life is My gift to you. It’s a time to experience and grow and learn under My loving guidance and care.

Sometimes troubles result from wrong choices, but when you are Mine, as you are, you can be assured that I will work every single thing together for good, whether in this life or the next.

There are many hardships, many struggles and losses as you walk through this life, but these are a part of helping you to develop the compassion and understanding that make you more like Me and that help you to know Me better.

These experiences help to develop wisdom. They grow endurance and conviction. Your failures help you to realize that there is so much more to learn. Your sins provide an opportunity to discover the greatness of My forgiveness. Having to cling to Me in times of deep sorrow or loss and finally seeing My love lifting your weights helps prove to you that My love is unconditional. I am still right there close by your side, carrying you through to new and greater victories.

I have seen all the mistakes, all the failures, all the sins and weaknesses, all the things that you fear will separate you from Me and from My blessings in your life. I have looked at all of this on the one hand, and, on the other hand, I have looked at your love and desire to come to Me. I have kept the good and have cast aside all that is negative. I have washed away all the mistakes, sins, and lacks in the flood of My love for you.

Can you trust Me for that? Can you forgive yourself as I have forgiven you? Can you cast aside the remorse and guilt? Can you thank Me for the good that has grown or will one day grow in your life from such things?

Reach out and you’ll always find Me right there, holding you close. In spite of everything you face, you’ll find the strength to take that next step and the next and the next. From these steps you’ll come to realize that when I say that I will never leave you nor forsake you, I mean it with all My heart. I, the God of the universe, the only one who can promise such a thing and bring it to pass, has said this to you.

Please don’t take on yourself the burden of those things that I’ve already paid for. I know you aren’t perfect. That’s why I’m here with you right now. That’s why I chose to be your Savior. You are a perfect example of My love: a sinner, saved by My grace. You are a wonderful person who knows and loves Me above all else, and knows that in yourself there is no hope, but in Me there is all you need and more!

“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”—Romans 8:1–2

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We can make a conscious decision to do what His Word says, to “forget those things that are behind and look forward to the things that are before.”¹

Why should we allow self-blame and condemnation to take over our hearts and minds when God wants us to learn and grow from our shortcomings, mistakes, and failures? When we berate and denounce ourselves, we tear down what God is working to build in our lives.

It’s like when you have a building that has experienced many decades of existence; it may look worn, and some parts may even need replacing. But the expert restorer sees beyond the surface to the building’s foundation and structure. Many old buildings were made from materials that were high quality, which actually grow stronger with age.

Like those buildings, Jesus sees the true value in us. He knows what He made us out of and that we are solid and worth preserving. The enemy of our souls wants to condemn us, to declare us worthless and deserving of the wrecking ball. He wants to convince us to let him tear down the good with guilt and condemnation over our imperfections. He does it because in doing so, he hopes to crush the beauty and the solid core of what Jesus has helped us build.

Jesus is the ultimate restoration expert. He sees the solid foundations of faith and the compassion, mercy, conviction, and character that have developed through experience and walking with Him. He may have to periodically remove things that need to be changed, but He works to retain and restore the irreplaceable qualities that He designed in us, uncovering the strengths and the beauty. He gave the following commentary about this in prophecy:

Jesus: I love to restore you. When you have become damaged by the hardships of life or worn by age and wear and tear, I don’t throw away those things that make you who you are. I restore your beauty. I retain your glow that comes from having gone through many tests and trials. Like some types of wood used in furniture or musical instruments, when they are restored they don’t become exactly like they were when they were new. They become something better because what they’ve endured gives them special qualities not present in new wood.

The resins that have hardened have deepened their color tones, enhanced their strength, and enriched their resonance. Such things can’t be created without the time and pressures that they’ve gone through. That’s a big part of why their value increases, sometimes dramatically, with age.

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With God’s love, all things are possible—if you put your will on His side. It takes humility, trust, and a lot of perseverance and determination, but you can refuse to dwell in the prison of guilt, condemnation, and discouragement. You can instead praise the Lord for the victory that Jesus has won for you! You can rejoice that there is a bright future waiting to embrace you. You may feel shattered beyond repair, but He picks up every piece and continues to transform you into a usable, beautiful vessel for His glory.

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.—Isaiah 43:19

He has made everything beautiful in its time.—Ecclesiastes 3:11

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.—2 Corinthians 12:9