What God Says About Guilt And Forgiveness. Part [13] 01/06/2026 (Evening thought)

Acts 9:10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. 11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prays.

If a real change of heart has taken place, people will come to know over a period of time, that there has been a great change since you were born, of God. So, there must be some give and take on the part of the forgiven, and the forgiver. As time goes by, the forgiver should relax their scrutiny if they are prone to do so, for there is no need to check cell-phones in the dead of night and smell clothing like Isaac, if you see that God is indeed working on the forgiven one.

In fact, at some point in time, God instructs that the full restoration of trust be made because confidence breeds more confidence, and trust will breed more trust. When God forgives, He gives us a place in His kingdom where folks are given many opportunities to practice truth. At some point in time, after being forgiven by God, the apostle Paul must be trusted, without the saints having to look over their shoulders.

Yes, it is true that he previously hunted down Christians, and yes, he caused much fear and panic in the early church. But if God has forgiven him, and now he is speaking in tongues, preaching the gospel of Christ, returning his tithes and offerings and doing missionary work each and every day, the saints back then are not to follow Paul around with a camera, and cellphone to doublecheck everything he does, or does not do.

Acts 9:13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem.

May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!

What God Says About Guilt And Forgiveness. Part [12] 01/05/2026 (Morning thought)

Ezekiel 33:16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.

This leads us to our second and final point: [2] How to rebuild trust after trust has been betrayed. When one has been wronged and the offender has been forgiven, the natural thing to do will be to look over your shoulder every time the person is around. Sin does come with consequences and therefore the one who sinned against another must be prepared, and willing to deal with the natural fallout, by God’s grace.

James 5:19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; 20 Let him know, that he which converts the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins…. Folks who have sinned against another and cheaters who have violated the trust and confidence of their spouses should not expect that as soon as they are forgiven, that normal relations would be restored. In reality, it can be very difficult to trust the person as before.

Developing trust and unquestioning confidence will require time, and well directed efforts on the part of the one who is forgiven. God’s grace will be applied as needed and requested so that it could be clearly seen that the one in question is a changed person. However, in the process of restoring trust there may be extra scrutiny, for the wounded person must be given time to verify that repentance is genuine.

Psalms 103:11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!