From time to time I will link to posts from other blogs, news stories, sermons from people that I respect and learn much from, etc.  This sermon was delivered by John Piper at the Passion ‘07 Conference and is all about what to do about guilt from sexual sin.  It is POWERFUL and blunt and needed by men and women alike.  It will resonate with you.  The whole sermon is worth it simply for the final 10 minutes where Dr. Piper walks through Micah 7:8-9.  It will bring tears to your eyes.  If I could have an ounce of his passion and zeal!  Here’s the link to the page the sermon is on, along with a manuscript of the message.  I will not summarize the message for you.  You simply need to listen.

There are times in every believers life when we sin a particularly “sinful sin.” These are the types of sins that make it difficult for us to even go to God with confession and repentance. We think to ourselves, “That sin is too bad for even God to deal with.” When we think thoughts like that and act on them by listening to ourselves we are exactly where the enemy would like us to be. The whispers in your ear that accuse you of guilt are not the whispers of God. The ones telling you “That’s too bad to go to God over” are not the thoughts of God. The New Covenant we are part of in Jesus Christ tells us that our standing before God is now and always based solely on the blood of Jesus. That it is Christ’s sacrificial death for us that allows us to stand before God as sinners and be looked on as saints. Anytime we fall prey to the lie that we can’t go to God with one sin or another we’ve let the enemy gain a foothold and said the New Covenant isn’t enough for us. That there’s something we need to add. We have nothing to add. God knows that. Do you? When you feel especially guilty, that is exactly the right time to go before God and repent and confess. You have nothing else to give. Before you confess and repent you feel conviction from the Holy Spirit. Afterwards, you feel guilt and that guilt is not from God. It’s from the enemy. Listen to conviction. Shun post-confession guilt.