If only I had...Or had'nt?

Question

Why do I sentence myself to feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and self-hatred whenever I think about my past regrets?

Im so filled with regrets over some poor choices, that its beginning to haunt me.

If regrets haunt me, I think about this one statement God makes:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John l:9).

I fixate on me failures, and not take God at His word. If the Holy Spirit brings an incident to mind that I regret, why is it hard to listen to what Jesus said? No sin seems to be forgiven at all. Have I not dealt with them properly?

Can anyone give me some insights on this?
Thanks

Answer 1

Now that you see that you are doing this to yourself you can overcome it. I did the same thing for so long and it is living with a defeated mindset. I have chosen, it is a choice, to use my past failures as stepping stones. Everything in my life has brought me to where I am today. Learn from your mistakes and move past them. . . .when you know better you do better.

One more thing, when you take it to the cross. . .leave it there, hon. :)

Answer 2

Perhaps now that you've achieved forgiveness in the eyes of your deity, you should consider forgiving yourself. Maybe your sadness and guilt isn't for your god but for you.

If an incident comes to mind that you regret, don't think about Jesus - he's already forgiven you. Instead think, "What can I learn from this to make myself a better person? How can I use this lesson to make better choices in the future?" This way you're putting the mistake to positive use, and turn the mistake into a lesson.

Remember, wisdom comes from experience, and experience comes from mistakes. Turn your mistake into wisdom and it will help make you a better person, possibly even more so than you were if you had never made the mistake in the first place.

I've done a lot of stupid stuff over the years and I console myself by saying, "Well, I goofed, but it's not because I never tried anything." I think I'm a wiser person for what I've done.

Answer 3

If you have confessed them, then you are forgiven. The Holy Spirit will convict you of unforgiven sin so that you may ask for forgiveness. Satan reminds you of your past failures to make you believe that you are worthless, unloved, or unforgiven. Let those past failures be a reminder that you are not perfect but that through Christ you are made perfect in God's sight. Also, you alone can do very little, but God wants to use you (faults and all) to further his kingdom here on earth and if you rely on Him as your "power source" then you can look ahead and quit struggling with past mistakes.

You cant change the past. Those incidents shaped you into the woman that you are... the woman that God wants as His adopted daughter. He doesnt remember your sin once you confess and ask forgiveness... only you (and Satan).

Answer 4

Hi,
I once heard a very good Pastor state that you will not forget your sins, because all those "regrets" are locked in your memory so you don't repeat them. He also stated that you also must forgive yourself for your past sins, and any new sins you will do. Don't forget we are all still sinners. Just because Jesus died for each and every one of us, it doesn't mean that we will automatically stop sinning. We all need to repent (which means turning away from our sin nature) and we can pray for God's help in dealing with this process. It doesn't just happen.... it takes God's intervention, so don't feel alone in your struggle. We ALL go through this, and it's part of the changing over of our minds. You'll get there so don't be too hard on yourself. God bless you, and let's look forward to the completion of each of us!!!!

Answer 5

Pessimism is a large barrier to a happy life.

Your failures are in the past, neither a spirit or god will change that. They are the things that make you stronger mentally as a person, you will not make the same mistake twice.

Time is the greatest healer, look on the bright side of life everyday, be happy that you eat contently, sleep soundly, see clearly the beauty around you. Eventually you shall forget the failings of the past.

Life is too short to be sad, to live life without regrets, with a joyous smile everyday is to enjoy it.

Cheer up!

Answer 6

You need to repent your sins--meaning that you have to be truky sorry for them and vow not to do it again. Yes, we can be regretful (as we should) but it shouldn't be preventing us to go on to do good in the world. If you reread the bible verse you quoted, it says that if we confess that we are sinful, then He will forgive us. It is like a clean slate. You don't have to fixate on what the past is because it's already forgiven. Perhaps it is YOU that is having a hard time forgiving yourself? If you truly are sorry for them, then stop thinking about them and start thinking about how you are going to make GOOD choices from now on. Focus on that. If you're focussed on all the bad things that you've done and start comparing yourself to others, you won't get anywhere. That's not the Holy Spirit, but the devil that wants that. God wants you to do good things and to serve Him. Give your worries to God and let Him take care of them, and trust that He will.

Answer 7

In my humble opinion, if you commit a sin or perpetrate some evil on someone knowingly and intentionally, you must make restitution if you wish to be forgiven or absolved in some way. For instance, it you stole something from a store, you must return it or pay for it. If you have damaged the store owner and you must make him/her whole again. If you do not have the item anymore or someting you still should go to the store owner and admit what you did and pay for the item with a bit extra for his inconvenience.

If you hurt someone by telling lies about them, you must make every effort to contact everyone who may have heard the lie and recant it. Apologize to the person you hurt, admit everything you did and explain that you are trying to undo the damage. Ask for forgiveness.

You must make an effort to undo any damage you have done and apologize to the people you hurt directly or indirectly. Seek forgiveness.

If the person does not want to forgive you, you have to accept that and understand that, that is their right. If the person does not want to deal with you anymore you must accept that, too. If anyone refuses restitution (repayment) you can donate money to their favorite charity in their name.

If you do these things, you can now ask God and yourself for forgiveness. You also must do your best to be a better person. You are only human. We have all made mistakes and we have all done damage. What you do about it is what makes you a better person. Fix it, learn a lesson and do better next time.

.

Answer 8

The Holy Spirit will never bring anything negative to mind unless you did not ask for God to forgive you for some things you have done wrong. God forgive sins. He wipes it clean and it is gone. Do not exist anymore. Stop giving in to the devil he is the one bringing all this negative thoughts he love to hurt you and remind you of things God have taken out of your life a long time ago. Tell the devil next time he must remember that he already lost and it took Jesus only 3 hours on the cross to overcome him. God Bless and love in Jesus name

Answer 9

That is a matter for you to resolve within yourself. While God forgives you, you also need to forgive yourself. Haven't you ever been unwittingly mean to a pet and the pet immediately forgives you? Do you not still feel guilt for a long time afterwards? It's the same thing.

Receiving forgiveness for something you did wrong does not necessarily mean you are going to forget what you did.

Deal with it and move on as best you can.

Answer 10

If you have repented of your past and ask God to forgive you then it is not the Holy Spirit that is bringing it up. God says He will remember no more and the Holy Spirit will not go against God. So guess who is bring up the past, that's right, satan, and he will do all he can to bring you down. But you have more power then he does if you are a Christian, just tell him that you don't have time for him and that he needs to go talk about it with God. Then see how fast he leaves