Whats Crackalakin Vessels,

It’s been a while since I’ve written. Part of that is due to the stress of my first college final exams.  To begin, congratulations to all my fellow college freshmen on completing your first final exams after a long online semester.  We did it! While I forced myself not to write, inspiration still struck, and I have many many ideas. I am so excited to share them with all of you! Sydney and I also dropped blog T-shirts!! If you haven’t already checked out our shop, please do so! All the profit goes back into the website expenses, averaging $1-$2 made per shirt that y’all buy!

Now on to the good stuff, enjoy the rest of this post:

In my immediate family, I am notorious for being a chronic liar.  I wish I could say I grew out of this trait after the age of 12, but my family would be quick to correct me. In the comments section, they would argue that I always have been and still am a chronic liar.  Outside of some more serious isolated cases, most of my lies were due to insignificant things.  A noteworthy one being the countless times I lied about eating someone else’s food. (Sydney if you are reading this, I promise to ask to eat your food when we live together next year.) Every time I was caught in a lie, I felt guilty. This guilt was not from some profound self-reflection; it was a feeling of regret now that I was facing a consequence.  This guilt soon faded once I served my punishment.  With the guilt gone, I slipped into lie after lie.  This shows the nature of our worldly perception of guilt.  Whether someone committed an act worthy of guilt comes down to juries and comments on social media.  This modern guilt is put on us by others’ view of our now tarnished character.

When we look at sin, we often confuse guilt and repentance.  Christians are commanded by God to repent of their sinful nature.  This does not mean feeling guilty for actions that may change the world’s opinion of your character.  Repentance is a deep conviction of the need to turn away from sin in order to be close to God.  The word guilt has a connotation of fear stemming from possible punishment. Just as in my lying example, I only felt guilty when I was caught because I knew punishment followed. As Christ-followers, it is important to remember, when feeling this fear parallel to guilt, that our God is not one of fear.

2 Timothy 1:7 states: “ For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

The spirit we have in us from God gives us the power to have self-discipline and turn away from sin.  Repent and turn away; don’t feel guilty and go back to the same sinful habit.  Repentance does not imply punishment.  Repentance is the beginning of forgiveness, salvation, and new God-honoring habits.  

No wonder we feel guilty when we sin. The concept of undeserved forgiveness is impossible to comprehend.  Back to my lie illustration: I felt guilt from my parents, but I was punished and I moved forward having “served my time.” This mentality is the same one responsible for the statistic that 83% of released US prisoners are arrested for the same or a similar crime within 9 years of their freedom. Because of the Holy Spirit, Christians have the ability to gain a new mentality, one of repentance. Repentance is the true recognition of one innate tendency to seek sinful things, and then, turning to God for help to stay away from them. We do this to be as righteous as possible while on this earth in the eyes of God.

Ultimately, our righteousness only comes from believing in the salvation coming from the resurrection of Christ, but once you believe this, you have the Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit in you demands repentance. This Holy Spirit wants to bring you closer and closer to Christ to strengthen your faith.  This Holy Spirit wants to gift you with ways to share the gospel. 

But

First comes repentance.

Repentance then will demand acceptance.  

It’s one thing to believe in the narrative of Jesus dying on the cross and coming back to life.  It is another thing to believe that this miracle is capable of saving you from your sins. This is something deeper than belief; this is something you need to accept.  This is a gift that you did nothing for and can’t give anything in return for.  All you can do is try to share it. That’s what the Holy Spirit is for. God will equip you, but you have to get past the guilt. Accept your salvation because God frees his children from all chains of sin and restaurants of fear.  Guilt has no place in the temple God has given you.  Don’t dwell on your mistakes, or do earthly things in an attempt to remedy your conscience. Christ died, so you don’t have to do that.

You are free from it all.

I am free from it all

May the spirit celebrate with you,

A Vessel