I’m haunted by the bad I’ve done. What should I do?
Question:
So I have done some really bad things in the past that I feel bad about. Nobody knows I done these things. I asked for forgiveness but still felt really bad yesterday. I was listening to the Bible, and I started crying really bad. I want to move on with my life, but I can't. It haunts me every day. What should I do?
Answer:
Feelings are not the way to gauge your position with God. You ought to feel bad about doing wrong, but you need to focus on what you will be doing in the future. Being a Christian is about making changes in your life to improve yourself so that tomorrow you will be a better person than you were today.
"Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" (James 5:16).
Talking to someone else whom you trust helps you see the reality of your situation. It gives you a different view of the situation. He may give you ideas you had not thought of. But most of all, you know there is someone there who cares. "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:1-2).
