Ezra 10:10 (AMP) And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, You have acted wickedly and broken faith [with God] and have married foreign (heathen) women, increasing the guilt of Israel. 11 So now make confession and give thanks to the Lord, the God of your fathers [for not consuming you], and do His will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from [your] foreign (heathen) wives.

When we’ve missed the mark, the first thing a lot of us want to do is feel guilty. We tend to feel bad about the decisions we’ve made, which ultimately leads to condemnation.

Here’s a tip from the Word. After we’ve missed the mark, begin to praise and thank the Lord. Thank the Lord for His never-ending forgiveness we have through His Son Jesus. Thank God for His mercy. Thank God that we are not consumed or punished when we miss it.

Everything in us will tell us to feel guilty about what we’ve done. Others will even tell us to take a moment to feel bad about our decisions. Giving into guilt doesn’t give God glory. What glorifies God is acknowledging all the things (love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, Jesus) He’s made available to remove the guilt of sin.

From now on, whenever the mark is missed, give God praise and glory.