The last few days I have been listening to a song by Christian hip hop artist FLAME. In "Start Over" FLAME raps the verses with NF singing a powerful chorus about how God's grace meets us in our despair and shows us the great exchange that has happened in Christ to free us from the guilt, penalty, and power of sin.

Despair is a powerful and often paralyzing experience. It tells us the lie that God doesn't care about us in our moments of darkness, and that, even if He did care, He can't do anything about it. These thoughts simply aren't true. As FLAME says,

Perhaps you believe that you have done something so bad that you think that you can never be forgiven. Maybe other people know about what you have done and maybe they don't. Either way, your guilt doesn't have to rule your life, and you can be free in Christ. Listen again: 

The antidote to guilt and despair is hope. There is hope in Jesus who took your place and your sin on the cross and then rose from the dead to secure the forgiveness of sins. 

If you are in the midst of despair today believing the lie that you are too far gone to be saved by God or that you have done something too bad to be rescued by His grace, realize that there is hope in Christ. In fact, this is precisely the reason that Jesus came into the world: to save each us from danger. We have a Savior who has come into the world to seek and save that which is lost. To bind up the broken-hearted. To set the captive free. That's you and that's me! You don't have to carry your past or your sins because Jesus has already carried it for you.

If you're struggling with regrets, guilt, and despair, take a few moments to watch the "Start Over" music video and be encouraged.