When my oldest niece was about three years old, she had been naughty one morning during her preschool Sunday school class. When the teacher reprimanded her for her behavior, my niece stood her ground and said, “Don’t you know Jesus died for our sins?!”

Her retort may have sounded a little flippant, but she clearly was not going to be weighed down by guilt for her wrongdoing.

Can you say the same? Are you hanging on to guilt over sins you’ve committed? Satan wants nothing more than to keep you wallowing there, because guilt leads to despair. Despair ultimately leads to an eternity with him.

But God promises, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus are no longer under God’s judgment. Because of what Christ Jesus has done, you are free” (Romans 8:1,2 NIRV).

Satan does not give up easily, however. He may stir up memories of past sins in an effort to make you feel like God has not forgotten those sins either. But remember, Satan is “the father of lies” (John 8:44 NIRV).

Once you have acknowledged your sin and repented of it, you can forget about it—permanently—because God has: “I will forgive their evil ways. I will not remember their sins anymore” (Hebrews 8:12 NIRV).

So the next time Satan starts putting his guilt trip on you, stand your ground and say, “Don’t you know Jesus died for my sins?!”