Unfortunately in a lot of Christian communities, the emphasis is on guilt. We are told that we are supposed to feel really guilty all the time in order to get our act cleaned up, and to keep wallowing in the guilt so we don’t fall back into bad behaviors.
My friend and teacher Mike Wells used to differentiate between false guilt and true guilt, and I think it’s a concept that many have not considered because they almost equate God and guilt together. True guilt is the gentle nudge of the Holy Spirit that what you are doing or have done doesn’t suit you as a new creation in Christ—this is the guilt that leads to repentance. We admit the problem, turn away and move forward in Him. Any guilt that comes after that initial repentance is false guilt.