Sunday, January 8, 2017

DEALING WITH GUILT



Rev.12:10: And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons so many of God's children are living defeated lives, is because of guilt. Guilt is one of Satan's biggest weapons against us. It tears us down, it makes us feel dirty, unworthy, robs us of our faith and confidence in Christ Jesus. Jesus not only came to cleanse us from our sins, but also set us free from the guilt of our sins. If you want to live a life of spiritual victory, you need to have a conscience freed from the guilt of your past.

Two kinds of guilt
There are two kinds of guilt in the Bible. There's Godly sorrow that leads a person to repentance (2 Cor. 7:10), which is known as conviction and it comes from the Holy Spirit (John 16:8, "when He comes, will reproof the world of sin..." -KJB). Once a person repents, the guilt lifts and they feel relieved and joyful that their sin(s) have been forgiven. Then there is another kind of guilt, and that's condemnation or accusations from the devil. Satan loves to torment God's people by reminding them of their pasts, and continually holding their sins before them even after their sins have been forgiven. This is condemnation and there is no good that comes out of it whatsoever. It tears us down, makes us feel dirty, unworthy and robs of us of our faith and confidence in Christ Jesus. It's a lie from the father of lies, and it needs to be ignored. In fact guilt can be an open door to be tormented by evil spirits or demons.

How guilt is cultivated and nurtured
Guilt is cultivated when you continually allow yourself to dwell and think about how badly you've messed up, your pasts, the sins you've committed, etc. The enemy loves to remind us of our past failures, so he can keep us thinking about them. The problem is, if we allow ourselves to fall for this trap, it allows the enemy to build what they call a stronghold in our minds. You have to know what is going on and stop satan dead in his tracks. Stop listening to condemnation because it comes from the devil (satan) and it allows satan to weaken us spiritually through the strongholds he forms in our minds.

The stronghold of guilt
When a person who has repented of their sin(s) but continually feels guilty day after day, even after being told that their past has been washed away and their sins have been forgiven, is facing what they call a stronghold. A stronghold is a lie that is believed, which results in an incorrect thinking pattern. The stronghold of guilt is often not alone; it is usually accompanied with an incorrect perception of themselves or an incorrect perception of God (which are both strongholds in themselves). People who have a stronghold of guilt rarely see God for who He really is (including His awesome forgiving nature) or they don't see themselves correctly. Although in Christ we are new creatures who's pasts have been washed away (2 Corinthians 5:17), the strongholds in your mind will prevent you from simply believing it.

How to deal with guilt
Step 1: Understand the nature of God's forgiveness towards you. God is not a man that will lie. Once He has forgiven you of your sins, He has. Keep this promise in your mind always. Let not satan change that with his lies. (Rev. 12:10c).
Step 2: Repent of your sin(s) if you haven't already done so. The big key to being forgiven is repentance. (1John 1:9kjb; Rom. 6:1-6)
Step 3: Know that your past sins have been forgiven, and that you are now clean in Christ Jesus. Stop thinking about your past sins and start thinking about the new person you are in Christ. (Phil 3:13kjb)
Step 4: Forgive yourself! Jesus made it clear that we are to be forgiving, and that includes forgiving yourself. You need to release yourself from the bondage of unforgiveness. If God chose to forgive you, who are you to hang onto something that God chose to let go of?
Note that the feelings of guilt may not disappear overnight, because strongholds of guilt need to be torn down by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2). A great place to start is learning how to recognize condemnation from the devil, and stop paying attention to it. When guilt is thrown at you, you need to guard your thoughts, and when you see condemnation coming your way, pay no attention to it. Treat it for what it really is... a lie from the devil. Take control of your thought!

Know this
There are particular evil spirits that go around and hang around people like a thick black cloud, constantly making them feel dirty, unworthy and guilty. But the Blood of Jesus takes sin away (Hebrews 10:1-22kjb, Revelations 1:5kjb, Psalms 103:12kjb).Christ died so your conscience could be cleansed. Why do you think God wanted us to be new creations when we enter His royal family? (2Corin. 5:17kjb). Because He doesn't want your past to be a part of you anymore! He wants you to be washed clean from all your sins and wiped clean from your past! (Isaiah 43:25kjb)
God knew that if He didn't forget our sins, they would forever be before Him, and it would hinder the closeness that He desires to have with us. Therefore, God Himself said that for His own sake, He chose to not only forgive your sins, but also forget them and cast them into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).

Finally

Jesus tells us that, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24) The truth is, if we have repented of our sins, and believe upon the blood of Jesus to wash us clean, then we are clean from those sins, and if we approach God in worship with a dirty conscience, we won't be approaching Him in truth. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus tells us, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. What kind of people are heavy laden and labor in their souls? People who are laboring under the burden of guilt. Jesus wants you to come to Him, and shed your old heavy burden of guilt. He died so you could be released from it... won't you make the choice to let go of it today? Amen!

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