For born-again Christians, the idea of committing any sin is abhorrent. Christians want to please God the Father in their obedience to Him in all that they do. Are Christians perfect? Of course not. But having the will to please our heavenly Father is where the Christian differs from the unbeliever. Where there is only God's perfect moral standard for living, unbelievers will attempt to implement their own moral code and will fail in even attempting to adhere to their own substandard morals. So to discuss guilt, we have to understand it from the perspective that we are coming from in feeling guilty and whether we are Christians or not.
For Unbelievers:
If you are having guilty feelings, the Holy Spirit could be working in your life. Repent of your sins to God, and come kneel before His throne and dedicate your life to Him. When you do this, you will be born again and will be a Christian. Jesus Christ died for the forgiveness of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. You will be guilty no more.
"For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit."
1 Thessalonians 1:4-6
For Christians:
If you are having guilty feelings, recollect when the last time was that you repented of your sins to God? Do you have any unconfessed sin in your life? If so, confess your sins to God, and He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness. If you continue to have guilty feelings even after you have confessed all sin to God, then Satan is actively working in your life to thwart you from doing God's will. Guilt is a powerful tool of Satan to rob you of the joy of being a Christian. Satan is the accuser.
". . . For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before God day and night . . . ."
Revelation 12:10
I can think of two ways of dealing with this type of guilt from Satan.
1) When Satan brings up your past, bring up Satan's future.
"When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever."
Revelation 20:7-10
This is an easy way to remind yourself who your Master is. God's Bible tells us that through our confession we are purified, so we have a clean slate.
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
1 John 1:9
2) If you are still struggling with guilt, you might need to call on God in the Name of Jesus to remove Satan from your path.
Satan is an obstacle for you. What better teacher to learn from than Jesus Christ Himself! In Matthew 16:21-23, Jesus is explaining to His disciples that He will suffer and die, yet be raised on the third day. Peter, who is the Rock on which Christ built His Church, took Jesus aside and told Him, "Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!" Jesus answered, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me . . . ." In the Name of Jesus, command Satan to get out of your mind and behind you as you are on the path of righteousness doing God's will. Guilt should end at your confession. You are blameless before God.
If you are a Christian feeling guilty even after you have confessed all sin, please stop. Harping on the past is not only unhealthy physically, but it is also unhealthy spiritually. You are wasting precious time resources that you could be focusing on saving the lost or ministering to others.
If you are an unbeliever, I pray that the Holy Spirit will convict your heart and move you to repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. It is only by the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, that we are able to be called righteous before God. No other Name will do. The time is now! All Praises to Him!
No comments:
Post a Comment