Godfreaks

THE MISUNDERSTANDING OF GUILT Category: Bible Study Devotionals Views: 162 7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:7-12 One of the reasons some people find it hard to accept God's forgiveness is that they view guilt as a necessary punishment. I've counseled Christians who postponed confessing their sins, thinking it was just too easy to come to God and be instantly forgiven. Or, after confessing, they have continued to bear the guilt of their sin, insisting that they pay at least something to balance the scales. That is the devil's lie. Guilt is not God's punishment! God uses guilt for one purpose only, and that is to lead us to Christ that we might repent of our sins and be cleansed. Guilt is God's way of reminding us we have violated His standard and must be brought back into moral agreement with Him. Of course, we should feel guilty when we sin; to not feel guilt is a sign of a hard heart. But once we have confessed our sin, guilt has accomplished its purpose. It is never a means of payment, never a feeling we must endure because we deserve it. Such reasoning denies the liberating truth that Christ paid our price in full. Guilt cannot add a single stroke of merit to the perfect sacrifice. What makes us think that any good work we do could mean more to God than the work of His blessed Son? David, who committed adultery and murder, experienced, the "joy" of his salvation when he repented (Psalm 51:12). I've learned by experience that many Christians cannot distinguish the prompting of the Holy Spirit from the accusations of Satan. The difference is this: The Holy Spirit convicts us for sins that we have been unwilling to face in God's presence; Satan makes us feel guilty for sins that are already under the blood of Christ-that is, for sins that we have already confessed. The Holy Spirit reminds us of our sins before we are cleansed; Satan continues to remind us of them after we are cleansed. prayer: FATHER, THANK YOU THAT I CAN COME TO YOU TO CONFESS MY SINS AND SURRENDER ANY AND ALL GUILT THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE SINS. GUARD ME FROM SATAN'S TEMPTATION TO CARRY FALSE GUILT AFTER YOU'VE CLEANSED ME FROM MY SIN. AMEN. • For what sins am I carrying guilt? If these are unconfessed sins, I must confess them to the Father now. If I have already been cleansed of these sins, I will go before the Lord now and release this guilt to Him.

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