Guilt Trip

Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word.  It sets you free.  Have you ever noticed one of the devil’s favorite tools is guilt? Be careful, that’s a tricky one… unlike procrastination, that one is real.  Sometimes you feel guilty… because you are!  You did something that was against the law, or against God’s law, and the guilt you feel, is the guilt you earned, that comes with it!  When you do something wrong you feel guilt.  It’s part of your conscience, but also a legal condition, a legal state caused by some action or inaction.   But God says He forgives our sin, and even forgives the guilt of our sin!  Psalms 32:5 – “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.  I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.’  And you forgave the guilt of my sin.” What a God!  Who does that?  The One True God, the God who loves you.  Only He can do that.  That doesn’t stop the devil though, he has people feeling guilty for something God has already forgiven them for, even though God has removed it from them as far as the east is from the west.  The devil still wants you to feel guilty.  Why?  Because it affects your relationship with God.  The devil’s plan for you is paralysis, not progress… he never wants you to move on in the freedom God bought for you.  He wants you to only see God as the fearful righteous judge - rather than your Heavenly Father, that has paid your penalty Himself.  God, your Heavenly Father met the righteous requirements of God the righteous judge.  He sent His Son to take your place.  The devil wants you feeling guilty for nothing, long past the time that legal condition has been rectified.  I John 1:9 - If we will confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  The devil wants to keep you trapped in sin, and trapped in guilt – always in bondage, one way or another.  God wants to set you free!  He wants you to confess your sin, and turn from it, so He can forgive you and you can move on – free from the sin that once bound you.  God either forgave you or He didn’t.  He did what He promised, or He didn’t.  Just because you did it more than once, doesn’t mean He didn’t forgive you.  Either He did or He didn’t.  Either His Word is true, or its not.  The devil wants the guilt to remain, so he tells you - you’ll probably do that again… What has that got to do with anything.  It’s a lie, but even if it were true, God forgives you of this sin.  If you repent and turn, confess and forsake it.  He will forgive you.  Tomorrow will take care of itself.  You are free today – free from the sin that caused your guilt, and free from the guilt itself, because you have been forgiven.  The devil just wants you to feel guilty.  He’ll try to make you feel guilty for something you haven’t even done yet, and don’t ever have to do again.  God’s grace can help you!  You won’t do it again, the devil is just lying.  Just obey right now, do what He told you to do right now, and you’ll leave sin behind.  The Holy Spirit brings conviction, not guilt.  Conviction invites you, to repent and turn.  Guilt condemns you – the devil’s specialty – accusation and condemnation.  If you are in Christ, if you’ve put your faith in His death in your place, as the payment of the penalty for your sin, you are forgiven!  Sin doesn’t control you, if you have been saved and forgiven by the blood of Jesus – it cancels the control of sin in your life.  The choice is yours, you can sin again, but you aren’t a slave to it anymore.  God’s grace is sufficient.  That means – it’s powerful enough to forgive you, and powerful enough to help you say “No” to any temptation the devil tries to sucker you into in the future.  Just walk away, ‘thanks but no thanks.’  Praise God, your past doesn’t control your future.  God’s past does.  What He did - gives you hope for your future.  Jesus died in your place, your sins are forgiven, and if you ever stumble again, He’ll forgive you.  But don’t worry about that, you don’t have to choose sin again.  You’ll learn to choose His grace.  Praying that you’ll choose it every time, so victory over sin is your daily experience – it’s what God has for you!  Praying that you’ll remember guilt is for the guilty, and you aren’t guilty anymore.  God said He forgave you.  You are free to go and sin no more.  His grace is right there to help you.  Just like He forgave you from sin, He’ll help you no longer sin.  Praying that you’ll walk in the Spirit today.  Do PiVAT before dinner, or just do it right now.  Get His plan for you, and get busy doing it!  Get going on that new adventure!  Your sins past don’t control you, the guilt they caused, no longer applies.  The devil wants you on a guilt trip, but you can get off that trip.  It’s just a lie.  God has victory for you! 
 
Love you all,
dad