DEALING WITH GUILT

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 of 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. 1 Timothy 3:9, "Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience."

Two kinds of guilt

There's two kinds of guilt in the Bible. There's Godly sorrow that leads a person to repentance (2 Cor 7:10), which is know as conviction and it comes from the Holy Spirit (John 16:8, "when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin..." - NASB). Once a person repents, the guilt lifts and they feel relieved and joyful that their sin(s) have been forgiven.

Then there's 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.

The difference between condemnation and conviction is explained in much more detail in the teaching Condemnation verses Conviction.

In this teaching, we will be dealing solely with the negative kind of guilt called condemnation.

Guilt is a door to the enemy

I have seen how guilt can be an open door to be tormented by evil spirits. False guilt is actually a symptom of unforgiveness in your heart that is directed at yourself. In Matthew 18:23-35, Jesus tells us how important it is to forgive those who have wronged us, and how we can be turned over to the tormenters (evil spirits) if we are unforgiving.

Colossians 3:13 tells us to be, "...forgiving one another..." The phrase 'one another' in NT Greek translates to the word Heautou, which includes THEMSELF! Bitterness, regardless who or what it's about, defiles a man (Hebrews 12:15).

Spiritual defilement is what makes a person open to unclean spirits. It is very possible for a person to be harassed by evil spirits or come under their power, just because a person has refused to forgive them self.

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.

Your best bet is to learn what is going on, and stop Satan dead in his tracks. Learn the difference between condemnation and conviction, and stop listening to condemnation. Condemnation comes from the devil, and it's meant to build strongholds in your mind and weaken you spiritually.

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. They are new creations in Christ who's past has been washed away (2 Corinthians 5:17), but they simply don't believe it because they have a stronghold in their mind that needs to be torn down.

If this describes you, then I highly recommend reading the teaching on Strongholds.

How to deal with guilt

Step 1: Understand the nature of God's forgiveness towards you. The teaching on The Forgiveness of Sins is a great teaching to help you there.

Step 2: Repent of your sin(s) if you haven't already done so. They big key to being forgiven is repentance.

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. We are NEVER told to mull around our past sins, but rather to forget the things which are behind and press forward. (Phil 3:13, "...this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.")

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? This is a major source of bondage, and I can't stress how vital it is for you to release yourself from your past.

Colossians 3:13 tells us to be, "...forgiving one another..." If you look up the phrase 'one another' in that verse in the NT Greek, it translates to the word Heautou which includes THEMSELF! It is vital to be forgiving towards yourself!! Bitterness (the fruit of unforgiveness), regardless who or what it's about, defiles a man (Hebrews 12:15).

If a stronghold of guilt exists, then the feelings of guilt may not disappear overnight, because strongholds 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. One teaching that will show you how to recognize condemnation is Condemnation verses Conviction.

Once you know the difference between condemnation and conviction and can recognize condemnation when it's 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. You can learn more about how to take control of your thought life in the teaching The Power of Your Thoughts.

If nothing seems to work, you may need to have a spirit of guilt or condemnation cast out. 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.

They usually thrive on strongholds of guilt though, so usually your first step to getting rid of this spirit is by tearing down the stronghold by which it's holding on. If you tear down the stronghold, and still feel like a black cloud is following you around, I would read the article on Seeking a Deliverance and pursue having it cast out.

There's a teaching that specifically addresses Strongholds that I recommend reading if you suspect you have one or more strongholds to be torn down.

The Blood of Jesus takes sin away

Hebrews 10:1-22, "For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshipers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.

But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.

Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having a high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."

In the Old Testament, they used to offer sacrifices each year to cover the people's sins. The blood of Jesus does far more then cover sins, it takes them away. It removes them from your identity... it removes them from you as far as the east to the west! Psalms 103:12, "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us."

Revelations 1:5, "And from Jesus Christ, who... washed us from our sins in his own blood."

Psalms 103:12, "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us."

Matthew 26:28, "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Do you know what the NT Greek has to say about the word 'remission' here? "Forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty."

Christ died so your conscience could be cleansed

2 Cor 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

Why do you think God wanted us to be new creations when we enter His royal family? 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 43:25, "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins."

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).

Hebrews 9:14, "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"

Not only did God chose to forget your sins, but He also wants you to forget them as well. God's Word tells us to, "...draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10:22)

Worship is one of the most intimate ways in which we commune with God. 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.

Hebrews 10:2 tells us how worshipers should have a conscience clean from sin, "...the worshipers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins." God doesn't want us hanging onto our pasts when we come to worship Him! He wants us to approach Him through worship from a conscience washed in the blood of the lamb!

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. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

If you look up the word 'labor' in the NT Greek, it basically means to toil under a burden. 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?

Recommended reading

Learn of the awesome and beautiful forgiving nature of God in the teaching The Forgiveness of Sins.

Learn how to discern what is conviction and what is condemnation in the teaching Condemnation verses Conviction.

Learn how to take control of your thought life to guard against strongholds and send the devil's accusations to flight in the teaching The Power of Your Thoughts.

Learn what a stronghold is, and how to tear them down in the teaching Strongholds.

HUMANKIND CANNOT BEAR VERY MUCH REALITY

by Matthew Lee Anderson

That from T.S. Eliot’s The Four Quartets, his “answer” to the problems he raised in The Wasteland. Or at least I think it is.

I didn’t understand The Wasteland the first time I read it, and my comprehension hasn’t improved much since.

Few lines capture the central neurosis of our age better. Our relationship to reality is not an un-compromised one. It is tarnished, marked by sin, and the refusal to bear responsibility for our actions in it.

At the end of C.S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce, Lewis wakes in a fit of horror because he has seen a glimpse of the reality beneath the shadows, the fixed eternal that is the accumulation of a million choices distended through time, and he cannot bear the sight.

God, we hear in those pages, is the Fact to whom the universe answers, and the Fact on which all other facts depend. It is a point worth contemplating.

My own generation, the “millenials,” love to talk about being “authentic.” And well we should, for whatever else happens, we cannot fail in honesty or veracity to that which we are—in Christ.

But as Eliot reminds us, authenticity isn’t easy. Rather, it is the most difficult thing of all. Acknowledging the reality of who we are is the sort of enterprise that will inevitably fail unless aided by grace.

The moment we claim to “know ourselves” is precisely the moment when we are most prone to self-deception, especially if that knowledge is not mediated to us by the Word of God.

Our age is one of deep confusion about the nature and authority of reality, and one of endless amusements to help us avoid it.

We are, to return to Eliot, “distracted from distraction by distraction,” working tirelessly to avoid God, our neighbors, and ourselves.

No generation has been able to bear reality - ours is simply the first that has been able to construct a virtual alternative that is more to our liking.

But avoiding the truth is a fool’s game, for the Fact that we avoid is one named Love.

Truth and grace have met in the person of Jesus Christ, the Beloved Disciple tells us, and inasmuch as we are in Him we will see them both in equal measure.

In Him we can bear all the reality he gives to us, for He gives it to us according to our measure.

SELFIES AND DIVORCE IN THE DIGITAL AGE

By Bentley Hatchett II

“It may not be happy newlyweds, but a “happily divorced” couple that shouts out their divorce with a picture of themselves”

Divorce is one of the ugliest words in the English language. Its specter haunts countless marriages. For the divorced couple, it is often a constant source of stress and financial strain. It marks affected children the rest of their lives.

Divorce was not frequent in times past. In fact, the stigma of divorcing saved many a marriage that later worked out well.

The Evolving Face of Divorce

In 1917, the American divorce rate was about 1 in 1,000. Because it was a cause of great social scandal, this rate was maintained well into the twentieth century among the general population. This changed, however, with the introduction of no-fault divorce.

No-fault divorce (divorce without grounds) was first introduced into the modern world in 1917. Until that time, marriage was largely seen as an indissoluble union throughout the West. The practice really gained momentum with the outbreak of the Sexual Revolution of the sixties.

Many states—starting with California—adopted no-fault divorce at that time. Within two years of its introduction, divorce rates increased nearly six times over. Much of the stigma surrounding divorce was lessened by no-fault divorce.

At its zenith, half of all marriages ended in divorce. For some, divorce and remarriage became like trading in a car. It became an unfortunate fact of life.

This could especially be seen in members of Generation X (those born from 1961-1981). Many of these children of the baby boomers decided to opt out of the institution entirely or co-habitate. Although among those who did stably marry, they recorded the lowest rate of divorce in almost forty years.

This may be changing with the millennials.

“Shout Your Divorce”

Millennials comes from the age of the internet, smart gadgets, and social media. Many have found a tragic expression of the breakdown of marriage in a new trend called the divorce selfie. It is exactly what it sounds like.

When surfing the web, a person might come across a picture of a smiling couple with thick-rimmed glasses in front of a courthouse. It may not be happy newlyweds, but a “happily divorced” couple that shouts out their divorce with a picture of themselves on Facebook.

In an article on ATTN, Marie Frenette, a millennial divorcee notes, “We saw an article on BuzzFeed [a popular web site for millennials] about the divorce selfie and thought, ‘wow, what a positive and empowering way to deal with it. Not hiding, not feeling shame.’”

Potential Threat

The article reports on over 500 Instagram posts in which couples posted their photos under the hashtag “#DivorceSelfie.” The American Psychological Association has even encourages the “divorce selfie” as a benefit to involved children since it appears to reduce the friction between the divorcees.

Far from being a harmless fad, this trend banalizes divorce and further erodes the institution of the family. Divorce becomes something to celebrate as the two former spouses “continue separately on their life’s journey.”

Such developments are hardly surprising since it follows in the line of so many other marriage-destroying practices like contraception, abortion and similar aberrations. At the root of it all is a desire to destroy all restraint.

Resisting the Urge to Retreat

That is why it is all the more important to resist such trends and avoid the temptation to retreat in face of the latest phases of the sexual revolution. All society is engaged in a culture war and like it or not, everyone has a role to play.

Perhaps a counter-trend of posting anniversary pictures with positive commentaries on marriage would be in order. As the old saying goes, one should “fight fire with fire.”

WHO GOES TO HEAVEN AND WHO GOES TO HELL?

How to get to Heaven:

1. Avoid evil.

2. If you have done evil, then repent.

3. Do good.

If you have knowingly chosen to commit an act that is gravely immoral, you must repent and be forgiven by God before you die. If you have never done anything truly substantially selflessly good in your life, you have committed a serious sin of omission.

The Details:

1. Avoiding Evil.

Some types of acts are always wrong, no matter what the intention, no matter what the circumstances. Other acts may or may not be wrong, depending on the intention and circumstances, especially the consequences.

Among those acts that are wrong, some acts are seriously wrong; such acts are called mortal sins. Other acts may be wrong, but not seriously wrong; such acts are called venial sins.

Only a mortal sin, chosen with full freedom of will and full knowledge of the grave immorality of the act, can condemn a person to Hell; this type of sin is called an actual mortal sin.

If you commit one or more actual mortal sins, and you never repent through the last moment of your life, then you will certainly go to Hell forever.

No matter how much good you have done in your life, if you have deliberately and knowingly done anything that is seriously wrong, without repenting before you die, you will certainly go to Hell.

2. Repentance

Do not commit any serious sins. But if you have sinned seriously, repent sincerely. True and full repentance happens not merely out of fear of Hell, but also out of love of God and neighbor. Accept true love for God and neighbor, otherwise, you will not be able to fully and sincerely repent.

Catholics (and the Orthodox) ordinarily obtain forgiveness from God in the Confessional. Other persons can obtain forgiveness by a full repentance based on the love of God and neighbor; this is called perfect contrition because it is based on the most perfect reason for repenting, true selfless spiritual love.

Why should you be allowed to enter Heaven, if you have not repented from the evil that you did on earth?

3. Good Deeds

If you have done anything that is seriously wrong, even very many things, but if you also repent fully before you die, then you will go to Heaven, but only if you have also done at least some truly good and

For an actual mortal sin of omission can be committed by refusing to choose selfless acts of goodness for other persons. If you have never loved your neighbor with a true selfless spiritual love, then you will certainly go to Hell.

Truly good deeds include sincere prayer for others, genuine worship of God, selflessly helping other human

Make certain that you have done at least some acts in your life that are substantially selflessly good. Otherwise, when you are judged by God, who is the source of all that is good, you will have no defense.

If your life has been a waste, your soul will burn in Hell forever, unless you repent and do good before you die.

You must do at least some things that are truly good and genuinely selfless in your life. This good must be substantial, not trivial, and it must not be selfish. To be more certain that you have done good, choose to do many good things. That way, if one attempt to do good fails, you will have other good deeds to show for your life.

Why should you be allowed into Heaven, if you have never done anything truly good on earth?

Atheists

People who do not believe in God may still go to Heaven, if they are sincere in their lack of belief. An atheist may commit an objectively grave sin by refusing to believe in God. But perhaps this sin is not committed with full knowledge of its grave immorality, and so the culpability is thereby reduced to a venial sin.

Such a person may enter Heaven if he has repented from any actual mortal sins in life, and if he has loved his neighbor selflessly.

But for some persons, their rejection of God or of religion is a serious sin. They know that they should believe in God or that they should practice a religion, but they refuse to do so, out of selfish or sinful reasons.

Or perhaps they do not know that they should believe in God, because they have deliberately chosen to reject even the consideration that God may exist and that religion may offer truth.

They know that if they consider, they might accept. And they know that if they accept, they must give up their sins. So they refuse to even consider God and religion. They are guilty in their deliberately chosen ignorance.

Other Religions

People who practice a religion, but who make mistakes in what they believe or do, may still go to Heaven, if they are sincere in their misunderstanding of what to believe and what to do.

But for some persons, their refusal to accept certain truths about religion is a serious sin. They know what they should believe or do, but they refuse to do so, out of selfish or sinful reasons.

Special Cases

Babies who die in the womb, or at a very young age, certainly go to Heaven, because they have done nothing evil, and because they have suffered death innocently, just as Christ suffered death innocently.

Innocent young children, who die at such a young age, go to Heaven because God loves all the little children in their innocence. The great suffering of death at a young age makes that person like Christ who suffered and died in his innocence. So those who die in the innocence of youth will certainly go to Heaven.

Severely handicapped persons, who grow up beyond childhood, are still expected to avoid evil and to do some good in their lives, according to their ability. Of those to whom less is given, less will be expected.

Since severely handicapped persons suffer a great deal, it is easier for them to get into Heaven, and harder for them to end up in Hell. Anyone who suffers a great deal in their life, and who accepts that suffering innocently, becomes like Christ, who suffered and died on the Cross for us all.

Summary

If you want to go to Heaven, where you will be very happy forever and ever, then avoid evil, repent from your sins, do good in your life on earth, and be sincere in your search for religious and moral truth. Otherwise, you will abide forever in the eternal death of Hell.

by Ronald L. Conte Jr. 26 August 2006; revised on 1 March 2011

THE IDEOLOGY OF JESUS

by Rich A. Rosendahl.

We all submit to social norms — some are helpful, some are unhelpful and even hateful.

Often, the social norms we adhere to are rooted in ideologies that have developed over time and are connected to an affinity group that we may be part of.

In other words, we are following them because people like us follow them.

For example, I am a white guy who grew up in a small town in the Midwest with a culturally Christian and conservative background.

These are just a couple of examples of potential attributes from my formative years that could affect the affinity group and subsequent social norms that I adhere to for the balance of my life.

Jesus, on the other hand, seemed to have zero concern for social norms or ideologies of those who he was supposed to be like — his affinity group. When he went against these norms he was often challenged or ridiculed and eventually even killed for his approach and ideology.

But none of that stopped him from having what sometimes seemed like a big F*** You attitude when people tried to pressure him to conform to their social norms.

So what was this ideology of his? It was the ideology of Love.

To this day, we fight the concept of Loving others, often to the death. Our affinity groups lead toward division, mistrust, and misunderstanding. While we are busy trying to conform to the social norms that make us part of our group, even if unintentionally, others are doing the same.

This creates gaps between us and others that sometimes seem insurmountable, because Loving others feels like a rejection of our own affinity group.

But the ideology of Love — the ideology of Jesus — rejects and resists the pressure to conform to social norms and affinity groups altogether by revealing the humanity that we share, the friendships that are accessible, and the remarkable things we can achieve together.

The ideology of Jesus makes room for us to be unique, including the helpful social norms we adhere to, even as it removes the need to feel threatened or fearful of the those who are uniquely different than us.

Right now, there seems to be a hell-of-a-lot of influential religious and political leaders jockeying for us to follow their ideologies — often trying to leverage what should be our affinity group to pressure us into the social norms that fit their agenda.

In the midst of all of this, I am reminded that there was a leader that came before all of them who rejected these concepts altogether, showing us how to do the same and revealing the ideology of Love.