Ecclesiastes 3:14, 15 “I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.”
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 to 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) There are two kinds of guilt mentioned in the Word of God.
-First, there's Godly sorrow that leads a person to repentance according to 2 Corinthians 7:10:
“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
This is known as conviction and it comes from the Holy Spirit according to John 16:8:
“And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment…”
Once a person repents, the guilt lifts and they feel relieved and joyful that their sin(s) have been forgiven.
-Secondly, 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 past 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.
What’s the difference between conviction and condemnation? Conviction shows you the answer, which is the blood of Jesus that washes away sin, while condemnation shows you the problem, which is your sin, your past and your failures.
-Condemnation comes from Satan and is meant to tear you down.
-Condemnation continually points out what a failure you are, and how badly you've messed up.
-Condemnation is showing you the problem, but avoiding the solution.
You must remember:
-Jesus did not come to condemn the world-John 3:17 “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
-There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus-Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
-Satan is known for accusing the brethren-Revelation 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.”
(2) Guilt is a door to the enemy.
Matthew 18:34, 35 “And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”
I have seen how guilt can be an open door that allows a person to be tormented by evil spirits. False guilt is actually a symptom of un-forgiveness in your heart that is directed at yourself. In the Parable of the Unjust Servant (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 says, “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”
The phrase 'one another' in NT Greek translates to a word that means everyone including themselves. Bitterness, regardless who or what it's about defiles a man according to Hebrews 12:15:
“Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled…”
Spiritual defilement is what makes a person’s life open to unclean spirits. It is very possible for a person to be harassed by evil spirits just because a person has refused to forgive them self.
(3) How guilt is cultivated and nurtured.
1 John 3:20, 21 “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.”
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.
We have to learn this trick of the enemy 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.
(4) Breaking the stronghold of guilt.
Isaiah 54:17 “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.”
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 we 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 or they don't see themselves correctly. Even though they are new creations in Christ who's past has been washed away according to 2 Corinthians 5:17 they simply don't believe it because they have a stronghold in their mind that needs to be torn down.
How do you break the stronghold of guilt?
Philippians 3:13, 14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
a. You must understand the nature of God's forgiveness towards you.
b. You must see the key to being forgiven is repentance.
c. You must 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.
d. You must forgive yourself as you forgive others.
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