The Worst Stronghold

Guilt is one of the biggest reasons many of God's children are living defeated lives. It's Satan's biggest weapons against us. It tears us down, makes us feel dirty, unworthy, and robs of us of our faith and confidence in Christ Jesus. Satan loves to torment God's people by reminding them of their past and continually holding their past failures before them even after their sins have been forgiven. This is condemnation and there is no good that comes out of it whatsoever. It's a lie from the father of lies and it needs to be ignored by every believer.

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.

-Conviction leads to rebirth and new life while condemnation comes from Satan and is meant to tear you down.

-Conviction leads to forgiveness from your past while condemnation continually points out what a failure you are and how badly you've messed up.

-Conviction brings hope for transformation while condemnation is showing you the problem, but avoiding the solution.

Jesus came to cleanse us from our sins and 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. Yet, even in a moment of victory, Satan tries to keep you imprisoned in that spiritual stronghold.

When a person has repented of their sins, but continually feels guilty day after day, they're living in a spiritual stronghold. Even after repenting and knowing their past has been washed away and their sins forgiven, that stronghold grows increasingly larger. A spiritual stronghold is simply a lie that is believed by the person involved, which results in an incorrect thinking pattern. The stronghold of guilt is often not alone. It is usually accompanied with an incorrect perception of ourselves 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 whose 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 refuses to be torn down.

So, how do you break the stronghold of guilt? Paul said in 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.”

You must understand the nature of God's forgiveness towards you. You must see the key to being forgiven is repentance. 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 over our past sins, but rather to forget the things which are behind and press forward. You must forgive yourself as you forgive others.

Remember a stronghold of guilt is cultivated when you continually allow yourself to dwell on how badly you've messed up, your pasts, or the sins you've committed. The problem intensifies is if we allow ourselves to fall into this trap. Take your authority in Jesus name and stand upon His Word. The prophet of old said it best in 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.”