Bible

[Ranb2khz]

The Struggle With Guilt

~ Genuine conviction from God is a gift to save us from the suffering that follows sin.

Scripture Reading:

"Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in Him. If we say, “We have fellowship with Him,” yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not living according to the Truth. But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” ~ 1 John 1:5-9

The way believers deal with guilty feelings has a lot to do with what they understand about guilt. By definition, the word refers to a sense of wrongdoing — an emotional conflict arising from second thoughts about an action or thought. The biblical method for clearing away such feelings is repentance.

However, many believers are plagued by false guilt, which is not actually rooted in sin.

This unhealthy feeling can develop in a couple of ways:

• First, if a church is caught up in legalism, a member may not do enough of what is “required” (such as praying, Bible reading, or witnessing).
• And second, hearing believers’ criticisms of others can also lead to misplaced feelings of guilt. Without clear discernment, a person may get the sense that he can’t measure up to God’s standards.

Whatever the cause of false shame, it is not the result of sinful behavior. Genuine, biblically based conviction, on the other hand, is an anxiety in the spirit over a definite, willful sin; it is the Holy Spirit’s loving pressure to correct a specific wrong. When we understand this, we can reject Satan’s attempts to distract us with lies. And regardless of the cause, false guilt must be unearthed and removed from the believer’s life.
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~ published by: In Touch Ministries

https://www.intouch.org/read/daily-devotions/the-struggle-with-guilt






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