24- Biblical Anger Management-C Factors- 11- Guilt

 

                                                            11         – GUILT-

“For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but sorrow of this world works death.” 2 Corinthians 7:10.

“Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.” 1 Timothy 1:5.

“And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.” 1 John 3:19-21.

 

God has graciously and lovingly placed a conscience in us as a sort of umpire to let us know when we have broken one of His laws so that we can clear it up with the Lord. However, there are a few things that we must be aware of:

1-How we can have our guilt removed before God. This comes only by repentance and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. (Sometimes this may require restitution).

2-How our consciences can be taught to feel guilty about things that may not be an issue with God.

   Romans 14:2

3-How the devil likes to take things and uses them against us if we are not careful to deal with them properly and he will turn the guilt into condemnation to where we feel discouraged even to the point of hopelessness and despair. 2 Corinthians 2:5-11.

4-An unattended guilty conscience can eat away at us to bring a person to the point of frustration, rage, nervous or metal breakdown, suicide. Matthew 27:3-5.

5-A guilty conscience inappropriately or ignorantly attended to, may be covered over by denial, thereby refusing to accept responsibility of wrong or even deny that such an act is in fact wrong at all, defying God’s law, thus hardening the heart and making them unable to turn to God or be right with Him. Consequently they seal their pending judgment, or in the least, cause them to miss the grace available for them and keep them from recovering properly.

People who do not acknowledge the laws of God tend to try and ignore guilt and treat it as an unnecessary member in our moral anatomy. Proverbs 30:20.

6-Faith in the sufferings and death of Christ on the cross in payment for our sins is God's remedy for dealing with guilt. Using any other method, like punishing ourself, rituals... will only whitewash, but never remove the sin and guilt before God. 

 

IDENTIFYING A GUILTY CONSCIENCE. – Embarrassment and shame, accusing others, frustration, snappy, losing temper easily and even over little things, evasiveness, fear of authorities, not able to look people in the eye, not wanting to hear laws and rules –God’s or otherwise, not wanting to come to Jesus, rather wanting to avoid Him. Genesis 3:8, John 3:19-20. Other possible indications: constant self-justifying, and some mocking, fear of exposure and or punishment.

 

Are you guilty or do you just have a guilty feeling, or both to a measure. One without the other is a bad sign.

ARE YOU GUILTY? DEAL WITH IT.

“He that covers his sin shall not prosper: but whosoever confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13.

 

1-      Acknowledge: stop justifying yourself, agree with the Word of God or your will never be free. “If I justify myself, my own mouth shall condemn me.” Job 9:20

2-      Repent: Turn away from your sin. Jesus said, “Unless you repent, you will likewise perish.” Luke 13:1-5

3-      Forsake: Break all ties and associations with your sin in order to not only be free from your guilt, but also out from under the influence of it. “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”  Ephesians 5:11/

4-      Restore: Where best and wisest and under the direction of the Holy Spirit amend your ways by making restitution and reconciliation where able. Matthew 5:23-24, Luke 19:1-9.

5-      Receive: Receive the forgiveness and grace needed by the grace given you through the blood Jesus Christ shed for your sins.

  IF you have fully repented before the Lord and done what is right in His sight, and you still feel guilty, then you must stand on the promises of the Word God. 1 John 3:19-21, “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, Who is even at the right hand of God, Who also makes intercession for us.” Romans 8:33-34.

 

 If you have truly repented before God as best to your knowledge, and a guilty conscience is still troubling you, then examine.

a.       You may have missed a deeper issue which is a root problem that you need to clear up.

STOP – PRAY ABOUT IT, ask the Lord if there is anything you need to clear up.

NOTE- Do not be too quick to negate the fact that you may need to do some further repenting (justifying yourself, defending your cause is often an indication).

Does someone have a grievance against you that you are not acknowledging? Matthew 5:23-24. Our reasoning and even the opinions of others work against what our conscience is telling us. “It was alright to take that, they won’t miss it.”  

Nor be too quick to assume that you are guilty. The devil is always there to accuse us and even uses  other people to do it. A snare about the conscience that we must be aware of is that our conscience can be programmed to be sensitive and feel guilty about things that God does not call sin or wrong. Human rules and traditions, even things established by our own reasoning and pride can produce false guilt. The knowledge of God’s Word will help deliver us from this.

NOTE- Shame and guilt feelings can be the sensations of a wounded pride. Getting caught in something you know is wrong or assume is below you, or very well may be below you. Even after fully repenting and trying to make all amends, you feel stupid, ashamed, grieved, downhearted, angry at yourself, and you can’t seem to shake it. This is most likely the snare of pride. The best thing you can do is acknowledge the fact that you are not perfect, accept the truth about yourself and receive the grace and mercy that God has provided for us through the atoning sacrifice of His Son, and grow on. We all need the Savior, and are sure thankful.

STOP-CONSIDER-DO

 

“…for your sakes forgive I it in the person of Christ; lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” 2 Corinthians 2:10-11.

The devil, our adversary, “the accuser of the brethren,” is always looking for an opportunity to oppress us in order that he may break us and cause us to fall. Condemnation of the devil is accusing not convicting and has no remedy. His goal is to shame, discourage, dishearten, give us the feeling of hopelessness and cause us to want to give up. The end is death. The Holy Spirit’s conviction works repentance, liberty, and life in us. 2 Corinthians 7:10-11

The truth sets us free. The Scriptures teach us that God casts our sins into the depths of the sea. Micah

 7:19  

 

                      PRIDE STRIKES OUT- HUMILITY REACHES OUT