The Two Forms of Guilt and the Way to Freedom – Purity 1490
Purity 1490 10/30/2024 Purity 1490 Audio Podcast
Purity 1490 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Well, it’s Wednesday, and I am sharing this photo to visually represent our arrival at another midweek summit and to encourage us all to keep our eyes on the beauty of our lives in Christ as we go up and down those peaks and valleys of progress as we trudge our way through life on the path of Christian Discipleship.
Our walk with the Lord was never meant to be a drudgery but when we step off the path or fall into sin continually we can easily fall into the trap of shame and guilt and believe the lie that we aren’t good enough, or that we will never be free, or we have to earn God’s approval, or that freedom and peace is available for some Christians but not for us.
I used to be trapped in the bondage of addiction to alcohol and sex and my new life in Christ seemed was a sad cycle of sin-confess, sin-confess because I didn’t think I could be free and whatever efforts I made to stop sinning in these areas were full of disappointments because I was trying to clean myself up, by myself, alone – and that approached was doomed to failure because I wasn’t utilizing the power of the Lord or the help that was available to me in the body of Christ. I also didn’t fully understand who I was in Christ. I thought I was a no-good sinner at heart and my continual failures proved it, or so I thought. Little did I know that was not true, but I had to learn the truth, accept it and God’s forgiveness, and continually abide in His presence and call on His help to be set free. But God was patient and faithful and when I finally understood that He could and would help me, if I asked, my view of myself, God, and my whole life changed. When I surrender to God’s will for my life and decided to follow Him into a Christian Recovery program at my church, I no longer had to live with guilt and shame, and He guided me to freedom, victory, and peace.
Dealing with our guilt is a major issue in our walk of faith and today’s In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley speaks on the topic so I am sharing it on the blog today to show us that there are two types of guilt and One Way to overcome them. Dr. Charles Stanley writes:
“The Struggle With Guilt
Jesus completely paid the penalty for all our sins—we don’t need to punish ourselves.
Yesterday, we saw that because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we’re free from guilt (https://www.intouch.org/read/daily-devotions/free-from-guilt) . But at times we still feel ashamed. So let’s look a little deeper.
There are two types of guilt: biblical and false. The first originates with the violation of Scripture. This is not a feeling but a reality: We have sinned and should repent. The second, which involves continuing to feel guilty after confessing a sin, is not based in truth or supported by the Bible. God has forgiven us (Psalm 103:12), so there is no need to linger in shame.
People struggle with false guilt for many reasons. Legalistic teaching, for example, presents life as a series of rules that can never be followed perfectly. Self-reproach can also derive from verbal put-downs. Another cause is perfectionism—expectations we’re incapable of attaining can flood us with self-condemnation. Guilt leads us to doubt God’s love and salvation, which paves the way for fear and insecurity and leaves us unable to enjoy life. It can also open the door to physical and mental stress.
The heavenly Father wants His children to live free from guilt (Romans 8:1). If you experience shame, ask Him to help you trace its cause. Then affirm these truths: You are special (made in God’s image and redeemed by Him), loved by the Creator of the universe, and forgiven.” – Charles Stanley
When we feel guilty, we need to know why.
If we are living with sin in our lives, we should feel guilty. Christ died to set us free and if we are stuck in sin, we need to repent, – change our minds and hearts about how we are living and commit ourselves to doing things God’s way. Dr. Michael Brown when facing his food addiction realized that “My plans not working!” and it was only after that admission that he was able to surrender to The Lord’s plan for health and healing. Brown was willing to do his part, and God was there for him to give Him strength, comfort, and wisdom to do the rest.
So if you are doing things that you know are not good for you or blatantly go against God’s word – confess your sin, seek help, and start doing things God’s way.
Of course, then there is the second form of guilt – illegitimate guilt. This comes from condemnation – where we or the enemy convinces us that we are no good, evil, or inadequate to live a Christian life – or that we can’t do it perfectly and thus won’t be acceptable.
This form of guilt exposes a problem with what we believe about God, ourselves, or how we are to live as Christians. Dr. Stanley prescribes some good old-fashioned renewing of the mind – by affirming the truth about who we are in Christ and who God is – a remedy that works.
But if you suffer from the second form of guilt, you may think this means you have to try harder to get God’s peace and that’s ALL WRONG. This belief just causes stress and more condemnation!
You are forgiven and free already and you have to realize that you will mature and grow a whole lot quicker if you just accept that and REST in it. If you have put your faith in Jesus, your relationship with God is secure. By grace and through faith, you are His child, and nothing is going to change. God loves you and our life in Christ is best expressed when we simply seek to know Him and love Him right back. We don’t have to earn our place in God’s kingdom. We are already there and to experience God’s peace we just need to live like it.
Christ did the work for us, and we just have to follow Him to experience the peace that we already have. The pathway to peace is laid before us and we just have to turn from the world and its lies and false promises and decide to rest and walk in God’s truth and presence.
So take a deep breath. Inhale God’s grace, exhale your guilt and shame and give the Lord your thanks, love, and gratitude. Give thanks and praise to the One who takes away our guilt and leads us to peace, love, and joy!
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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .
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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.
( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )
This morning’s meditation verse comes from the section on Friendships.
1 Samuel 20:17 (NASB)
17 Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own life.
Today’s verse is the first of two passages that fall under the eighth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Friendships.
8. Jonathan and David had an ideal friendship.
Today’s Bible verse tells us of the deep love of friendship that Jonathan had for David – so much so that he reinforced the commitment to their friendship with another vow. When our love for one another is strong, we aren’t ashamed of dedicating ourselves to the relationship over and over again. Love grows when we know we can trust the other person to be there for us and vowing and reaffirming our love for one another is a practice that builds intimacy when both parties agree.
So let your loved ones know that they are loved by you and reaffirm your friendships or love relationships by making it clear that you care and are committed to them.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament” By Stephen F. Olford – A Collection of Devotional Journals: 1940-1941.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Olford’s books for your own private study and to support his work. This resource is available online for less than $10 at many sites.
MORNING READING: REVELATION 11
“These are the two olive trees, and the two lampstands
standing before the God of the earth.” – Revelation 11:4
This verse describes the two witnesses of verse three. Their names are not disclosed, but many think that one of them will be Elijah.
It is interesting to study the significance of the two things in particular that are given to describe them:
Two lampstands. Like John the Baptist, and believers today, they will be the “lamps” of the world, shining for God upon earth. What a wonderful ministry to fulfill!
Two olive trees. This is a picture of the Holy Spirit who will indwell them to fill their lamps with oil. The power to shine, to shut heaven, and to smite the earth will be given to them by the Holy Spirit.
“You are the light of the world… . Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works and
glorify your Father in heaven.”
– Matthew 5:14, 16[1]
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“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”
Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1] Stephen Olford and Heather Olford, According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament, A Collection of Devotional Journals 1940-1941 (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2008).
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