Rest Assured
Devotion for Sunday , November 08, 2009 |
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Rest Assured: Devotions for Souls in a Restless World by Nancy McGuirk We live in an on-the-go society that values
stimulation over stillness. But God ordained the
Sabbath as a day of rest, our "prescription" for
peace of mind. In these 90 insightful and
soul-soothing devotions, McGuirk helps women
reclaim and practice the serenity the world seeks
to steal. Features personal challenges, study
questions, and helpful indexes. B&H Publishing
Group, copyright 1973. |
GUILT: TRUE OR FALSE?
Let us then approach the throne of grace with
confidence,
so that we may receive mercy and find grace
to help us in our time of need.
- HEBREWS 4:16
One day I met privately to pray with a woman who had struggled with a difficult past. Her father had abused her growing up. She had sought counseling over the years but was still haunted by the abusive words her dad said to her. She could not get free from her sense of unworthiness. Even though she had done nothing wrong, she had been made to feel guilty her whole life, and she could not gain any self-confidence. Her father, after becoming a Christian, admitted that he too felt guilty over the past and what he had done to his daughter.
Only one person had done something wrong, but two people felt guilty for two different reasons-one legitimate and the other not. The father should have felt guilty over what he had done to his daughter. His guilt was true guilt. But the daughter had done nothing wrong and shouldn't have felt guilty, but she did. Her guilt was false guilt. False guilt comes from the devil who is the "father of lies" (John 8:44). She was listening to a voice that was lying to her, telling her she was unworthy and that she deserved to be abused.
True guilt comes from the Holy Spirit (see John 16:8). We are supposed to feel guilty when we sin. Guilt motivates us to repent; it moves us forward. The results of being convicted of true guilt are the fruit of the Spirit (see Gal. 5:22-23), but the results of false guilt are shame, unworthiness, and condemnation.
The Holy Spirit's ministry is to point the sinner to Christ through the conviction of sin. If a Christian is guilty and the Holy Spirit is convicting her, she will be mobilized. But if the guilt is false and the devil is condemning her, she will be paralyzed. If you feel guilty, make sure it's for the right reason and take the appropriate steps: repent if it's true guilt; resist the devil if it's false guilt. And thank God for the blood of Christ that removes the stain of all guilt.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to cleanse me from my true
guilt and deliver me from my false guilt. Thank You that I do not
have to live with guilt anymore. Amen.
For the rest of your life...
Let the gift of true guilt move you to confess
and make things right with God and others.
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