Defeating the Giant of Guilt

 “My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.” Psalms‬ ‭38:4‬ ‭

What is Guilt?

• Guilt is the result of having violated a specific rule or law.
• When we cross a moral, ethical, or legal line, we are guilty. This is true even if we did not know a line was crossed.
• Guilt is primarily a state or condition, not a feeling.
• According to the Bible, we are all guilty before God. (Romans 3:23)
• The fact that a person may not “feel guilty” does not affect his or her guilty status legally or moral.

What is False Guilt?

• When it comes to feeling guilty, we must distinguish between false guilt and true guilt.
• It is normal to have feelings of guilt when we do something wrong—this is true guilt.
• But it is also possible to be innocent of something yet feel guilty about it—this is false guilt.

False Guilt.

• False guilt has at least two possible points of origin: ourselves and the devil.
• One of the names of the devil in Scripture is “the accuser”
• Revelation 12:10
• Satan will bring up our most horrible sins and cause us to focus on them rather than on God’s forgiveness.
• False guilt can result in depression and spiritual paralysis. 

Why can’t I get pass the guilty feelings?

• There are those who convince themselves that they’re somehow on permanent “probation” before God.
• Someone suffering from prolonging guilt may feel that God has given up on them and despair of ever being sanctified.
• Prolonging guilty feeling tends to be very “me-centered,” rather than God-centered. 
• The tendency is to think we’ll never be good enough and focus on our shortcomings.

Guilty Feelings can be useful.

• Guilty feelings are useful when they drive us to repentance.
• “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”         (2 Corinthians 7:10)
• Satan can also use guilty feelings to drive us away from God.
• Some might believe that God will always hate them because of their sin.
• Some might avoid attending church to avoid guilty feelings.

Guilt can destroy us.

• Guilty feelings are the leading cause of suicide.
• Prolonging feelings of guilt can cause depression and PTSD
• Worldly guilt is filled with condemnation and hopelessness. It tells us that we are bad, and nothing will make us good enough.
• It lies to us about the character of God, insisting that we must try to earn the favor of a God who will never give it.
• Worldly sorrow hangs over our heads and colors our attitudes toward God.

What to do with our guilt. – Psalms 32

Admit your guilt (Psalms 32:5)

• David admitted his guilt to God.
• David did not blame others for his wrong doings.
• “Against Thee, Thee only have I sinned.” (Psalms 51:4)
• The first step on the road to recovery and relief is admitting that something is wrong in our life.
• Some people only feel guilt when that are found out to be guilty!
• ”For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.” (Psalms 38:18)

Confront the guilt (Psalms 32:5).

• “I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity..”
• Stop trying to hide the guilt.
• “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsakeththemshall have mercy. “(Proverbs 28:13)
• “Prosper” = To break out or to push forward.

If we don’t deal with our guilt, then our guilt will deal with us.

3.Confess your guilt (Psalms 32:5)

• ”I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD…”
• Confession is not telling God something he doesn’t already know. In fact, the word confession means “to agree with.”
• We agree that something twisted in us needs straightened out.
• We agree that we have rebelled against God’s authority.
• Guilt is dispelled only when the truth is told. Only when confession is made will guilt melt like a block of ice on a hot summer street.

4.Forget your guilt (Psalms 32:1-5)

• “and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah.”
• God forgets our confessed sin and so should we.
• God doesn’t just put a record of our past mistakes in a closest, he obliterates them.  They are gone forever.
• When we confess our sin God erases the sin and the guilt.

“As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” (Psalms 103:12)

Are you on a Guilt Trip?

1.Admit you have guilt

2.Confront the guilt

3.Confess the guilt

4.Forget your guilt

5.Leave your guilt baggage at the Cross