“For godly sorrow produces
repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the
world produces death.”—2 Corinthians 7:10
I once read a survey that asked 500
people what emotions that they felt when experiencing guilt. The answers really touched my heart. People reported feeling punished, depressed,
worthless, rejected, and isolated. A
general sense of low self-esteem overwhelmed the people who responded to the
survey. There was no joy, no hope, and
no vitality. In a sense, it is as though
the feelings of guilt had completely blotted out everything else in their
lives.
These are the same emotions that
many who are imprisoned in the penal systems around the world feel. Prisoners tell me that they feel especially
guilty about their families and what they are going through. I ministered to a prisoner, I will call Joe
(not his real name), who was a member of a vibrant Bible teaching congregation
before he was sentenced to twenty years for shooting a man while committing a
robbery. Joe was a broken man, both
spiritually and physically when I met him.
The open door to the root cause of Joe’s many physically aliments: Guilt.
Through much personal ministry, Joe began to discover where his guilt
was coming from.
Are you dealing with intense
feelings of guilt right now? If so,
consider one simple question: Where does your guilt come from?
Joe began to understand that God was
not mad at him and was not holding anything against him. Joe discovered where his guilt was coming from—the enemy and himself. Although he attended a lively church, he
never devoted any of his time to personal spiritual growth, and fell back into
his old habits and old friends. He was
plagued by personal guilt, and an Assaulting Spirit of Guilt by Satan. This spirit would come into his cell at night
and physically assault him leaving scratches and bruises. I bound this spirit from assaulting Joe, until
he was strong enough spiritually to stand against it when he was alone. When Joe was strong enough, I cast the spirit
out and the many others associated with it.
When I first met Joe, he was not strong enough spiritually to stand on
his own against this spirit that is why I did not immediately cast this spirit
out. Jesus said, “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places,
seeking rest; and finding none, he says, I will return to my house from which I
came.’ And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and
takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and
dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first” (Luke
11:24-26).
In 2 Corinthians 7:10, we see two
forms of guilt. One is a sorrow that
comes from God. This call to repentance
is a tool that the Lord uses to draw unbelievers to Himself through salvation
in Christ. It also motivates believers
to confess any wrongs causing “hindrance’” in their fellowship with Him.
A second form of guilt is the dark
emotion that plagues people, like Joe, with remorse and the reactions mentioned
on the survey. Such sorrow is not from
God at all, but from the world.
If you have received Jesus’ free
gift of salvation but still struggle under the assault of guilt, let Scripture
assure you; these feelings did not come from God. He is not attacking you. Rather, He holds the key to unlock the door
to your freedom. Do not fall victim to
the Enemy’s lies. In Christ, you are
forgiven and fee. Walk free today!
Prayer—Father
I thank you for setting me free from guilt and shame. Today, I will not allow the enemy to steal my
freedom from me with feelings of guilt and hopelessness. Thank You that You love me and believe in me
and that You are not holding anything against me and that the Enemy’s power has
been broken over my life in Jesus Name. Amen.
