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| FEAR AND GUILT: TWO ENEMIES OF YOUR FAITH |
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11:6 And without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing `unto him'; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and `that' he is a rewarder of them that seek after him.
Faith is an absolutely vital part of life in God. Because without faith it is impossible to please God.
One of the consistent features of the Christian's life is testing. We live in an imperfect society, among people whose way of life is directed by Satan and their own sin nature. We cannot avoid the frictions, the conflicts, or the confrontations that results from this. We face daily disaster, both great and small.
But Faith. Faith moves mountains. Faith produces miracles. Faith transforms lives and changes eternal destinies. Faith is the substance of all things hoped for.
Because all things are possible to him who believes, satan will do everything in his power to attack your faith and destroy it. Once your faith is neutralized you are powerless to please God or change your circumstances.
False guilt and fear, which comes as a result of judgement and suggestions of men, are two powerful weapons that satan uses to rob you of your faith. As he weaves his web of guilt and fear into your life, you are often overcome by feelings of punishment, rejection, and isolation. It is then that you are tempted to doubt the sincerity of God's forgiveness and grace.
Our Heavenly Father uses "True Guilt" which comes from divine judgement to stir our consciousness, thus alerting us to specific wrong actions that violate God's best for our lives. When you do anything outside of God's ethical code, the Holy Spirit will convict you of your sin.
The Apostle Paul told the Church of Corinth in his letter to them that they had problems and instructed them on how to deal with their problems.
7:8 For though I made you sorry with my epistle, I do not regret it: though I did regret `it' (for I see that that epistle made you sorry, though but for a season),
7:9 I now rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye were made sorry unto repentance; for ye were made sorry after a godly sort, that ye might suffer loss by us in nothing.
Paul said, "Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter," I don't regret it. Though I did regret it -- I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while--yet now I'm happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us."
Genuine guilt is meant to be a positive motivator. It brings us to our knees before God's throne of grace. God uses this kind of guilt to bring us to repentance and experience his forgiveness. The Holy Spirit is our teacher. Our heavenly Father spoke to us through the Apostle John saying: You are mine. And the anointing you received from Me remains in you and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit, just as it has taught you, stick with Him. Remain in Him.
The Holy Spirit, our teacher, instructs us to check our course and adjust our sails. Guilt and a sense of damaged fellowship with God tell you when you have stepped beyond God's prescribed route.
Satan has many weapons, but none of them is more deadly to your faith than fear and guilt.
If we are to overcome fear and guilt, we must believe God's promises.
13:30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.
Fear flooded the hearts and minds of the Israelites and prevented them from obeying God's instructions, thus robbing them of the land God had promised them. In the book of Numbers we read that during the first year after Israel's deliverance from Egypt, she entered into covenant with the Lord at Sinai to be the people of his kingdom. Then the Lord organized Israel into a military camp. Leaving Sinai, Israel marched forth as the Lord's conquering army. The Lord was leading them to establish His kingdom in the promised land in the midst of the nations. Israel is portrayed in the Book of Numbers as God's redeemed covenant people. She was to establish his kindgom on earth. God's desire is to save man, and this is the mission in which His people are to be totally engaged.
God promised to give Israel the land of Canaan to establish His Kindgom. But the Israelites had to go in and take it by force. The Lord instructed Moses to send 12 spies into the land of Canaan to explore it and to bring back a report of what they saw. When the spies returned, they reported that the land did flow with milk and honey, but the people who lived there were very powerful and the cities were fortified and very large. They convinced the Israelites that if they attacked the Caanites they would be crushed and destroyed. Of the twelve spies whom Moses sent to Canaan to explore, only Caleb and Joshua were willing to proced with an attack because they had faith in God and were not afraid. After hearing the report of the spies and with the prompting of ten of them not to attack, the Israelite army refused to go in and take the land by force as the Lord had instructed them to do. They cried and complained and grumbled all night to Moses and Aaron. Moses and Aaron tried to convince them, "that if the Lord is pleased with us He will lead us into that land and will give it to us." They pleaded with the people not to rebel against the Lord; and to not be afraid of the people of Canaan. He told the people that they would be victorious and conquer because the Lord was with them. But they remained fearful and continued to cry and complain.
Moses went to the Lord and the Lord instructed him to turn the people back toward the desert along the route of the Red Sea.
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, how long will this wicked community grumble against me? I've heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. So tell them, "As surely as I live, declared the Lord, I will do to you the very things i heard you say: In this desert your bodies will fall--everyone of you -- 20 years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hands to make your home, not one of you except for Caleb and Joshua."
FEAR. It opens the door to the very thing you read. If you have faith, you will not have fear. if you have fear, it is because you don't have faith. FAITH AND FEAR CANNOT LIVE IN THE SAME HEART.
In Matthew Chapter 8 we can read the story of Jesus, asleep in teh boat, as the disciples were weathering a storm.
8:25 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Save, Lord; we perish.
8:26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
Know this -- Fear gives place to the devil. It allows him to operate freely. Unchecked and unreversed fear will open the door to the devil to come in and kill, steal, and destroy.
Fear cometh by hearing and hearing by words.
The army of Israelites listened to the report of the spies and became fearful.
What are you listening to in your life today that is keeping fear alive in your heart? You turn on the T.V. and newscasters are declaring the economy is going down the tubes. Therefore, you won't get out there and start that ministry the Lord is calling you to or you won't make charitable contributions anymore or you stop tithing. Gas prices are at an all time high and rising higher so you've decided to stop calling on the sick and shut-in. Maybe your well meaning family members and friends are bringing you a message of doubt and fear so you give up on them - washes you hands of them even though they are lost.
Heed this warning to guard your gates. Your eyes. Your ears. They are the gateways to your mind and spirit. If you allow a constant stream of disaster, calamity, and tragedy to enter these gates day in and day out it will breed fear in your heart. And, you will not be able to do the things God has called you to do.
It doesn't matter where it comes from. If it doesn't line up with God's Word, it is an open invitation to the destructive spirit of fear if you pay attention to it.
I bring you good news this morning. Jesus has paid the price to redeem us from the control of the law of sin and death.
2:14 Since then the children are sharers in flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner partook of the same; that through death he might bring to nought him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
2:15 and might deliver all them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."
This passage of scripture tells us that the price Jesus paid on the cross was two-fold.
He came not only to destroy the works of the devil, but also to deliver us from the fear and the bondgage those works bring. The "fear of death" is the direct results of living under the law of sin and death.
Fear produces bondage. What has you wrapped up in bondage today? Then fear is the root of that bondage. Are you in bondage to cigarettes because you fear gaining weight if you quit? Are you in bondage to drugs and alcohol because you are afraid of facing life while sober. Are you in bondage to guilt brought on by past sins and you are fearful that those sins will be exposed and serve to haunt you? Get rid of the fear and guilt. Face it. Since the days of Jonah, the prophet, men have been trying to run away from facts, duty, fear, and guilt. But today there is nowhere to go, since the the whole world is wrapped in a pall of fear. Mental flight is only fooling yourself. Once we face the guilt and fear denial can no longer hinder the resolution of it and we can move on to the next level which is Confessing It. The Apostle John teaches us that if we confess our sins the Lord is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." And while we're confessing; we might as well go ahead and confess our allegiance to Christ and our dependence on Him. By confessing our total dependence on the grace of God we free ourself to take the next step which is Forsaking Our Guilt. Repent. Turn away from the source of it and then go and Live Your Forgiveness as a forgiven child of God
Receive God's salvation through faith. And receive the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. Let the Spirit of God lead you. "Those who are lead by the Spirit of God are Sons and Daughters of God. And the Children of God did not receive a spirit of fear. We received the Spirit of heirship. And by Jesus we cry, "Abba, Father."
As a born again Child of God, Spiritual bondages are not produced within our spirit. My prayer today is that those of us who are burdened by feelings of false guilt and fear will come into a full understanding of our position in Christ Jesus. We've been redeemed through the blood of Jesus. All of our sins have been forgiven, according to the riches of His grace. If we trust Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior than we stand before God forgiven. Jesus died on the cross to pay our sin debt in full. If we love the Lord, nothing can separate us from His love. Before He saved us, before we were even born, the Lord knew every sin we would ever commit. Yet he chose to love us anyway. He chose to forgive us and make us His forever. And nothing we do can change His mind. Once God has extended His arms of forgiveness, nothing can erase His seal. So instead of standing in fear and guilt, let us make Jesus Lord of our Lives and invite him to stay in that position forever.
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Excellent Truth! Please continue posting as He leads you, this is very encouraging :)
Blessings in Jesus, LM |
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Jean |
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May 13, 2008 at 12:08pm |
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Thank you for your prayers and blessing.
Jean |
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