I Don't Focus On My Sins, Guilt and Shame destroys a Christian's Walk with God!

[jshiii]

The Evil One uses this trick very well on Christians! Guilt and Shame. Trust me I know, he sucker punched me everyday for years, made me feel guilty and shameful, this caused discouragement in my life which took me even further from my walk with our Lord Jesus Christ.

But now, as a mature Christian, I can honestly say, I don't feel guilty or shame for any sin I have ever done, past, present or future. I'm enjoying the perfect line of communication I have with our Father, through Jesus Christ. When new Christians learn that Jesus loves them 100%, unconditionally, they will not feel guilt and shame. It's real, genuine freedom in Christ. This is the love and joy we feel in any situation that comes our way.

Ok then, now that you no longer focus on your sins and Satan has no power to make you feel guilty or shameful, what's your next move as a Christian?

Meditate on this truth everyday! These fruits are the true measure of a Christian. (Not how little they sin.)
Galatians 5: 22-23, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.


PS, as long as we are in these earthly bodies, we will never be completely immune to sin (until we get our glorified bodies or atleast go to be with him in spirit). However, this doesn't mean that we do not have the power to stay in perfect love and communication with our Father, in Jesus Christ.

 

[Mal'ak]

1 Timothy 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

I think your message is good, but you are confusing two different things.

If you punch someone in the face and break their nose but your conscience does not prick at you to feel remorse for doing it, you will not apologize to the person, but instead your flesh mind has a powerful ability to self justify it's self that maybe they deserved it. A Christian in the same manner who does not feel shame for sinning against God his Father, he will never repent of his sins because there is no reason, likewise his flesh mind will justify the actions even to the point of lying to ourselves.

I think Paul in 1 Timothy gives a good guide to us that we should be obedient to God's Word in a godly love, living a life in good conscience that we feel godly sorrow and repent our sins so we know we are being the best people we can be, and keeping strong our faith.

But I agree satan does try to guilt trip us, the difference between a godly sorrow and a worldly sorrow, is that as Christians we know once we are forgiven our sins they are gone and forgotten. So when you say you no longer focus on past sins I would agree 100%, but if we dismiss present sins and silence our conscience we will not have the godly sorrow to repent and change our ways to strive to be Christ like we are destroying our Christian walk. Repent in the Greek means 'to change one's mind", so in order to repent we need to realize what we did was wrong and change our life style accordingly, that is the Christian walk...growing and learning to be more Christ-like.

 

[jshiii]

Don't take me the wrong way on some points. My wife will tell you that sometimes I don't communicate well lol. I'm glad you brought up "godly sorrow and worldly sorrow." I know exactly your point there and I know the difference even if I didn't make myself completely clear lol. I do have a godly sorrow when I sin, but never a worldly sorrow. I am in constant communication with our Lord, daily! Always approaching him every day with a repentant heart attitude, in humility and love. I stay broken in a sense, so that he has 100% access to my heart all the time and so he can guide me in the fruits of the spirit.

 

[jshiii]

I begin each day with prayer to our Father. Please search my Heart Father and show me my wrong doings. He has been dissecting my Heart ever since

 

[marks]

Ok then, now that you no longer focus on your sins and Satan has no power to make you feel guilty or shameful, what's your next move as a Christian?

Serve. Without reservation.

Much love!

 

[marks]

If you punch someone in the face and break their nose

Why are you punching someone in the face??

 

[marks]

Don't take me the wrong way on some points. My wife will tell you that sometimes I don't communicate well lol. I'm glad you brought up "godly sorrow and worldly sorrow." I know exactly your point there and I know the difference even if I didn't make myself completely clear lol. I do have a godly sorrow when I sin, but never a worldly sorrow. I am in constant communication with our Lord, daily! Always approaching him every day with a repentant heart attitude, in humility and love. I stay broken in a sense, so that he has 100% access to my heart all the time and so he can guide me in the fruits of the spirit.

Once I realized about this, that was one of those life "game changers". God never rejects us. Never ceases to love us. Never ceases to give all help that we will receive. We don't receive God's help because of our unbelief, and I think our unbelief often centers on not believing He loves us, is with us, gives us every spiritual blessing, when we sin. That we've cut ourselves off from Him. But nothing could be further from the truth!

Much love!

 

[jshiii]

Once I realized about this, that was one of those life "game changers". God never rejects us. Never ceases to love us. Never ceases to give all help that we will receive. We don't receive God's help because of our unbelief, and I think our unbelief often centers on not believing He loves us, is with us, gives us every spiritual blessing, when we sin. That we've cut ourselves off from Him. But nothing could be further from the truth!

Much love!

Took me forever to see this!! Finally, I have arrived to see the true love of the God we serve!

 

[Giuliano]

I can't speak for other people; but I know how it is for me. If I am thinking about doing something and start feeling a little bad about it before I do it -- or if I think about ways to hide it from others -- that tells me not to do it. I'd be opening the door to feeling shame and guilt. I don't feel condemned for having the thought since I rejected it.

I think the Holy Spirit can show us how to avoid feelings of shame and guilt by avoiding the acts that would make us feel that way. The Holy Spirit never condemns -- that message comes from the Dark Side (the Accuser), telling us we are worthless, etc. I believe anytime we start to feel condemned means something other than the Holy Spirit is at work. The Holy Spirit wants to show us how to avoid bad situations and bad acts, and how to make things better where we did err.

I am sure of one thing. If I steal your car and go ask God for forgiveness, I won't get it if I still have your car and want to keep it. I may try to talk myself into believing things were okay, that I was forgiven; but I'd still have that inner guilt and shame, and the Devil would be laughing.

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Feelings of condemnation need to be shaken off and dismissed. Do those things we know are right instead. If we did do wrong, don't ignore that but try to repair any damage done so we don't keep feeling guilty. There is a way out of feeling condemned. If we're hearing from the Holy Spirit, there will be a "way to escape." Accusations come from Satan; solutions come from the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

 

[marks]

Took me forever to see this!! Finally, I have arrived to see the true love of the God we serve!

Isn't it wonderful?!

 

[marks]

I can't speak for other people; but I know how it is for me. If I am thinking about doing something and start feeling a little bad about it before I do it -- or if I think about ways to hide it from others -- that tells me not to do it. I'd be opening the door to feeling shame and guilt. I don't feel condemned for having the thought since I rejected it.

That's a good clue - if we feel we would need to hide.

Any thought that's uncomfortable to think while thinking about Jesus.

As there is no condemnation to us who are in Christ, we can avoid feelings of guilt and shame by recognizing that God does not condemn us, He's already forgiven us.

And we didn't disappoint Him, He knew this day was coming from eternity past.

We didn't present some hopeless case, He's already assured us that we will be mature and complete in Him.

I am sure of one thing. If I steal your car and go ask God for forgiveness, I won't get it if I still have your car and want to keep it. I may try to talk myself into believing things were okay, that I was forgiven; but I'd still have that inner guilt and shame, and the Devil would be laughing.

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Feelings of condemnation need to be shaken off and dismissed. Do those things we know are right instead. If we did do wrong, don't ignore that but try to repair any damage done so we don't keep feeling guilty. There is a way out of feeling condemned. If we're hearing from the Holy Spirit, there will be a "way to escape." Accusations come from Satan; solutions come from the Holy Spirit.

How does this square with the Word that says has has forgiven our sins?

Not to say we don't want to restore what our sin has taken away, whether someone's car or someone's peace, but we don't try to make it right with others so that we can be right with God, we already are in Christ.

But we want to make reparations to others because we love them, and don't want to see them harmed by our sin.

Trusting in God to work through me to restore what my sin has taken away, trusting God to repair the damage done by my sin, in this way it remains God's work, not mine, my work is to trust.

I think feeling of guilt are best addressed by trust in the efficacy of Jesus's sacrifice, It is Finished.

I Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Endurance is the key. And then the temptations will have a chance to do their work in our lives, making us strong and resilient.

Much love!

 

[Butterfly]

Once I realized about this, that was one of those life "game changers". God never rejects us. Never ceases to love us. Never ceases to give all help that we will receive. We don't receive God's help because of our unbelief, and I think our unbelief often centers on not believing He loves us, is with us, gives us every spiritual blessing, when we sin. That we've cut ourselves off from Him. But nothing could be further from the truth!

Much love!

How did this truth reach your heart, you know I can read this and know its truth in my head, but inside I cant seem to grasp it - so I go round and round in circles !

 

[Giuliano]

How does this square with the Word that says has has forgiven our sins?

I think there are different types of sin. The most serious is willfully doing what we know is wrong. God won't forgive us for those if we want to continue sinning.

Then there are sins of ignorance; and as time goes by, the Holy Spirit starts instructing us showing us where we can improve. These sins of ignorance are not held against anyone while he's still in a state of ignorance; but God wants us free of them so our wearing garments will be all white.

Then there is the sin that we can't fix. Our bodies are under a sentence of death for something we did not do. Jesus came to correct this and to take away this sin.

John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

I think feeling of guilt are best addressed by trust in the efficacy of Jesus's sacrifice, It is Finished.

Endurance is the key. And then the temptations will have a chance to do their work in our lives, making us strong and resilient.

Much love!

As long as we are not trampling the blood of Jesus underfoot, it is good to trust in the Power of Jesus' sacrifice to fix things for us; but if we want to continue to sin willfully and repeatedly by harming our fellow man, it is not going to work. We never changed, never repented so are not forgiven.

2 Peter 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

 

[marks]

How did this truth reach your heart, you know I can read this and know its truth in my head, but inside I cant seem to grasp it - so I go round and round in circles !

What a very good question!

The short answer is that God made it real to me.

If I believe what Paul wrote, therefore it is no longer me, but the sin that lives in me, then I know I'm not the sinner. So I'm in partnership with God to live the good life, against a common enemy, Old Mark, the old man.

I'm not him. I'm New Mark. And God is my Father. You and me against the world - and the flesh.

All sins are forgiven, plain and simple. Pray that God would make this truth real to you, and then wait for Him to do it, it probibly won't take long. Reading places like Romans 6-8, Colossian, Galatians, these places that talk about the complete divorcement between our behavior and our acceptibility to God.

I still go in circles sometimes. But whenever I remind myself that He is with me, attentive to me, then that's what's real to me, because it is what is in fact real.

I don't know that this is an answer. But hoping!

Edit to add . . .

If you've decided that you believe we are in fact forgiven, any time anything, any feeling, any thought, any voice from yourself or another, anything that says otherwise, ignore that voice, and instead remember, we are forgiven, we are loved, we are the beloved children of God forever.

Much love!




.

 

[marks]

John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

What does this mean, Which takes away the sin of the world?

What happens when Jesus removes the sin of the world? What does this mean to us?

Much love!

 

[marks]

I think there are different types of sin. The most serious is willfully doing what we know is wrong. God won't forgive us for those if we want to continue sinning.

Does the Bible teach that some sins are forgiven, and some sins not forgiven, of His children?

Much love!

 

[marks]

As long as we are not trampling the blood of Jesus underfoot, it is good to trust in the Power of Jesus' sacrifice to fix things for us; but if we want to continue to sin willfully and repeatedly by harming our fellow man, it is not going to work. We never changed, never repented so are not forgiven.

In this you are talking about the unregenerate, is that right?

But for those who are regenerate, are there sins, not forgiven?

Much love!

 

[Giuliano]

Does the Bible teach that some sins are forgiven, and some sins not forgiven, of His children?

Much love!

It teaches that if we repent of the sins we know about, God forgives them. That was easy enough to do even under the Old Testament.

Ezekiel 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.

 

[Butterfly]

What a very good question!

The short answer is that God made it real to me.

If I believe what Paul wrote, therefore it is no longer me, but the sin that lives in me, then I know I'm not the sinner. So I'm in partnership with God to live the good life, against a common enemy, Old Mark, the old man.

I'm not him. I'm New Mark. And God is my Father. You and me against the world - and the flesh.

All sins are forgiven, plain and simple. Pray that God would make this truth real to you, and then wait for Him to do it, it probibly won't take long. Reading places like Romans 6-8, Colossian, Galatians, these places that talk about the complete divorcement between our behavior and our acceptibility to God.

I still go in circles sometimes. But whenever I remind myself that He is with me, attentive to me, then that's what's real to me, because it is what is in fact real.

I don't know that this is an answer. But hoping!

Edit to add . . .

If you've decided that you believe we are in fact forgiven, any time anything, any feeling, any thought, any voice from yourself or another, anything that says otherwise, ignore that voice, and instead remember, we are forgiven, we are loved, we are the beloved children of God forever.

Much love!




.

Yes, I do pray about it, guess it's about having patience and persevere ( renew the mind )
Rita

 

[Giuliano]

In this you are talking about the unregenerate, is that right?

But for those who are regenerate, are there sins, not forgiven?

Much love!

What do you mean by "unregenerate"? Sorry.

What does this mean, Which takes away the sin of the world?

What happens when Jesus removes the sin of the world? What does this mean to us?

Much love!

I read it to mean the sin that brought death into the world. You didn't do that. I didn't do that. God saw that as an injustice for the innocent to pay for the sins of someone else. Jesus fixed that. However if we enjoy the idea of sinning and having others pay for our sins, we deserve to be in a world where the innocent suffer for the sins of the guilty. If we crave a world like that, I doubt Jesus is going to fix the problem for us.