“Now this is what the Lord says – the one who created you…and the one who formed you – ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine…I sweep away your transgressions…and remember them no more.’” Isaiah 43:1, 25
This past weekend while enjoying my lifelong friends the subject of past decisions arose. Lifelong friends offer something no other relationships offer…our secret transgressions. All of us are very aware of the poor decisions we all made many years ago. Inevitably, the subject of guilt came to the surface and hung in the air like a stench. I HATE guilt and have had to push hard against feeling it my entire life once God has forgiven me. Guilt of abandoning a marriage…guilt of decisions I made within that marriage…guilt of not being a good enough wife both then and now, mother, daughter, friend…immense guilt of secretly buying things and keeping it from my husband. The list goes on and on…when it shouldn’t.
The Bible clearly tells us that the cross ushered in redemption. Once the stone in front of the tomb was rolled away, the grave was found empty. The empty tomb echoes this verse…Christ has risen, and we have been risen with Him. His death gave us life, a life of grace and forgiveness which frees us from the guilt of sin once we repent. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to convict us, while it is the desire of the enemy to remind us of our weakness and sin. This is how we discern whose voice we are believing. If God has promised that He doesn’t remember our sin once we have repented, then why on earth do we keep reminding ourselves of them? ‘We must begin to clearly recognize the fingerprints of the enemy who uses our past against us, keeping us from being able to flourish, walk in abundance, and experience victory as children of God.’ Discerning the Voice of God, Priscilla Shirer, p. 113.
The only legitimate guilt that moves and grows us is when the Holy Spirit points us to something in our lives that is a barrier between us and God. The Holy Spirit’s aim is to steer us in the direction of mercy and grace. Echoes of guilt from the enemy is like a wheelchair that has no wheels...disabling us… restricting us…paralyzing us…taking our eyes off the promises and forgiveness of God. You can also determine which voice you are believing by the feelings they invoke. Condemnation from the enemy promotes shame and guilt even after you have been forgiven. Conviction from the Spirit points to correction and transformation (It has feet to move you). One disables while one enables…one shames while the other releases…one says 'look who you have been' while the other says 'look who you can be.' Romans 5:10 states that we can rejoice in God through Christ, through whom we have received reconciliation. ‘Reconciliation is the beautiful love story by which the divide of sin between us and God is eternally bridged.’ Discerning the Voice of God, p. 113.
We are going to believe the voice who is the loudest so let it be God’s voice through His word. By getting in His word daily, we will be reminded of how deep is His love and how permanent is His forgiveness. We can walk in triumphant confidence and give our feet of faith a beautiful road on which to journey.
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.” 2 Co 2:14
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