The Guilt: Self Condemnation - The Inability to Forgive Oneself

The Guilt: Self Condemnation—The Inability to Forgive Oneself

Guilt is a killer. It squeezes the joy of a believer’s life. Life to the fullest (John 10:10) seems unattainable. It is just an existence on life support fueled by the practice of self-denial and self-punishment. Scripture is memorized without being internalized. Good deeds are “dead deeds” because they are self-redemptive deeds. Working hard for God is just a payback for the sins of the past. This is the sorrowful existence of self-condemnation, the inability to forgive oneself.  

Spiritual laws, however, contain no such self-redemptive postulations. No one can pay or self-redeem past wrongdoings. Only God can atone for them. And He did, once and for all, on the cross. No matter how grievous, all sins have been nailed on the cross and paid for. They have been forgiven; they have been whited out. From God’s eternal perspective, they don’t exist. Once forgiven, they are forgiven into Eternity. The Book of Life (Revelation 12:27) doesn’t contain them. They are erased from God’s memories. For many believers, however, the reality is tormenting: Their memories continue to afflict the soul. Many continue to agonize over past offenses, carrying their burden, even though they have already been forgiven. This is the enemy’s most effective weapon. If the Devil cannot get a believer through seduction, manipulations, and lies, he resorts to guilt. He augments its significance by relentlessly pounding it on the believer's consciousness. It is a big, fat lie out of the pit of hell. No such thing exists. We only lose this battle if we agree with the enemy. Every believer knows and often quotes Apostle Paul’s words of assurance that, ”There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). And yet, we fail to live up to that truth. Being unable to accept God’s forgiveness is a big hurdle for many believers. Not resolving this inner conflict brings God’s judgment on the guilt-laden person. God, who is sovereign in His just judgments and has ultimately forgiven the sins, is now undermined by our subjective feelings. It's not a good position to find yourself before the Eternal God. Indeed, this is a dreadful position. The Law of God postulates that we should forgive because we have been forgiven (Matthew 6:12). The command to forgive also extends forgiveness towards oneself. Who are we to withhold forgiveness when God has already forgiven? Withholding forgiveness towards oneself is a trespass in itself. The guilt can only be removed by confronting and rejecting the enemy's lie. Deal with guilt as with any other practice in the flesh: Confess, repent, and crucify it on the cross of Jesus. The memories of the offense will always be there, but the debilitating burden of guilt will be gone. This is the freedom from guilt. 

Prayer for Rejections of Guilt 

Jesus, I confess that guilt plagues me. I have accepted your forgiveness, yet I admit that I continue to carry the guilt of my sins. I now recognize that the enemy has manipulated me and has kept me captive to a lie. Forgive me, Jesus, for allowing the enemy to succeed in his deception. Now, I take the sin of guilt—the inability to forgive myself—and nail it to the cross. I declare it dead on the cross. I claim the cleansing power of your blood, spilled on the cross to wash me clean. I call upon your Spirit of Life to come and reside in me. May my guilt be replaced with Your peace. In Jesus’ name, I pray for freedom from guilt. Amen!

Now, write on a piece of paper with large letters and post it in a prominent place in your home the following statement:

          NO  GUILT  IN  LIFE,  NO  FEAR  IN  DEATH

Keep the postings for at least a week as you pray the above prayer so that the mind agrees with the heart that this is God’s ultimate truth.