 |
| 4 Scriptures to overcome thoughts of condemnation and guilt |
by Barbara Latta @barbaralatta
Does your mind play games with your conscience over past sins? Do you suffer with guilt even though you know you are forgiven?
Sometimes the words of others can ignite those thoughts and
bring the hammer down on any positive progression we have made in our souls.
I have heard these words from people before. "(Name of
person) told me I have cancer because there must be sin in my life."
Or thoughts and accusations come after a disaster or tragedy
such as, "This happened because of what I did." (Meaning they think
they are being punished because of a past sin, not a consequence of a bad
decisions such as having a wreck because of speeding.)
This way of thinking stems from traditions, someone's
opinion (that may even be hundreds of years old), or Old Testament stories.
We look to the Old Testament accounts where God punished Israel
for their sins and we bring these forward to today. The Lord had to give a
penalty to them to keep the decay of transgressions from multiplying to the
point of no return. Animal sacrifices offered a temporary reprieve but could
not cleanse a person.
The Old Testament is given to us for a reason, but we
need to keep reading and discover that Jesus set up a new covenant for
believers. He is the One who paid for all sin for all time (Hebrews 10:12-14),
and it is a done deal.
But this is not the way He wants us as His body on the earth
to function.
Because Jesus forgave us, He doesn't want us acting
like defeated members of His Church who have no power to overcome. We are more
than conquerors (Romans 8:37)
God hasn't changed. Sin does still need to be dealt
with, but Jesus is the One who dealt with it for us. The Father inflicted the
punishment for all sin upon His precious Son so that we wouldn't be punished
for it.
Our part is to accept Christ's payment for us. If you
are still bound by guilt over past sins, let go of the condemnation. Don't hold
on to baggage that weighs so heavy on you that you can't move forward in your
spiritual life.
Our enemy, the devil, can't take away our salvation. But he
wants to paralyze us by keeping us focused on our wrongdoing. He uses these
reminders to put condemnation in our minds. But we are told to focus on
Christ's victory rather than the wrong we have done.
There is no iniquity more powerful than the blood of
Jesus. Nothing is so bad that hasn't already been forgiven.
When your thoughts, or even other people, remind you of what
may have transpired in your life, throw those words at the cross. The pure
blood of Jesus has made your clean.
Talk to yourself with 4 simple confessions based on these
Scriptures when you feel the downward spiral of judgment swirl around your
soul.
I am loved. But God
demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ
died for us. (Romans 5:8 NIV)
I am accepted. To
the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the
Beloved. (Ephesians 1:6 NKJV))
I am forgiven. If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9
NKJV)
I am free. Stand fast
therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be
entangled again with a yoke of bondage. (Galatians
5:1 NKJV)
Win the war in your mind by saying no to guilt and shame. We
have the yes of victory in Christ.
Join the conversation and share your thoughts.
Image by Mariya
Muschard from Pixabay
4 poppies
