The devil’s plot: Guilt and Shame.

 

The devil’s plot – 2. Guilt and Shame.

Far too many believers are feeling dirty, worthless and ashamed of themselves. As a result, they feel unclean and therefore unworthy to approach God and have the living and intimate relationship that He wants to have with them! Shame prevents us from intimacy with God because it makes us feel unworthy and distant from Him.

What is the difference between guilt and shame?

Guilt is what takes place when a person realizes their failure. False guilt, which is what Satan is known to throw at us, is where the sin has been repented of and forgiven, but he still wants us to feel guilty or see ourselves associated with our pasts. We are speaking of false guilt in this teaching, because true guilt should prompt the person to repent and turn from their sin, but false guilt is what Satan uses to rip apart the lives of countless believers around the world.

While guilt is seeing what you’ve done, shame is seeing yourself as a failure because of what you’ve done. Guilt is looking at the sin, shame is looking at yourself. If you allow yourself to meditate upon guilt, it will turn into shame. Guilt, if not properly dealt with, turns into a stronghold called shame.

Anybody who has been thinking about their past sins for long will begin to see themselves as dirty sinners and failures. The complete opposite of what they really are, providing they have repented of their sins and turned to God!

Shame is one of those things that the Bible speaks of as an imagination that must be cast down:

2 Corinthians 10:4-5, “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

An imagination is an image in your mind that is incorrect. If you see yourself as a failure, when you’re actually a blood-washed child of God… you’ve got an imagination that needs to be dealt with!

Note: image of a solvent addicted boy looking lost and guilty. God love him and I will do everything the help them.