April 17, 2008
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Powerful negative emotions…
…can keep us isolated and trapped within our own mind and heart. It’s like a prison and we hold the key. There are so many emotions that may fight within, but we can’t let the enemy conquer us.
Spiritual warfare is powerful. It always leads me to imagine this battle between God and the enemy. If I felt feelings of guilt/anger/shame/disappointment/etc, I visualized the enemy trying to take me away BUT God loves me, forgives me, heals me and is pulling me back…It’s a battle for sure – for my soul.
Guilt is a powerful and tricky emotion. It’s a feeling of responsibility or remorse for a situation in the past whether real or imagined. If we choose not to forgive ourselves we remain captive, but Jesus set us free!
True guilt – We fully acknowledge and recognize that we have intentionally done something wrong or offensive and we feel guilty when we feel responsible for an action that we regret
False guilt – When we blame ourselves for things that we should not blame ourselves for… “If I would have behaved differently, XXX would not have hurt/abused/cheated/etc (on) me…”
The devil will try to bring up failures in your past and haunt you with it, but in 1 John 1:9…”If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
God promises to forgive and cleanse us from the matter, then why shouldn’t we forgive ourselves?
***Sometimes we might continue to have guilt over a sin because we keep doing it and repeating the sin, but we need to, with God’s help, forsake the sin. Stop your actions, turn around, and go in the opposite direction!!!!***
Shame points out to us what we believe is wrong with ourselves. We focus our feelings inward and it may cause us to poorly about ourselves. However, shame can be problematic and is often less constructive than guilt. Some may try to overcome their shame by blaming others, being overly nice in attempt to prove their worth, or by withdrawing. The problem is that each one of those paths limits, if not prohibits, any true healing or growth because the core issues are not being dealt with even if we find temporary or brief relief. In the long run if we don’t deal with our issues, with God’s help, then we are hindering our growth and healing.
When we venture into painful situations from the past, it may be tempting to retreat or withdraw, but God may be using the situation to truly heal and not hide. Our heavenly Father is understanding, supportive, compassionate, and loving. He doesn’t look at us with disgust or disdain, but with love and grace. With embarking on a journey with God of discovery and healing God can help us develop true emotional intimacy so that we can embrace healing and move forward free.
Comments (2)
i agree with you so much. what a great post! =)
thanks by the way for the nice comment and for praying for us. it really helped. my mom received some of her lesser id’s and service cards back in the mail from a woman (about 40 minutes away in chicago) and also a man called her who had found her insurance cards on the street. it is so encouraging to know people care. =)
That was a great post! It was a big encouragement to me too as I go through some issues in my life. I hope you are well.