HOW TO OVERCOME GUILT

1. ISOLATE THE CAUSE

Why do you feel guilty? How long has this guilt feeling been on you? Does it have to do with only you and God? Or is another person involved? Get alone with the Lord and tell Him your feelings out loud. This will help you get specific as well as give you a sense of the nearness and warmth of God.

2. BEWARE OF THE GUILT-TRIP

Don’t put yourself on a guilt trip concerning things that aren’t really your fault. Sue was a precious Christian lady who gave her son the best love and care that a mother could offer. When he chose to live in sin, she punished herself with undeserved guilt, believing she was a failure. When she saw how tenderly God loved her, and that she had done her best to “Train up a child in the way he should go,” (Proverbs 22:6), she committed her son into the Lord’s hands, continued to love him and pray for him, and faced the world with a clear conscience.

3. NEVER EXCUSE SIN

If you have sinned, don’t justify it. Many Christians confess and re-confess the same sins because they try to justify them with the result that guilt hangs on. The Holy Spirit does not honor pride but He does honor humility. In Psalm 38, David spoke of God’s arrows of conviction piercing him (verse 2), and no inner rest (verse 3) because of his sins that he knew were a stench in the nostrils of God (verses 4 & 5). The key to David’s confession and freedom from guilt is found in verse 18, “For I will declare my iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.” The same pattern of an honest and open confession is found in Psalm 51 after his tragic sin with Bathsheba.

4. MAKE A GOOD CONFESSION

Once you have identified that the reason for your guilt is some specific sin, confess it with I John 1:9 as God’s assurance, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.” If your guilt is because of something you did to hurt another, the Holy Spirit will not give you peace if you confess it only to God but not to the person harmed. Take the first opportunity to make restitution, which simply means to apologize for what you have done. This takes humility, but having perfect peace with God is worth it. (And remember, if it is something you have stolen from another, your “I’m sorry” must be followed by returning what you owe.)

5. IGNORE POST-CONFESSION GUILT FEELINGS

Once you have confessed your sin, don’t let guilt feelings molest you. That’s all they are now—feelings and not sins—and they usually try to cling to a sensitive person. The positive aspect of sensitivity is that we will tend to feel great pain because of our sin and be filled with great desire and determination not to repeat it. The negative aspect is that Satan will attempt to condemn us, “How could you, a good Christian, have done such a thing? Maybe you’re not a Christian after all!” Don’t try to resist such guilt feelings because the more you try not to think about them, the more your concentration will be directed back to your sin. Instead, boldly declare that you have confessed, and are forgiven—and direct your thoughts to God and others (Hebrews 4:16).

6. GOD DEALS IN SPECIFICS

If you have only a general sense of guilt with nothing specific, you are probably facing an attack of Satan or being affected by an oversensitive conscience. God convicts in specifics—Satan accuses in generalities. If we sin, the Holy Spirit has promised to bring it to our remembrance (Philippians 3:15). Take frequent inventory before the Lord (Psalm 139:23, 24). As you grow in God’s Word, you will find your walk in the Holy Spirit becoming so close that when you sin in thought, word or deed you sense His reproof immediately.

CONCLUSION

If you are still battling guilt after practicing the above points through the help of the Lord, share your heart with your pastor or a mature Christian friend. Jesus promised you, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed,” (John 8:36). He meant free from the power of sin and guilt. There is no need for guilt feelings to be a destructive torment in the life of any Christian when we have such a loving heavenly Father who knows no office hours, requires no appointments, and provides total answers and tender follow-up therapy without charge.