| Whatsoever
Things Are True
by Dan Coburn Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church pastordan@mtida.net What do God and Satan have in common? The short answer is; Absolutely Nothing. But now that I have your attention, let's examine something they both use, that we All have experienced, or more than likely are experiencing in varying degrees, right now. This is Guilt. Don’t shrug it off. I’ve talked to lots of folks who are living in fear of Judgment Day, if for no other reason than they believe all their secret deeds will be revealed at some sort of public viewing. Whether this causes you to laugh or turn pale, I am willing to bet there is something in your past - perhaps something you said that you wish you could take back, or something you did that caused injury or death. You have gone for years suppressing it, and cope pretty well except for those times when the other party crosses your path, and the “thing” between you is so thick you almost can’t breathe. The worldly way to deal with Guilt is to Ignore it. Maybe you can suppress it or burry it with drugs or alcohol. Guilt effects Everyone, and so effects everything in our lives, as life itself is viewed through the cloudy lens of Guilt. In an effort to make ourselves feel better, we begin to recognize and obsess on the faults of others, but this ultimately does not bring any satisfaction. So what’s the Godly way to deal with guilt? Well, first we must be able to recognize and differentiate between Godly Guilt, and Satan’s Guilt. The Holy Spirit convicts us 1) Legitimately; 2) Specifically; and 3) Redemptively. If this seems vague, stay with me. Let’s say you steal from work, you’re on your way home, and that little voice (conscience) begins to talk to you. If it is the Holy Spirit, it will sound something like this. “Hey, you know that thing you just did? That was wrong. You need to go back and make it right.” Satan, (the accuser) on the other hand will sound like this. “You are a dirty rotten thief. That is your identity. That’s who you are. You will always be a thief, there is no hope for you, and How could God love you?”. You see, Satan’s accusation is not always legitimate, Broad rather than Specific, and his purpose is to drive an irreconcilable wedge between you and your Heavenly Father. 1st John 1:7 says “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Note that the word “cleanseth” is in the lineal or present tense. Now that we have identified the source of our Guilt - whether it is Harmful or Helpful, we will spend our next visit dealing with it. God says in Isaiah 43:25: "I, even I Am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for my name sake, and will remember them no more." If this is true (and it is), then for me to hang on to something that's "under the blood" is to rub God's nose in my sin over and over; a sin He has long since forgiven, and forgotten. It’s about time. God Bless.
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