Thank God for Guilt
“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” - (Hebrews 12:5–6)
Some people say that guilt is a horrible thing. In reality, guilt is a design God has put in our souls. It is similar to the pain we feel in our bodies when something is wrong. If I’m walking down the street barefoot and step on a piece of broken glass, a signal goes through my body, saying, “Red alert! Don’t step any further!” The pain effectively warns me that more pain is coming unless I stop.
In the same way, when we experience guilt, our conscience says, “Warning! Don’t do that.” That is the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
When someone who claims to be a Christian can live in sin without sensing it, then something is seriously wrong. I know we aren’t perfect. I know we all fall short of the glory of God. But there is a difference between stumbling unintentionally and being sorry for it and living in habitual, continual sin without any pangs of conscience, guilt, or remorse.
If this is happening in your life, then it means your conscience is being “seared with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:2). As the Bible says in Hebrews 12, “If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?” (verse 7). In other words, if you are a child of God, when you begin to cross the line, the Holy Spirit will be there to say, “No, don’t do that.”
That very conviction is a reminder that you are a child of God. So rejoice when you feel guilt. Thank God for guilt.
If you can live in sin without any guilt or remorse, then one must question whether you are a child of God. Throw on the brakes if this is happening to you.
Copyright © 2017 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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