“When he says we’re forgiven, let’s unload the guilt. When he says we’re valuable, let’s believe him. . . . When he says we’re provided for, let’s stop worrying. God’s efforts are strongest when our efforts are useless”
― Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year
What if we toured the enemy's camp? The best way to fight a war is to learn the enemy's tactics, right? First we would have to make ourselves invisible, not because he would kill us, because he does not have the power, but because he would hide what he was doing. That's why we shine a light into the darkness, so we can see what the rat is up to.
When touring any home, we usually start in the kitchen. The kitchen is the place where all good conversation, meals and good times are shared, right? Well, probably not in the enemy's but we will start there anyway.
First we find a demonic presence baking a cake... no way. Really? They don't bake cakes do they? Look a little closer... is that regret he is putting in that mixing bowl? It's sitting there right on the counter next to the bag of worthless and condemnation. Now what is he doing? He's looking around, he's hiding that jar he is scooping stuff out of and dropping it into the batter... is that?... No, it can't be. It is, it's guilt. You say this makes no sense, but it does. The enemy wants us to eat that cake. He wants us unhealthy. Think about it, if we don't feel good it makes it a lot harder to fight. If we already feel weak and depressed the enemy can attack and usually overtake us, because we are just too tired to fight. He likes us fat and out of shape. It makes sense that he would bake us a beautiful cake full of all that bad stuff.
We decide not to steal a little lick of the batter and move to the living room. Whoa, what is going on here. They are making a porn movie, with Miss Guilty Pleasure and Carl Condemnation. I think we will scoot right out of this room.
Out back in a small shed the enemy has a distillery. We peek in the window to see him adding shame, regret, and of course spirits. There he is with that jar of guilt again. It seems to be the secret ingredient to all his temptations. It's every where.
We follow a squad of demons to the earth and watch as they place the cakes, the booze and the porn where people are sure to see them. They leave trails like bread crumbs of shame, anger and regret to the items they have strategically placed. They sprinkle guilt over crowds of people in the street, in bars and yes, even in church. The people are holding up against the temptation... until... there they go, when nobody is looking they are sneaking around the corner and into their homes, pulling the shades and indulging. It's like they are under a spell. They are walking around like zombies reaching for more of the feeling laced temptation.
You can not control your feelings, but you can control your reactions to them. You can eat the cake, but eventually, if you keep eating, you will get a dose of guilt. You can have another drink but the shame will take over. You can watch the porn, but you will want more. As believer's what do we do when these people come to us for help? We get out our own little bag of the secret ingredient and pour it over them. We sprinkle them with guilt like it's a pixie dust. We say we don't mean to, but it shoots out of our eyes and falls out of our mouths. We are doing the enemy's baking. When a person reaches out to us with their bodies full of guilt, shame, condemnation, anger, resentment and bitterness, we don't give them more. They all ready have enough.
The Bible is not filled with Jesus asking people about their sin. Take the woman caught in adultery for example: People are judging her, not Jesus. He loves her. He does not condemn her. He loves her. Pouring guilt on guilt, shame on shame, anger on anger, hate on hate, does not work. We don't wash our clothes with mud.
“Nothing cuts the nerve of the desire to pursue holiness as much as a sense of guilt. On the contrary, nothing so motivates us to deal with sin in our lives as does the understanding and application of the two truth that our sins are forgiven and the dominion of sin is broken because of our union with Christ.”
― Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace: God's Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness
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