How to Rid Yourself of Guilt Once and for All - Joyce Meyer

Freedom from guilt can birth an explosion of spiritual growth. (Lightstock )

How to Rid Yourself of Guilt Once and for All

9/13/2015 JOYCE MEYER  charisma news

Do you spend a lot of time feeling guilty? I did, as a result of being abused as a child.

I grew up believing something was wrong with me and that everything was my fault. And when you develop that kind of thinking during your childhood, it can torment you for a long time.

Guilt traps us and keeps us in the same place; much like a treadmill that keeps us going, but accomplishes nothing. Guilt is a trap that presses us down into our problems rather than lifting us out of them. And as long as we feel guilty about what we do wrong, we remain in that guilt and will not grow spiritually. 

All of us make mistakes, and God knows that! No one can be perfect while in a fleshly body, but we can and must continue to grow spiritually regardless of where we are in our relationship with Christ. But in order to grow spiritually, we must first learn who we are in Christ. 

By God's grace and mercy, when we are born again, God not only forgives us, He gives us His righteousness because the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us. We each have right standing with God legally because of the blood of Christ, and even though we sometimes still do things wrong, the ability to do what's right is also in us.

Galatians 5:22-23 (MEV) tells us: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control; against such there is no law."

God doesn't expect you to become something that He hasn't already equipped you with. At the moment you are born again, God comes to live inside of your heart. The "seeds" of His character are downloaded into your spirit, and just like any seeds that are planted with the intent to reap a harvest later on, there must be a cultivation period that happens over a long period of time.

You have everything you need to be who God wants you to be, and since God lives inside of you, this means the fruit of His Spirit is also inside you. And after you are born again, you will grow in Christ as you pursue Him daily.

2 Timothy 2:22 (MEV) tells us: "So flee youthful desires and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (emphasis added).

The operative word here is "pursue." Pursue means to crave and go after something with all your mind and strength. Your relationship with God should not only be a Sunday morning thing. He is everything! In Him we live and move and have our being and without him we are nothing. 

We rely on God's grace to help us do what's right every day. And if we try to do what God asks us to do without relying on Him to help us, we won't succeed because we need Him to do everything we need to do. 

Philippians 2:12-13 (MEV) says: "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but so much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For God is the One working in you, both to will and to do His good pleasure."

We don't work FOR our salvation to earn it, but we do work OUT our salvation. There's a difference! For example, working out for fitness takes time, discipline and commitment. 

I have worked out three times a week for the last 10 years. When I started, I didn't have visible muscles. But now I do, because I'm committed to maintaining my fitness. In much the same way, spiritual growth is a workout, with the results developing over a time because of commitment and discipline. And we lean on God to help us every step of the way.

So keep moving forward, and don't be hard on yourself! You are holy, righteous, anointed, and completely forgiven. You're not where you need to be, but thank God you're not where you used to be. You're OK, and you're on your way.

Joyce Meyer is a New York Times bestselling author and founder of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc. She has authored 100 books, including Battlefield of the Mind and Get Your Hopes Up! (Hachette). She hosts the Enjoying Everyday Life radio and TV programs, which air on hundreds of stations worldwide. For more information, visitwww.joycemeyer.org.

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Press Forward In the Run of Faith - Eileen Fisher (The Elijah List)

Eileen Fisher:

Press Forward In the Run of Faith

The following corporate prophetic word was given by Eileen Fisher on December 3, 2013 during her weekly Prophetic School of the Holy Spirit meeting in Colorado Springs, Colorado:

Crossing the Red Sea

The Lord said, "There is a new season the Body is going to go into. They are crossing the Red Sea. But some will be too tired to cross the Red Sea, because they have exalted themselves, and they have left themselves weary. Others will run across the Red Sea, because they have exalted Me, and have refreshed themselves by My Spirit.

"Others will be on the shoulders, and ride on the back of others, because they're weary, and they're tired, from trials. But others are strong, and standing in faith, and will be so overcome with love, that they will reach down and carry them across the Red Sea."

"There will be a Red Sea crossing, and it will be very distinct in My Body. You will see some who will sit down, and they will prefer eating, even in the fat of that land, for they were accustomed to being a slave, and they kept the slave mentality – the familiarity. 

They did not want to know what was ahead, and because they did not know the unknown, they chose not to enter into the unknown. But it will be a year of 'unknowingness', to where you will see that faith that has been tested by fire, after fire, after fire, will be the very faith that you will walk upon and with, and it will carry you out."

"You will see others who have been in the fire, and they will come out of the fire, but they will not come out weak. They will come out hot, fresh, burning flames; ready to devour the works of the enemy, and take back what they knew was promised unto them and their household.

Enter the Promised Land of My Word

"It will be a year where My people will come, and they will enter into the Promised Land of My Word. Many have forsaken the promises in My Word, and have taken the word of man, and it has not profited anything. For they have looked to man to fulfill man's word, and so they have tried to gain knowledge, they've tried to gain insight, they've tried to gain influence and power. But it has all been of a soulish mentality. And yet I've said in My Word, 'I have come to restore the souls.'

"But there will be others whose spirit will come out, and they will be so in-tune with My Spirit that they will not merely walk beside Him, they will walk in Him. And He in turn will walk in them.

"Get ready to see this move that will happen," He said. "Yes, the world is going to have a shaking. And yes, you have been shaken. Call My Word to come forth. Command My Word to become alive and active. Let My Word devour your flesh, so that you can be so devouring with My Word, that all that will not obey, will have to bend, because My Word is eternal," says the Lord your God.

The Power of His Blood

Lord, what's in Your heart? What do You want for Your people?

And He kept talking about the Blood. He said, "My people have gotten away from the true knowledge of the power of My Blood, and yet they wonder where the power is. And He said, "The power is in My Blood.

"Much used to be done about My Blood in My Blood. It was a Bloody Gospel, but was full of life. But the 'Bloody Gospel' has been put aside; to pat the hand of others and give sympathy. 

And really what happened was that it became a counterfeit compassion that really encouraged the flesh, rather than bringing the flesh into obedience to the Word. And there is going to be a flipping of that, that you are going to see happen.

The following corporate prophetic word was given by Eileen Fisher on December 10, 2013 during her weekly Prophetic School of the Holy Spirit meeting in Colorado Springs, Colorado:

In His Presence Are the Answers That You Seek

I hear the Lord say, "Wear the crown of glory that I would have you wear uprightly. Lay down any identity that man would come with. Man would come and try to push My crown off your head, and put upon it a counterfeit identity.

"Lay down all these things that rush into your mind – to where you cannot even come into My presence, because your mind, your spirit, is somewhere else. Press it aside. 

Press forward in the run of faith. And know, as you run in faith, you will meet Me, face to face, for in My Presence are the answers that you seek. 

For every circumstance you are in, I hold the answer in My Presence. You do not understand what is available to you. When you cry unto Me, I answer you. And I bring forth that which would birth life around you.

"Call everything that would command you to die – to give up dreams and visions and hope – command it to be cast behind you, for it is of satan. Tell him to get behind you. Tell him that he cannot hinder the call that I have placed upon you. Understand who I call you to be. I call you to be more than conquerors in Me, through Me, and with Me, and by My Spirit through you.

"Let My Spirit rule and reign. Let Him begin to flow out of you – with discernment, with knowledge, with worship. Practice this when you're alone. Let all of your might come before My throne. And I promise you this – My might will prepare you for when you leave My throne. 

For you do not come to My throne and walk away empty, but you come and present a petition to the King of kings. And I take your petition, and I hold it close, and I begin to move and process on your behalf.

The Might of His Spirit

"Know I intercede for you. Know that I have come to serve you strongly; not with a weak heart, not with regret, but with all of My might, it is for you. And I long to baptize you in the full mightiness of My Spirit. But I would say, 'What would you do with the might of My Spirit?' Would you allow it to flow out of you? Would you allow it to change you, and raise you up in My own glory?

"Do not let man cause you to fall, to slumber, or to come halfheartedly before My throne. But press forward, and come in boldly, for you have an appointment through My Blood," says the Lord.

"The curtain shall never be hung again by the sin of man, for the Blood of your Master, your Lord, your King, your Savior, touched the fallen earth, the fallen man, the fallen situation, or whatever is causing you to fall.

"Let My Blood come and bring life. For have I not said in My Word, there is life in My Blood? 

Let My Blood come and transfuse back to you the might of My Spirit, so you too can do signs and wonders, and come to the understanding of who you are, and who I am.

"I am the great 'I AM'. And I ask, will you use your might towards Me; that My might will not only flow out of you, but will flow to you? For I come to be with you, not against you. And as I come to be with you, I invite you to come forth in humility, but also in confidence, knowing that no man is turned away, because My Blood has already parted the way.

"Come boldly. Come, allow Me to let My hand rest upon you, and give peace to your mind, peace to your heart, multiplication to your finances, answers to those who need answers, and healing to those who need healing. Come unto Me all that are heavily laden. Let Me alone be the one that gives you rest," says the Lord your God.

Eileen Fisher
Eileen Fisher Ministries

Email: eileen@eileenfisher.org
Website: eileenfisher.org

Eileen Fisher speaks and ministers before many groups and has a desire to fulfill the commission that Jesus gave us all. Eileen is available for retreats, workshops, meetings, banquets, or other special events. Eileen is also the author of two books titled Embraced by the Holy Spirit and Embracing the Prophetic. 

She travels, is a frequent TV guest, and teaches Schools of Prophecy and Healing. Her husband Fred oversees the ministry and is the ministry administrator. Fred and Eileen are active overseers and members of the board of directors for Freedom Christian Fellowship Church. 

They have one married daughter, Theresa, their son Michael went home to be with our Lord in 1993, and they have four grandchildren.

When You Can't Forgive Yourself By R.T. Kendall

When You Can't Forgive Yourself By R.T. Kendall

R.T. Kendall

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First Corinthians 13, the great love chapter of the Bible, is a perfect demonstration of the cause and effect of total forgiveness. The apex of this wonderful passage is the phrase found in verse 5: Love "keeps no record of wrongs" (NIV).

The Greek word that is translated as no record is logizomai, which means "not to reckon or impute." The word is important to Paul's doctrine of justification by faith.

For the person who believes, his faith is "credited" to him as righteousness (Rom. 4:5). This is the same word used in 1 Corinthians 13:5.

Therefore, not to reckon, impute or "count" the wrongs of a loved one is to do for that person what God does for us, namely, choose not to recognize his sin.

In the same way, forgiving oneself means to experience the love that keeps no record of our own wrongs. It is one thing to have this breakthrough regarding others; it is quite another to experience the greater breakthrough - total forgiveness of ourselves.

So many Christians say, "I can forgive others, but how can I ever forget what I have done? I know God forgives me, but I can't forgive myself."

We must remember that forgiving ourselves is a lifelong commitment. In precisely the same way that I must forgive others every single day, I must also forgive myself (Luke 6:37).

The Process of Forgiving

We must renew our commitment to forgive others each and every day for the wrongs done to us. Forgiving ourselves is also a daily process.

We may wake up each day with the awareness of past failures. We may have feelings of guilt - or pseudo-guilt, if our sins have been placed under the blood of Christ.

But forgiving yourself may bring about the breakthrough you have been looking for. It could set you free in ways you have never before experienced.

Sometimes we are afraid to forgive ourselves. We cling to fear as if it were a thing of value. The truth is, the very breath of Satan is behind the fear of forgiving ourselves.

Jesus knows that many of us have this problem. This is a further reason Jesus turned up unexpectedly after His Resurrection in the room where the disciples were assembled both in terror and in guilt.

Jesus wanted them to know they were totally forgiven; He also wanted them to forgive themselves. He spoke to them as if nothing had happened (John 20:21). This gave them dignity and showed them that nothing had occurred that would change Jesus' plans and strategy for them.

I remember one Sunday just before I was to preach at the 11 a.m. service. I had an argument with my wife, Louise, and stormed out of the house, slamming the door in her face.

Before I knew it, I was bowing my head on the upper platform at Westminster Chapel before several hundred people. I was thinking, I should not be here. I have no right to be here. Lord, how on earth could You use me today? I am not fit to be in this pulpit.

There was no way to resolve the situation at that time. I could only ask God for mercy and try my best to forgive myself. Never in my life had I felt so unworthy.

But when I stood up to preach, God simply undergirded me and enabled me to preach as well as I ever had. When we are emptied of all self-righteousness and pride, we enable God to move in and through us.

Why We Can't Forgive Ourselves

At the end of the day, I believe there are several causes for our inability to forgive ourselves.

Anger. We may be angry with ourselves. Look at the Old Testament story of Joseph. As a type of Christ, Joseph said to his brothers, "And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you" (Gen. 45:5).

These brothers were beginning to get the message that Joseph had forgiven them; he didn't want them to be angry with themselves. That is the way God forgives. Jesus does not want us to be angry with ourselves for our sins.

Not forgiving ourselves is self-hatred. Joseph's brothers had hated themselves for selling Joseph into slavery. They could not take back what they had done.

Some Christians who can't forgive themselves are, underneath it all, angry with themselves. But God can begin today to cause all that happened to fit into a pattern for good.

God will take the wasted years and restore them to good before it is all over. It is just as Joel promised: "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten" (Joel 2:25).

In some cases it is fear more than anger that is a barrier to our forgiving ourselves. Regret leads to guilt, and guilt can lead to fear: the fear of missing "what might have been" or the fear that what has happened cannot possibly turn out for good.

True guilt and pseudo-guilt. There are two kinds of guilt most of us will struggle with: true guilt (a result of our sin against God) and pseudo-guilt (when there is no sin in our lives). When we have sinned, we must confess it to God (1 John 1:9). The blood of Jesus takes care of true guilt by doing two basic things:

1.    It washes away our sin - as though it never had existed.

2.    It perfectly satisfies God's eternal justice.

Whereas discipline is necessary because we are sinners, sin that has been confessed to God is totally forgiven by Him. Any guilt we feel after that is pseudo-guilt.

There are two kinds of false guilt:

1.    The kind that comes when sin was never involved in the first place.

2.    The kind that comes when sin has been forgiven by God.

Pseudo-guilt - though it is false - s also very real; we feel keenly guilty. But there is no good reason for the sense of guilt.

Take, for example, a person who is driving a car when a child runs out into the street at the last second and is struck down. The guilt can be overwhelming, but there was no sin. It doesn't need to be confessed to God.

The other kind of pseudo-guilt comes when you have confessed your sins but you don't feel forgiven. Once we have acknowledged our sin, we should accept our forgiveness and leave the rest in God's hands.

During the years I have developed a sense of failure as a father. I wish I had given more time to T.R. and Melissa in my early years at Westminster Chapel.

I now understand that putting them first - rather than my church or sermon preparation - would have allowed the Chapel to carry on just as well. Of course, I can't change the past.

But for me to continue to feel guilty over this is not pleasing to God because He has already totally forgiven me. If I let myself dwell on my failure, I am giving in to pseudo-guilt and sinning as I do because I am dignifying unbelief. I must keep destroying the record of my wrongs - every day.

Not forgiving ourselves is a subtle way of competing with Christ's atonement. God has already punished Jesus for what we did (2 Cor. 5:17). Instead of accepting Jesus' sacrifice, I want to punish myself for my failures. This competes with Christ's finest hour.

Fear

Fear is one of the main reasons we do not forgive ourselves. The person who fears has not been made perfect in love, and fear "has to do with punishment" (1 John 4:18).

Recognizing that fear - and punishing ourselves for our mistakes - displeases God should result in an ever-increasing sadness for this self-loathing spirit. We are required to walk away from our past folly and not look back.

My wife was greatly blessed by the music ministry of Janny Grein and her song "Movin' On" at a Rodney Howard-Browne meeting. Louise remembers Janny shouting out the words, "Let the past be past - at last." God speaks those words to us.

Let the past be past at last. Forgive yourself as well as those who have damaged you.

Pride, self-righteousness and self-pity. Our unforgiveness of ourselves may be traceable to pride. We, in our arrogance, cannot bear having the Lord do everything for us so graciously, so we think we must help Him out a bit.

Our pride must be eclipsed by humility. We must let God be God and the blood of Christ do what it in fact did: remove our guilt and satisfy God's sense of justice.

Just as fear and pride are like identical twins, so are self-righteousness and self-pity. We feel sorry for ourselves and show it by not forgiving ourselves.

Pseudo-guilt can develop into very real guilt before God. It is false guilt, since God says, "You're not guilty." We make it into real guilt when we in effect reply, "Yes, I am."

The bottom line is this: Not forgiving ourselves is wrong and dishonoring to God. But God will use the sorrow we feel over what we've done to draw us to Himself.

Guilt and Grace

The initial work of the Holy Spirit is that He convicts of sin. When we walk in the light we know the blood cleanses us of sin, but walking in the light also reveals sin in us that we may not have seen before (1 John 1:7-8).

The sense of guilt God instigates is temporary. God uses guilt only to get our attention. When we say, "I'm sorry," and mean it, that's enough for God.

He doesn't beat us black and blue and require us to go on a 30-day fast to supplement Christ's atonement. He convicts us of sin to get our attention, but having done that, He wants us to move forward.

The ability to forgive ourselves therefore extends from an understanding of grace. Grace is undeserved favor.

Mercy is not getting what we do deserve (justice). Grace is accepting what we don't deserve (total forgiveness).

It may seem unfair when we have been so horrible. We have let God down; we have let others down.

But it is fair (1 John 1:9). The blood of Jesus did a wonderful job. God is not looking for further satisfaction.

All accusations regarding confessed sin come from the devil, who works either as a roaring lion to scare or an angel of light to deceive - or both (1 Pet. 5:8; 2 Cor. 11:14). Never forget, perfect love drives out fear (1 John 4:18).

Let the Past be Past

The sweet consequence of not keeping a record of all wrongs is that we let go of the past and its effect on the present. We cast our care on God and rely on Him to restore the wasted years and to cause everything to turn out for good.

We find ourselves accepting ourselves as we are with all our failures (just as God does), knowing all the while our potential to make more mistakes. God never becomes disillusioned with us; He loves us and knows us inside out.

Moses, David, Jonah, Peter - all these men in the Bible had to forgive themselves before they could move into the ministry God had planned for them. It's time for you to follow their example.

That is exactly what God wants of you and me. Let the past be past - at last.

R.T. Kendall

www.rtkendallministries.com

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