Guilt Has a Heavy Hand: Guilt Is Satan’s Handiwork Conviction Is God’s

Paul writes in Romans 8:1-4 (NIV): “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.” 

Indeed, Satan likes to taunt when we are down – “You loser”, “God can’t love you”, and on and on his rhetoric goes. Don’t believe his nonsense. We get up, ask God for forgiveness – running back to the foot of the cross - turning in the opposite direction of our sin - going forth battling forward – even when we are broken and bruised from our own poor choices. The believer in sweet Jesus battles from victory not for it. Satan likes to tout to the child of the King when they fall, “You loser,” “How could God still love you?” and God encourages us with “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”. That does not mean there are no consequences because He uses them to teach us we do not want to go back there again - but never condemnation. 

God does not want us to wallow in pig pen of self-pity or in the pit of condemnation. We confess our sins, ask for forgiveness and get back into the game of seeking to walk as Jesus walked. We are not to become paralyzed over our pain of falling as it behooves Satan for us to be frozen and wallow in unforgiveness – unable to forgive ourselves or embrace God’s forgiveness of us. When we remain frozen we are of no kingdom value. Remember as well believers are not sinless but we are to be sinning less.

Love streams from heaven to earth freely - a spontaneous love flowing forth to those who neither deserve it nor purchased it nor sought after it. He loves us such as we are, healing our waywardness and loving us freely. 

The race of faith can be quite difficult that is why we are to fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith. It was He that pioneered and perfected the path of faith keeping His eyes fixed on the joy set before Him – looking at the achievement of His goal rather than the path itself. We are to be students of the Master – walking as Jesus walked. The believers share in that joy must also be kept in view.