Sunday 07:14:13

Jesus said everything you do comes from your heart. We live from our heart. We learned what to say and do. We learned to filter our hearts, but the Bible tells us to guard our hearts, to watch over it, watch what goes into it and comes out of it. Not to filter our hearts, but to deal with them. We recoil at bringing those things out into the light. One way to understand some sin is as a debt/debtor relationship. Debt hangs over the relationship If we don't deal with them. Psalm 38:1-4 Guilt - is an overwhelming sense that I've done wrong. Guilt will negatively impact your relationships. Guilt is not what God desires for His people. "It is your kindness, o God, that leads us to repentance." Guilt is a monster, not a tool. Apart from the cross, guilt is normal. Because of the gospels power, you can be completely free of all guilt. Don't buy the lie that cultivating guilt and wallowing in your shame is somehow pleasing to God or promote holiness or spiritual maturity. God is glorified when we believe with all our hearts that those who trust in Christ can never be condemned. Jesus' sacrifice did away with our guilt, it did not add to it. He removes our guilt; takes it away. My guilt and your guilt was buried with Jesus. It was done away forever. Guilt says, "I owe you." I did something wrong, now I owe you. Lies rob people from making a decision based on the truth, it robs the relationship. When a husband or wife leaves, it robs the spouse, the children. There is a debt/debtor relationship. We experience it like a weight or a burden. When we confess it, we feel like a weights been lifted. The guilt you pick up, you carry back into your family and relationships. You carry guilt with you everywhere you go. When you carry unresolved guilt, you take it into your relationships. In the middle of guilt, there is anger. You are angry at yourself. "I said, 'I'd never,' then I did." You're angry at you. You let your kids, spouse, parents down. You carry it with you in every aspect of your life. It is almost impossible to please a man or woman who carries guilt. "Since I didn't live up to my expectations, I'm not going to allow you to either. Since I disappointed me, I'm going to find a way for you to disappoint me too." It's hard to see in yourself, but the people around you see it. They don't know why they can never measure up. "I'm just trying to help" "I'm a perfectionist" No, your disappointment in you impacts the people around you. Guilt eats at your heart. It grows in the darkness and eats at you. You may feel like its in the past, so it's something that cannot be undone. Bringing it out in the light may scare you to death. There are only two ways to deal with guilt. 1st, since it's like a debt, return what was taken. But how can you repay hurt? Repay a past broken relationship? It's almost impossible. Or, 2, ask the person you took it from to cancel your debt Both require confession. Confession breaks the power of guilt. Psalm 32:1-5 You will never adequately forgive yourself until you first confess to the person you stole from The Bible has more to say about confessing to other people than to God. We think the way we deal with guilt is to tell God. You get rid of guilt by shining the light of truth on it. Zacheaus - admitted his abuse of power, offered to pay back, Jesus said salvation is near. When leaving your gift, make things right with your brother. The Bible calls us to a lifestyle of confession, being honest with ourselves, with our family, everyone around us. Keep short accounts. Be quick to confess, apologize, make right. James 5:16 - confess your sins to one another The goal of confession is not a clear conscience. The goal of confession a change of heart, a change of life. You live from your heart. Make restitution - sometimes impossible to pay back what we've taken Andy Stanley: How are things in your heart? Any secrets?