Tuesday, August 16, 2022
Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. Revelation 12:10
The Accuser and False Guilt
He Accuses – Satan knows how to get in our heads. He knows the negative thoughts we have about ourselves, and he feeds those thoughts with lies because not only is he the accuser, but he is also the deceiver. Deceit and accusations go hand in hand to take us down. He rejoices. He loves to take Christians out of commission, to make us feel unworthy and insignificant. When he can take us down, he knows this will impact the kingdom of God. He knows how powerful we are for the kingdom when we live and walk in the Spirit.
One thing the devil likes to use on us is false guilt. We have all been guilty at one time or another. But what about those times when you have feelings of guilt even when you didn't do anything wrong? This is false guilt. Living in false guilt is a life of bondage, but how do we stop and live the life of freedom that God planned for us? We can learn what it is and how to recognize it in ourselves.
The source of false guilt is Satan, but he uses many tools. One of those tools in an overactive conscience.
Someone with false guilt has a conscience that is always on the go. False guilt makes a person always on edge, looking for how they can prove themselves worthy because a little voice in their head is telling them that they are not. If they can prove that they are valuable, they feel pretty good
An overactive conscience is like a magnet for expectations. These expectations come from oneself, parents (whether alive or not), friends, bosses, peers, God, or distorted images of God. They are always looking for a way to please people and keep the rules to prove their worth.
An overactive conscience is also seeking to keep the "carrot" of acceptance just out of reach, meaning we strive to prove ourselves constantly, and never reach the mark. We keep telling ourselves over and over that we need to do and be better. This creates a life in which we never know the love and acceptance of those around us and God. We may never know peace or rest and we may create some significant health issues for ourselves. We find we cannot let our guard down and relax in a relationship.
In summary, a person with false guilt and an overactive conscience spends much of his or her life worn out. Unrelenting efforts to meet the expectations of others can have some very negative consequences.
The way Satan uses false guilt is that when we have an overactive conscience, we are seeking to please man and not God. We are so focused on what others think about us that we cannot even see our value in God’s eyes. The beauty of our Heavenly Father is that we don’t have to prove ourselves to Him to be accepted and loved by Him. He gave His life for us when we were at our worst and He never gives up on us no matter how many times we feel like we have failed Him. He claims us as His own, and He is the only worthy source we can get our true identity from.
