1-BREAKING THE CHAINS OF GUILT--page 1
Did you know that Jesus loves you that much, he desires you to be in good health. He provides different means of healing for us.One of the means of healing us is removing the chains of guilt that bind us and prevent us from from finding true happiness.
REMOVING THE CHAINS OF GUILT
CHAPTER-1 Breaking the links.
Psalm-32—What happiness for those whose sins are forgiven!—What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record.
Lets start with the third line of this piece of scripture="What relief" for those who have confessed their sins to God, and God "HAS" cleared their record.
What does this scripture say to us?It tells us that when we confess sins to God then he simply wipes them out never to be remembered any more. He clears your record.
Do you understand what that means?Those sins are gone forever never to be held against you,ever!
The word "has" means something already happened.For example =She "has" a car.= He "has" a boat.She has a car that means its already in her possession.He has a boat. he’s not going to get a boat, he already "has" that boat, it is his already.
Your sins are already wiped out never to be remembered by God or to be upcasted to you ever again.
We must start taking God at his word, if God says something to us in his word then we should believe him and accept it as fact. God never lies. If he says he forgives you then he has the power to do so.Sin offends God and if he chooses to forgive,who are we to argue with him.We have to come to the point of realisation, God is God! and sin offends him,so if he says just repent sincerely and everything will be Ok again."Believe him!"
There is an awful misunderstanding about sin. Most people I know believe that you can commit different sizes of sin,for example. Stealing one pound, is not as bad as stealing a hundred pound. That adultery is one of the worse sins you could commit.I used to believe the same until I was asked to pray with a young woman after her fathers burial.
After Tom's funeral, I was asked to come back to the family home for a cup of tea. While sitting having my cup of tea,Tom's wife asked me if I would pray with her daughter who come over from England for her Fathers funeral. To say the least I was shocked.I said “you just lost your husband,are you sure?” She answered me by saying “I know where he is, he is Ok, but I am worried about my daughter, would you pray with her?” I agreed and she directed me to the room where Toms coffin had been, and brought her daughter to me and introduced her to me.
Lucy[not her real name, or Toms] began to tell me her story,she was married to a man in England, he was very cruel to her, he abused her sexually, mentally, psychically, verbally,and emotionally, she Was left a complete nervous wreck.Finally she could take no more and she left him. Years later she met this kind, thoughtful and very loving man,[who was not a Christian but was a very loving person who treated her with respect and consideration. They decided to live together, because Lucy was a Catholic and could not get an annulment,or a divorce.
When Lucy first started living with Harry[not his real name] She went to receive communion at mass, and was humiliated to be told at the alter by the priest, that he would not give her communion as she was living in sin.He later told her never to come back to Church until she had broke it off with this man, and was living right before God, because she was going to Hell.
Lucy was devastated she lived for her mass and communion, now she had a choice to make should she give up the only person who ever gave her, and her now,three children,any love. Lucy left the church, and continued living with Harry.She told me that she put Harry through Hell, she withheld herself from him as often as she could, then when she didn’t,she lived a nightmare of guilt.
I sat there thinking to myself, thou shall not commit adultery, that's God’s word, what am I supposed to say to this broken woman. I had no words of comfort to offer.All the time I kept asking God to guide and direct me.Then I heard the Lord say,"Ask her would she like to be saved?" I thought I was hearing things, so I asked again “Lord what did you say?” He said again “ask her would she like to be saved?” Lucy said she can’t because she is living in sin with a man,then said “I would if I could.” I talked with her about Jesus dying on the cross for her and how he paid for her sins with his own blood, Lucy said she would love to accept Jesus as Lord, but because of her situation she was not able to. I told her to ask Jesus into her heart anyway, she did.
Then I asked,“now lord what do I do?”
HE said.“Ask her would she like to be baptised in the Holy Spirit?”
I tried to clear this from my head, thinking this can not be God, after all he says “do not commit adultery.” I again asked Lord what do you want me to say to her. and again the words, “ask her would she like to be baptised in the Holy Spirit?”
This time I said what I heard God say and asked Lucy would you like to be baptised in the Holy Spirit, and did she know what that meant? She said she knew what it meant because her sister had told her the night before all about it.But said she was living in sin, and can’t be forgiven, I again asked her would she like to be baptised in the Holy Spirit and to speak in tongues, I explained that was part of the gift of the Holy Spirit.She answered I would love to, but I cant, I’m living in sin.I again refeared back to the Lord. HE said “pray with her.” I laid my hands on her and within seconds she came out with the most beautiful flow of Gods heavenly language that I ever heard, it was so sweet to listen to. I was shocked, and just sat there amazed.My mind confused because I thought nothing would happen, after all she was living in sin, and was going back to England to this man,to whom she had three children.As she prayed and prayed I knew that she knew she had been forgiven from all her sins, because God loved her enough to baptise her in His Holy Spirit and gave her his gift of tongues Then the tears started flowing from her eyes, they were tears of joy, from having a heavy burden lifted from her that no human being could ever lift.
I was confused, all this defied what I believed and knew about God.Then Lucy said, “ What do I do about my situation with Harry?I have to go back to England tomorrow.Bewildered I again sought the Lord, saying “what now Lord?”Again the Lord spoke to me and he said. “Tell her to go back and give herself to that man.” your probably thinking, the same as I did, that’s not scriptural.
I was not going to argue with God no more after he baptised her in the Holy Spirit contrary to my believing, so I told her, and she said she would.
On my way home I had an argument with God telling him that everything that happened was a contradiction to whatI knew about him in my bible.I was so confused, and annoyed at God.Then God spoke to me again and said. "Go home and read James 2-10"-I did and it says.And the person who keeps every law Of God, but makes one little slip, is just as guilty as the person who has broken every law there is.For the God who said you must not marry a woman who already has a husband, also said you must not murder, so even though you have not broken the marriage laws by committing adultery but have murdered someone, you have entirely broken God’s law, and stand utterly guilty before him;
13-For there will be no mercy to those who have shown no mercy.But if you have been mercifull, then God’s mercy twoards you will win out over his judgement against you."
King James version=For whosoever shall keep the whole law,and yet offend in "one point" he is guilty of "all." For he that said, do not commit adultery, said also,Do not kill.Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.So speak you and so do, as they that shall be judged, by the law of liberty; For he shall have judgement without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy and mercy rejoices against judgement.
God also said to me “You judged this woman by the worlds standards of sin, I judge as I see the heart."
I can tell you I felt very humbled.When I arrived home and read my bible on the above scripture, as God directed , I realised I grew up With the idea of big sins and little sins, God showed there is no such thing.—SIN is SIN.He also showed that his mercy is bigger than his judgement.we judge and condemn, even though God tells us not to.
Over a period of time the Lord revealed more on this scripture to me, too much to put down on paper. Jesus said - “I did not come into the world to condemn it but to save it”-John-3-1.7
He didn't come to condemn Lucy but to save her and he did, and proved it to her, because you can not receive the Holy Spirit without first being saved.
Two weeks later I had a phone call from Lucy’s sister saying “Lucy just called and said that when she got home ,Harry kept asking her what happened to her in Ireland,because whatever it was, he wanted it too.”And later on he did and became a Christian. God’s plans are bigger than what we think He knows the overall picture, his mercy endures forever.
How many of us would have judged Lucy and condemned her? And maybe you still do.
However Jesus also treated the woman at the well in the same way.
John-4-16— Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.— “But I’m not married,”the woman replied.— “All too true!”Jesus said. “For you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even Married to the man you’re living with now,”
John-4-28- Then the woman left her water pot and went back to the village, and “told everyone”4—30—So the people came streaming from the village to see him.
Look at what the woman done, she told everyone, look at what Lucy done she also told others. And people were saved as a result. Jesus mercy won out over his judgement.He didn’t tell the woman at the well to go and leave the man she was living with. He did not condemn her either, He commented on the fact that she had five husbands. and was still living with one.You would think that he would have condemned her for not living right. No! Jesus knew everything about the woman.
29—“Come and meet a man who told me everything I ever did.”
Just like lucy Jesus knew everything about this woman and he did not condemn her. How do we know what some poor woman / man has to suffer from the hands of some brutal spouse? How dare we act as judge and jury and executioner. Only God has the right to judge and he never gave that right over to you or I.
In case you think I endorse someone living together,I don't!But I have learned from God never to judge another human being.I don't know what someone's life holds, nor they mine.
I do know God is LOVE,and love overlooks faults. Lucy lived in guilt and shame for years, and had a very heavy burden in her heart.Jesus knew Lucy would get a chance to come to him some day and she then could choose ,if she would accept Jesus into her life or not.
How many of you are living every day in some form of guilt and shame? With terrible crushing burdens in your heart? Feeling that you also can not come to God because of your lifestyle.God does not want you living like this.
Would you want one of your children living every day of their lives feeling overburdened, weighed down with terrible pressure, feeling unhappy?I know I wouldn’t, I love my kids and want them to be happy.Would not God who calls himself Father want the same for us?
CHAPTER-2 Sexual Sins
Through praying with lots of people I have come to the awareness that most were burdened with one form of sexual sin or
another.The heaviness I pick up from them is distressing to say the least.They have no joy,and any happiness is short lived.They live in guilt of a sexual sin, feeling that is the worst thing that they could do. Feeling dirty and unclean.Let me tell you.
THERE IS FORGIVENESS FOR YOU, FROM JESUS!
Sexual sin is no different in size than stealing one pound or two dollars.Read that scripture James-2-10- over and over again and again until it sinks into you that all sin is sin and God did not give it specific sizes, little ones, big ones. it is simply sin,and Jesus has already forgiven us for all our sins.
I know that you may be living wrong, sining every day the same sexual sin, but then everyone commits the same sins over and over, again and again. day in day out, week after week, month after month, year after year. It is in your weakness and Satan works overtime on in this area.
Sexual sins feel worse because they may involve another person and are “usualy” done in secret, and in private And they involve parts of our body that we keep hidden from others and we would never want anyone to sees us sinning.But we know deep down that God sees us because the devil puts that reality into our head and then keeps reminding us of it. He encourages us to sin, then puts condemnation on us makes it seem like its God condemning us.
The pain many people suffer is awful.
Seperated or divorced people are some of the most broken people around, and we have a God of compassion and mercy,who knows and understands their pain and suffering.Yet the feel condemned looking for another partner to love them as they deserved to be loved.
Jesus said in —Matthew -9-13—It isnt your sacrifices or your gifts I want—I want "you" to be "merciful", for I have come to urge sinners, not the self righteous, back to God.
If your sitting thinking of a neighbour who is living with someone and condemn them in your heart,you are,self righteous, and self righteousness does not go down well with God.
Sexual sin, is one of the sins that we commit that can cause tremendous guilt.The burdens that are placed on people,because of some sexual sin are unbearable. Many a person has taken their own life because of this.Unable to live with their guilt,not knowing the mercy of God.
I have never heard any Priest,Minister, Preacher, or lay person, talk about sexual problems and Jesus understanding of them.This seems to be taboo.No one wants to admit to being a sexual creature, with sexual feelings and emotions, and desires.But this is the way God made us.
The only place you hear sex being talked about is on T.V or on some video or film. And its usually filth, never the God given gift that it is.
Sexual sins carry with them shame humiliation,
embarrassment,guilt, feeling dirty and disgusting. God never intended for you to be bound up in shame, embarrassment, humiliation,or guilt feeling dirty or disgusting .He come to set the captives free,He came to set you free—.Because of the nature of sex, we don't talk about it, except to tell dirty stories or jokes, and yet to share a problem of a sexual nature, is practically beyond thin
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Forgiveness brings healing
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