Do you ever feel bad when you do something wrong? If you do, praise the Lord because you have a conscience. Those are long gone from the hearts of the wicked so there's hope for you.
But on a serious note, there should be a tug in your chest when you stray from God's instructions. Yet, that feeling should not devolve into lingering guilt - the kind that leaves you destabilized and unproductive whereby you feel you can't pray, praise, or study God's word because you feel shame.
The Lord has not called us to dwell in guilt, self-condemnation, or shame. This is why He sent Jesus to bear the burden of our sins. As a result, our job as believers who have given their lives to Christ (if you haven't, this post is not for you but you can learn why here) is to quickly repent and prayerfully make choices (aided by Jesus and the Holy Spirit) to not return to the sin we repented for. The process may not be instant but the Lord will help us with each passing day.
All of this is possible because Jesus cleansed the children of God when He died on the cross (Ephesians 5:25). Before that, He cleansed His disciples by washing their feet in John 13, telling them, "[u]nless I wash you, you have no part of me" (John 13:8 BSB). He also told them, "[y]ou are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you" (John 15:3). And in John 17:17, he prayed to the Lord, "[s]anctify them by your truth, your word is truth" (BSB).
That cleansing is available to all who would believe that Jesus is the Son of God who came to die for the sins of the world. However, you have to accept that it is yours for it to play its appointed role in your life.
Unless you accept and appreciate that Christ cleansed you with His word, you will never break free from guilt and shame. It is a choice each believer must make. Christ understood that His disciples needed the ceremonial act of their feet being washed by Him. He knew they needed that act to receive the truth that they had been set free from every burden satan wanted them to carry.
Judas did not believe and so he submitted to the will of satan (as had been prophesied per John 17:12). Instead of being one who sold the good news to souls hungry for God's light, he sold out the light of the Lord to those hungry to impose darkness on mankind. His guilt and shame led to his eventual self-destruction.
Each of us is in a position to make a better decision. We have the opportunity to agree with God that His word sanctified us and that the blood of the Lamb provides redemption for sin. God is patient and He wants us to believe in His character, His word, and His Son, Jesus Christ. If you have given your life to Christ, have received the Spirit of the Lord, and are allowing God to build you up despite your imperfections, then hold onto John 8:36 - So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free (NLT). You are a new creature, set free from guilt, shame, and every lie the devil wants you to believe to your detriment.
To learn more, please read:
From C8 - Thank you Lord for waking me up. For forgiving me. For loving me even with my endless imperfections and sinful heart. I pray for a heart of obedience. I pray to love what is good and hate what is evil. Forgive me for my short comings and help me love people the way that you do.
In Jesus name.
FINAL MESSAGE
I hope you enjoyed Praise & Pray today. I know I feel refreshed and ready for whatever might come my way. Only because the Lion of the Tribe of Judah stands before me and is all around me.
I pray you feel the same. If for some reason you feel down, please remember that God is He who is spoken of in Zephaniah 3:17 - The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.
Know that you can't rely on yourself so cry out Him. Play worship music, pray, read your Bible, do anything to put that spirit of unease at bay.
And please remember 2 Timothy 1:7 - For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Let us also continue to pray for one another so we help our brothers and sisters in Christ as instructed in Ephesians 6:18.
God bless you all!
CLOSING PRAYER
Thank You, Heavenly Father, for Your kindness. Thank You for teaching us and giving us the opportunity to gather in Your presence. Hallowed be Your Name.
As we go our separate ways, I place today's participants before You and pray for Your healing to come upon their minds and their hearts. That You will rescue them from the ravages of guilt and unhealthy thinking.
2 Corinthians 13:14 - May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
IJN Amen.
We honor You
Not just with our lips
But with our hearts
LAST 10 MINUTES
We've reached the last 10 minutes of today's fellowship. By now, you should have prayed about the issue of guilt if you followed along with the prayers raised over the last 25 minutes.
Let us use this time to meditate on the Lord. Did you see a prayer above that touched you? Or a praise point that's still on your mind? Was it a Bible verse that speaks to something you're going through?
Take it and recite it. Personalize it by placing your very name into it as you speak aloud. Expand it to fit your personal needs. This is the time to focus on what we want from our Redeemer.
God bless you.
From M22 - Father Lord I thank you for sis @FFJ I pray that you continue to enrich in wisdom, favour and strength. I pray that you continue to bless her, her family and her loved ones. I pray that you will continue to strengthen and expand her ministry. IJMN Amen
From M22 - Father Lord as we move fully into the holidays from next week. I pray that you provide for families and individuals struggling to meet up with holiday expenses. I pray that you fill their pockets and bless them with abundant food and every supply they need. I pray that they will experience your abundant provision in their lives IJMN Amen
From M22 - Abba Father I pray for children across the world. I pray that you will continue to nourish nd nurture them in your ways. I pray that they will fulfil your purpose and will for their lives. I pray that you will shield them from abuse, bullying, intimidation and other negative vices. I pray that you will surround them with positive and wonderful influences IJMN Amen
From JIR - I pray for the homeless and the poor. Please bless them with libations, shelter, and the strength, love, comfort and peace to get out of whatever situation they may be in. Please bless them to seek You, call on You, pray to You, speak with You, and build a relationship with You, Lord. Please increase their faith, hope, belief, love and trust in You. Please watch over them Lord and protect them from the elements and bless them with shelter. Please bless them to know that You care for them, You love them and that You are watching over them. Please bless them with the hope and a future to keep on going. IJMN. Amen.
Father, I come before You on behalf of others who need You to do what is promised in Proverbs 21:1 - In the LORD's hand the king's heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.
God, turn the hearts of decision makers to favor Your children. Transform their thinking so Your children are blessed and elevated even by those who once stood in opposition. IJMN, Amen.
Thank You Father for being steadfast. I pray for the body of Christ. That those called to Your Holy Household will never forget the lesson in 2 Corinthians 12:9 - But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
Let Your children submit their weaknesses to You and hold onto the knowledge that You oh Lord are their strength in all things. Ephesians 6:10 - Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Father, I pray for people to come to know Christ so He can heal them of that foul spirit of self-condemnation. For the word states in Romans 8:1 - Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Plus, You have given unto Your people a sound mind.
I come against every spirit of condemnation and guilt. Every strongman of religiosity and legalism seeking to attack the minds of Your people. I decree that the devil is a liar and not in a position to point an accusatory finger at any body that Christ died for. I decree that their minds receive the peace and rest that comes from knowing You, Lord. Marvelous God, Thou alone are worthy to be praised. Take all the glory, IJMN, Amen.
From JIR - I pray for all of Your servants sent by You, Lord, to remain obedient to You. I pray that You bless them exceedingly and abundantly for their obedience to You. I pray that You take them under Your wings and shield them, protect them and cover them from those who mean the harm or ill-will towards them. Please Lord bless them to be bold forceful and spread the good news of the kingdom with zeal. IJMN. Amen.
Father, I use this opportunity to come against every spirit of guilt or any other related spirit seeking to keep any of us in bondage.
Lord, Your word is clear that the lawful captive shall be set free. That freedom came on the cross. As we have given our lives to Christ and accepted that He is Your Son, we are the ones who enjoy the privilege of blood-bought freedom.
And so, I declare in accordance with Your word that we are free from the shackles of guilt. We walk in clean new garments because You dear God have clothed us in white raiments for Your glory. Thank You for doing this, Lord. Thank You for beautifying us. Thank You for restoring our strength like the eagle for Your word is clear - those who wait on You will receive strength.
We choose now to walk in this strength, knowing that when we repent for our sins, we receive Your promised forgiveness and purification.
Thank You for our freedom, God!
IJN, I pray and say, Amen.
From M22 - Heavenly Father I pray for countries ravaged by war, famine and natural disasters. I pray Father that you direct the hearts and minds of leaders, governments, authorities and organizations to help rebuild and restore these countries. Abba Father I pray that you continue to watch over the citizens of these countries and take care of their needs. Father Lord I pray that these afflictions will not rise again in these nations. I pray Lord that you accept the souls of the departed in your bosom and comfort their loved ones as they process their grief IJMN Amen
From JIR - I pray for the terminally ill or sick. Please Lord place Your healing hands upon them and remove whatever illnesses or sicknesses are ailing them. Please bless them with compassionate and loving doctors and surgeons. Please bless those doctors and surgeons with wisdom and knowledge, a supportive team, sturdy hands and sharp eyes to provide their patients with the treatments and surgery needed to heal them. Please bless those affected by severe conditions to be able to live full lives, put their illnesses behind them and give You all the glory. IJMN. Amen.
From M22 - Heavenly Father I thank you for this community of Christ. You have been in our midst since the year started and you will always continue to be in our midst. Thank you Lord for strengthening us as we pray, praise and intercede. We bless you for the testimonies, lessons learnt and strongholds you have broken in our lives. We bless you for giving us the strength to pray without ceasing. We exalt your name Father for constantly expanding us and enriching sis @FFJ in wisdom. We give you all the glory Abba. IJMN Amen
PRAYER TIME
From PU - Wow. I really needed to hear this right now.
Please keep me in prayer and pray that I hold onto this truth through my struggles in Christ. Blessings to all of you.
From JIR - Thank You Lord for pulling me out of the darkness and into the light. It is forward ever, backward never. IJMN. Amen.
Miracle Worker! That's who You are, God. You are exceptionally great!
Thank You for Your protection over our lives and the lives of our loved ones. Thank You for good health and for giving us many reasons to smile.
Psalm 105:1 - Give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the nations.
From CD - All praises to the Most High!!!
Heavenly Father, I just have to give You thanks for protecting me from things seen and unseen, the dangers and betrayals I am aware of, but more importantly, those that I am unaware of. I thank You Father because when others lie on me, I can praise you, when others try to form weapons against me, I can sing your praises and when they smile in my face and try to plan my demise behind my back, I can give you all of the glory!!!
Hallelujah because your word teaches me that they hated You 1st, they lied on You 1st and praise God that you loved me enough to wrap your infinite love and compassion in a flesh suit and showed me how to stand strong and keep my eyes on you and not focus on the chaos around me, thank you Gracious Father that you are!!!
Praise God that I no longer desire to match the energy of those operating beneath God's standards, praise God that I can pray from them rather than prey on them!! Lord, I lift them up to you and ask that You have mercy on their souls!!
Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou are with me!!!
God, I thank You for being so giving and selfless. Thank You for being so kind and loving. I am so grateful to be called Your own.
Thank You God for the blessings and the miracles we don't see. We know You are working for us in ways we can never understand.
Father, thank You for standing by our side through everything. You are truly great!
From JIR - I can’t imagine life without You Lord. You are becoming my everything. You give me reason, You give me purpose, You give me life. Thank You Lord. IJMN.
From JIR - Thank you Lord for knowing me better than I know myself. You are consistent in all Your ways. What You start You always finish. You are too faithful to fail me. I bow before Your throne and humbly thank You for sacrificing Yourself for the sake of humanity. You Lord are the epitome of Love. I lift my hands to You in total praise. Thank You Lord. IJMN. Amen.
Psalm 126:3 - The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.
Hallelujah!
PRAISE TIME
From JIR - Thank You, Lord for breathing life into us this morning. Thank You, Lord for blessing us to open our eyes and take our first breath this morning. Thank You, Lord for blessing us with another day to draw closer to You. It is truly an honor and a privilege. Thank You Lord for stirring our spirit to fellowship in here today with others and receive today’s message. You make this all possible. All glory to You, Lord. IJMN.
Thanks sis @FFJ for this timely message. It’s so important to realize the precious blood that Jesus had shed on the cross so that we do not live in guilt every time we sin. I made a vow to the Lord to never listen to rap or secular music again a few months back. Well, fast forward to last week, I came upon some Christian rap music that sounded pretty good so I took a liking to it a listened to it that night. The next day I started feeling guilty because I listened to rap music, although it wasn’t secular. I beat myself up all day about it and felt really terrible and even fearful because I may have or may not have broken my vow and God takes vows very seriously. I called on the Lord to search my heart, because when I made the vow in my heart I meant secular rap not Christian rap.
After calling on Him, I began to feel better and started to feel so grateful that He knows me better than myself to even be able to search my heart. The reason for my story is I think we try so hard to please God that when we fall short the enemy uses the guilt against us to flood our mind and paralyze us to that guilty state for as long as he can. After repenting and asking for forgiveness and realizing that God knows my heart the guilt seemed to completely diminish. The Lord is ALL powerful and knows our next sin before it becomes a thought. As long as we repent and ask for forgiveness it is blotted out. I thank Him for sacrificing His life for our sins to be forgiven. He is such a good God, who loves us endlessly without a doubt and will never forsake us. IJMN. Amen.
From ND22 - amen
From ML - Amen and good morning y’all
From EC - Amen and good morning ladies!
From M22 - Thank you Heavenly Father for another beautiful fellowship day. We bless you for transforming, renewing, pruning and perfecting us for your purpose and glory. We are grateful we can find our strength in your Abba Father. We are grateful for everything you have done , you are doing and will continue to do in our lives IJMN Amen.
Thank you for today's word sis @FFJ . Today's word is very important for me because God is teaching me everyday to never let guilt and shame linger in my kife because they are not the fruits of the spirit. I am learning to look up to God for help and not judgment. I am learning to repent when I fall short and remind myself of Jesus's sacrifice in the cross and how it has wiped away every iota of guilt and shame in my life. I used to be so hard on myself when I sin. Now I am understanding that God knows we struggle with sin and because of that hes giving us the grace and strength to overcome it everyday so shame and guilt are not options. God is good and his mercies will continue to endure in our lives IJMN Amen