Do you struggle with letting go of the mistakes of the past? Do you keep hearing condemnation, when you know you should feel free? Dr. Erwin Lutzer says it may be time to check in with your conscience:
“Everyone has a conscience; you don’t have to be a Christian to have a conscience. The conscience sits in judgment on all of our actions and tells us, ‘Hey you violated what you know to be right.’”
“Con- means with and then -science means knowledge, so conscience means knowledge along with us. That reminds us when we have violated a standard.”
While that knowledge is a gift to help guide us, Dr. Lutzer says many believers can become trapped by feelings of guilt over sins that have already been forgiven…or even guilt over wrongs committed against them:
“The conscience can be molded; it can be shaped. Oftentimes, people don’t realize that you are responsible only for what you have done– not what others have done to you. Satan likes to remind us of our past even if it has been forgiven.”
“So once the past is past, God has forgiven us. We may think about it, and it may influence us, but it certainly should not define us, because we have a new allegiance. Our conscience has been cleansed–not just forgiven, but cleansed–and we can move on from there.”
In Dr. Lutzer’s new book, The Power of a Clear Conscience, he outlines the process of breaking free from shame of the past. God is willing and able to free us, but we have to be willing to let Him.
To the person who has been so wounded in their past that they’re afraid to trust God or other people, the first step is to look honestly at Jesus.
“The Bible says that God heals the brokenhearted and binds up those who are wounded: as you look at Jesus on the cross, who Himself was so unjustly treated, we have to see that. We have to see that in Jesus and His wounds, we too can be healed from emotional ruins.”
“It may not be total, and you have to encourage people by saying, ‘did you know that you don’t have to get all this together before God can use you?’ But move toward God. Embrace Him. Come before Him; spill out your heart. Tell Him about your disappointment, your anger, your sense of frustration, the guilt, the shame that you don’t deserve.”
“Lay it out all out before the Lord–pour it out like a glass of water onto a parched desert–and God will begin the healing process. Because God knows you; God loves you. And what God wants from you is your ability to trust Him. Obviously, you have circumstances in which your faith is sorely tested, but at the same time you can bring honor to God where you are. Come towards him. Don’t push him away.”
Dr. Erwin Lutzer serves as Pastor Emeritus at The Moody Church in Chicago. Erwin is a celebrated speaker and radio host, and author of several books, including .
Letting Go of Guilt
