A Nugget from New Life Network
(by Dr. Larry Ollison)
Scripture for the Day (January 4, 2017)
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)
Many years ago, there were two men who entered into a business agreement. Although they were partners and owned the business together, one man invested all of his money and the other man ran the business. The business failed and because of that, the man who furnished the money lost everything. The man who ran the business eventually recovered and became successful, but he carried the guilt of the business failure with him for decades. As the years passed, the guilt increased.
The man who furnished the money and lost everything began to drink and eventually lost his family. He never could get his life back together. The other man became very successful financially, but daily carried the guilt with him for the business failure of decades before. Although everything looked good in his life, his joy was never complete. He felt that everything that had happened to his previous business partner could have been avoided had he done something differently decades before. The guilt he carried daily robbed him of his joy.
The Holy Spirit does not minister through guilt. Anytime guilt is involved, it is the work of the enemy. Yes, the Holy Spirit does convict us, but conviction draws a person toward repentance, forgiveness, and freedom. When we receive the ministry of the Holy Spirit, we become set free from the pain, guilt, and regret of the past.
Over the years, I have counseled with countless numbers of people who cannot let go of the guilt of the past. While it is true that the decisions of yesterday have created the world and the atmosphere we live in today, we cannot allow the enemy to use guilt to work in our lives today. If we allow the enemy to condemn us by bringing up the guilt of the past, then our future will not be as God has planned it to be.
We must never forget that the decisions we make today will affect tomorrow. If we want tomorrow to be free of pain, we must do something different today. Remember, the decisions you made yesterday created the world you are living in today. The world you will live in tomorrow is being framed and created by the decisions you make and the words you speak today. Nothing is going to change until something changes. You must decide that change will take place today.
Never forget that the Holy Spirit convicts us in order to bring freedom, but the enemy condemns us in order to bring bondage.Unbelief brings condemnation. Believing what God has said brings freedom. Jesus said that if we would continue in His Word, we would know the truth and the truth would set us free (John 8:31-32). And the truth is this: If we allow the Holy Spirit to minister to us and if we allow God’s power (His grace) to work through us, then we can conquer the guilt of the past and move forward with freedom into the future. In the natural, it may seem impossible, but remember, Jesus said that if we can believe, all things are possible.
