Being blind to your own faults (Part 2)

oge okonkwo

July 2, 2015 8:52 AM

We forget that sin and not guilt is what separates us from God

The Bible

Bible verse for today: Psalm 19:12 But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults (NIV).

It is so hard to see our faults sometimes because we don't let the Holy Spirit guide us and when we finally acknowledge them, our guilt may make us run away from God.

We forget that sin and not guilt is what separates us from God. Guilt is the first step to repentance which leaves a contrite Christian at a crossroad - either he goes back to his past or faces God and deal with the issue.

Letting our guilt overshadow our thoughts builds it up, pushes you away from God and may likely fall into the hands of the devil during crisis.

The Word for Today devotional by United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) says:

Sometimes trying to see the truth about yourself is like trying to see inside your own eyeballs. ‘…Who can discern their own errors…?’ the Psalmist asked. Fortunately, you’re not left on your own. The Spirit is already at work in you. Your job is simply to listen and respond. Guilt isn’t your enemy, sin is. God’s Spirit will often bring a sense of conviction, and when it does, the proper response isn’t to try and suppress the guilt but to deal with the issue. When you don’t, those issues can build up like cholesterol in your arteries. At a moment of great crisis, Samson arose to exert his strength, ‘…but he did not know that the Lord had left him’ (Judges 16:20 NIV). He’d become callous and lost his sensitivity to God.

Our bodies have an amazing capacity to warn us about what ails them, if we learn to read the signs. Chest pains may indicate heart trouble and there are more subtle clues. Most of us will have seen the TV ad from the NHS about detecting when someone is having a stroke (FAST) Face, Arms, Speech, Time. God will enable you to find the truth about your soul if you’re open and willing. Left to yourself, you will usually rationalise or defend yourself. You’ll ‘…call evil good and good evil…’ (Isaiah 5:20 NIV). At the other extreme, you can become a neurotic over-analyser. Madame Guyon warned against ‘depending on the diligence of your own scrutiny rather than on God for the knowledge and discovery of our sin.’ What’s the answer? Allow your thoughts and responses to be guided by the Holy Spirit.

oge okonkwo