LIFEBOAT SERVICES

The Word for Today; Guilt hinders a person from seeing true loyalty and love. 2 Samuel 19:1-6 ? “Joab was told, “The king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.”?And for the whole army the victory that day was turned into mourning, because on that day the troops heard it said, “The king is grieving for his son.”?The men stole into the city that day as men steal in who are ashamed when they flee from battle.?The king covered his face and cried aloud, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!” Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, “Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines.?You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead.” Many believers mistake natural consequences for God's punishment. When looking at David's sin with Bethsheba, many have the misperception that David's war with his son Absalom was God's doing (see 2 Samuel 12:7-14). The reality is that God knew David's heart and knew that David would let his guilt guide him in decision making (see Psalms 51:1-3). Thus, David's guilt allowed his son to punish him (see 2 Samuel 16:5-13). Many people, especially parents, who struggle with their forgetting and forgiving themselves, create dysfunctional thinking that hinders effective decision making. Instead of seeing the reality within abusive and unproductive relationships, which include social, professional, and spiritual interactions, they use the excuse of being loyal as their reason to continue in unhealthy situations. Instead of heeding to the exhortations throughout the scriptures, they stay imprisoned (see Isaiah 43:18-19, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Philippians 3:13-14 and Hebrews 12:1). As Matthew 6:14-15 exhorts that we are to forgive others, this also includes self. A person cannot truly give what they do not have within. As the guilt remains, then the ability for true love and healthy loyalty will not exist. God wants His children to be free from guilt so that we can grow instead wallow in stagnation. Until we seek Him for freedom, we will walk in our own darkness. This keeps us only “surviving” as slaves as we make ourselves victims of our feelings that linger from our past. Accept God's free Spirit and caste off the chains of guilt. Remember Proverbs 24:16 and get up in God's light (see Mark 5:9-20, John 8:9-10, and Galatians 1:11-16).?