Did you know that it’s possible to feel guilty when you have done absolutely nothing wrong? It’s called false guilt and most of us experience it from time to time.
Not all guilt is from God
Sources of false guilt:
Our own expectations
Sometimes we are our own worst enemy when we set standards for ourselves that God did not set. You can feel guilty for not loosing the 10 pounds you promised yourself you’d loose or maybe you feel guilty for not getting up at 6 am every morning like you decided you should do. It could be that you’re feeling guilty because you missed a day or two of your Bible reading.
Here’s the thing, those are all good disciplines to develop, but they are not Biblical commands. Don’t beat yourself up for a standard that you set, rather focus on the standards God sets.
Societal pressures
Let’s face it, the culture we live in sets some pretty outrageous standards. Just flip on the TV for a few minutes and you’ll be convinced that if you don’t drive the newest model car, wear the latest fashions, have a shiny white smile and never sweat under pressure then you haven’t made it in this life!
Religious rules
Do I even want to go here? You probably already know what I’m talking about. These are man made religious rules that really have nothing to do with being holy, rather they just create an outward appearance of religiousness. Usually these types of rules have to do with how you dress (especially on Sunday mornings), your hairstyle, your music style, who you associate with and so on.
What Jesus said about false guilt
Jesus didn’t have any patience for people who created false guilt in others.
And He said, Woe to you also, lawyers! Because you burden men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.
(Luk 11:46)
Jesus assured His followers that he would never make them carry the load of false guilt or any guilt for that matter!
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, because I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest to your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. (Mat 11:29-30)
How you can get rid of false guilt
- Identify the areas you are feeling guilty.
Are you feeling guilty because your are doing something the Bible prohibits? Are you not doing something the Bible commands? If the answer is “yes” to either of those questions then you need ask God to forgive you and make a change in your life.
If the answer is “no” to both questions then you are experiencing false guilt.
- Give your false guilt to Jesus.
- Tell God about how you’re feeling and why.
- Ask God to give you a proper a proper perspective.
- Begin filling your mind with things that really do matter to God by reading and studying your Bible!
Question: What are the greatest sources of false guilt in your life? How do you deal with feelings of false guilt?
Susie Leavitt
January 14, 2013Caleb, as usual, this blog post is excellent. I struggle with this so much, and know the steps to alleviate false guilt, while also knowing it’s one of my “Achilles’ heels” and the enemy is well aware of that also. You have a true, clear gift of writing well and conveying Biblical teaching well – thank you so much!
Caleb
January 14, 2013Susie, thank you so much for your encouragement. I believe many people struggle with guilt and don’t even know that it’s false guilt. Jesus frees us from all guilt. Blessing!
Dan Black
January 15, 2013I was having some false guilt this morning while driving to work. Instead of concentrating on it I started to pray and worship. By the time I arrived at work it was gone. Timely post:)
Caleb
January 16, 2013Dan, I think you did the right thing! When we turn to God and focus on Him instead of the false guilt we will always win!
ruth
January 18, 2013I feel false guilt when I am not doing a 100 things at once. Like I should be attending every event or accepting every invitation to go somewhere even if its not physically possible. Sometimes I want to be in two places at one time. Chris has been a real help focusing me on my priorities. Also helping me to recognize that others don’t do it all either!
Caleb
January 18, 2013Ruth, it’s interesting to think about the fact that Jesus sometimes walked passed people that needed to be healed and just focused on healing one person. Check out John chapter 5.