What Lies Beneath
The Shadows
1 John 1:5-10; James 5:16
Everything we think, say and do flows out of our hearts.
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23
The first big monster is GUILT.
Guilt says, “I owe you”.
5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you:
God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we claim to have
fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live
by the truth. 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies
us from all sin. 8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves
and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and
his word has no place in our lives. 1 John 1:5-10
1. Guilt grows in the darkness and is killed by the light.
2. The only way to kill the monster of guilt is to confess.
3. The goal of confession is not a clear conscience, but a changed heart.
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you
may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16
Bottom Line: Confession breaks the power of guilt.
