Feeling Guilty when we do the Will of God

Of course we should never feel guilty about anything if our task is doing what God has endowed us with. It is when a past event that encompassed our willingness to stray or just made a bad mistake which could have spelled an uncertain future for us suddenly enters our mind reminding any one of us saying; “who do you think you are pretending to adhere to God’s Will while this incident was to be your downfall enhancing the real you?”

If any of us successfully hears the voice of the Holy Spirit and allows his complete guidance in our endeavor to reach God’s people through any gift he has given us, the first thing Satan will do is try to upset our success by bringing up a past failure making our attempt look like arrogance.

When a competitor feels you are gaining in popularity with someone both of you are trying to impress or gain the top position in any field he will become an adversary and attempt to overcome your advances by bringing up the worst from your past. If he becomes successful he will have made any encouragement you had reached seem like a lack of trust and demoted your attempts of completing your task.

Be assured, when any past failure is overcome through God’s forgiveness the next stage of development stands secure and whatever God calls us to perform is guaranteed to attract the evil set to bring us down. Look at St. Paul; purveyor of destroying the Christian belief in Christ, yet God called him, in spite of his earlier attacks on followers of Christ, to move ahead with evangelizing non-believers. However, his mission caused the Romans to imprison him, have him beaten, and finally beheaded him for Christ. Jesus, came to redeem the lost house of God’s people, suffered much and was crucified for it.

Many could have said Paul and especially Christ were on an endless mission that did nothing for the immediate populous. Two thousand years later much of the world has not only heard the words of Paul and have come to believe and worship the Son of God, in spite of the past we overcame moving from doubt and guilt to entering the narrow gate of freedom from sin.

As each challenge confronts our attempt to reach people, be it through pulpit preaching, writing articles to reach those who might be lost or confused, or many other uses of media, remember the path we face was already walked by Paul and especially Jesus. No guilt can stand before our reaching the masses awaiting God’s message of mercy.

Ralph B. Hathaway