One of the major “tricks of the enemy” is to fool a person into thinking they have become or have committed a sin which is soooo evil that God cannot – could not – shall not – or will not forgive.
This trick causes we individuals to feel such a distain for our own person that we will attempt to “self correct” or “self punish” in any one or more ways.
Such misguided attempts are to fulfill the natural need, to cleanse our soul from the damage done. AND make no mistake it is our nature to desire to have a clean soul.
Face it, some sins are hideous and have a power over the sinner to hold the face of that saddened soul away from God. AND until that face, makes the conscious decision to ask for His forgiveness, (and begging is usually more in order) to be allowed to stand in His Presence once again, we do not deserve to look in His Direction.
Even making that decision can only be done BY Gods Grace and via the usage of our God Given Free Will.
SOME of the thoughts used in this conscious or subconscious con-job of the enemy are:
( many additional variations apply)
a). “I got myself into it and I can get myself out of it.”
b). “Someone else got me into this, and I am innocent (or ever so slightly guilty) so the punishment should be theirs, so why am I suffering with this guilt? It must be because I am somewhat “Christ like”. Therefore the feeling of guilt will go away if I just (have another beer and) wait a little while longer, because time heals all wounds.”
c). “Others have done the same thing, even worse, and they are just fine, I will be just fine also, if I just wait a little while longer, because time heals all wounds.”
d). “That power this thing has over me will end when time ends for me, so I am better off and God will love me again if I “do away with” this body that is so sinful. (this last one being the ultimate con-job because when our time ends, we can no longer make ANY conscious decisions. AND at some low points we may even question this.
Rest assured that IF WE COULD make conscious decisions and or act them out, those souls in eternal damnation WOULD make the conscious decision to come back for another chance at correction of the faults that got them there)
Let’s take a logical look at this: and me thinks that it will be easier to see why only God can look at sin without being effected and why the Power of sin is only over us.
This being why we need His Forgiveness and His Help to get out of that dangerous state, and His Help to staying away from any and all sin. (an attempt is being made, to not mention the fact of Faith that He forgives all our sins strictly, because of His Love. This attempt is being made simply because when we are in a state of sin, Pure Love often seems to make NO LOGICAL SENSE)
1). Does any sin have a power to hold Gods face away from the Sinner?
(No. He has seen it all and loves us anyway: oops there it went, right away, mentioning Love )
1a). Now we could say that suicide falls into this category of unforgivable, but we would be overlooking the fact that this extreme sin does not possess a power OVER God. But against man.
1b). Suicide comes in many packages: from the slow methods of “substance abusing ones self to physical death” to the “instantaneous shotgun or rope methods”.
1c). Regardless of the method, it is the Sinner them self that is toying with a Spiritual Death that could alter the proper sequence of the Physical change from this life on earth to the Glorified Body we are to receive in Heaven.
1d). While on earth it is our COMPLETE HUMAN PERSON (body – mind – soul) that God longs to forgive COMPLETELY.
1e). Rest assured that, God CAN forgive an “attempt” at doing away with ones self, but with a successful suicide there is no physically complete human, (body – mind – soul) intact, to forgive. So once again it is not Gods’ Face being held away, but the other way around)
2). If Gods Forgiveness did not contain more power than the most powerful sin, the one that would commit such offenses would have the ability to gain a power over God by committing the sin.
3). So unless one wishes to deny that God IS the most powerful of ALL and WILL stay that way forever, it goes to reason, that there is no sin more powerful than Gods Forgiveness.
Now here goes mentioning His Love BIG TIME, as an attempt was made to not do, but it cannot be apologized for:
This entire concept of our need to repent and Gods understanding and compassion for our reluctance to do so, (spoken throughout the Old Testament and said best in the life and times of Jesus) was resounded by a modern day musical sage (Me thinks his name is Don Francisco) in an Early Christian Rock song. (“Christian Rock” being another “concept” that verges on oxy-moron) but anyway..
The overall song is well worth listening to. The one phrase that says it best goes something like this: “There is no sin you could imagine that is stronger than His Love, so turn around, and come on home *******” ( this has probably been slightly paraphrased and the last words of the refrain have been forgotten. For that please accept my apology . It has been around 30 years since hearing this beautiful prayer song.
So, If you happen to (at times or all the time) suffer in the mental anguish that is “assuring” you that you are worthless, and your life is such an insult to Your Creator that “Inner Peace” has become nothing but a concept which you are very positive will never be yours to own.
BUT YET you may believe that “If things would have been different, I feel I could be content”.
Try to grasp this concept:
1). The “If things would have been different”, thought, IS a statement of Faith.
1a). It is a Faith in the fact that there is Right and Wrong. And the knowledge exists within the memory, that wrong has been done. (either by ourselves or someone else jumpstarted it and we continued it)
1b). Also remember: God LOVES, more than anything, a heartfelt admission of our personal wrongdoing, when it is connected to sincere commitment to stay away from those sins, and any near occasions of those sins, in the future. (a full and complete confessing of ones involvement, in whatever wrong one has been a party to or involved in, is the only sure avenue leading away from such despair)
2). The “I feel I could be content”, thought, IS a statement of Hope.
2a). It is a Hope in the peace God has promised to those that will fight a good fight using the weapons HE has ordained as proper. Trusting in His Mercy being a very large caliber canon in the arsenal.
2b). The fore mentioned Faith, KNOWS that peace is the JUST reward given by The Father, for the Humility of the recognition of wrongdoing.
2c). But this contentment (or peace) can not be “seen” until the blurred vision of pride is wiped away by the power of Gods Forgiveness that awaits in the confessional.
3). These two “things” … Faith and Hope…. ARE the predecessors to LOVE …(or in this case Loving again because absolute despair is the absolute absence of Love )
3a). Even when we do not feel Loveable and are pretty sure we never will be. And even though we are positive that we don’t know “how to love God” …. That does NOT STOP GOD from loving us.
He loves me so much, that even such a self pitting thought as “If things would have been different” IS, and can rightfully be seen as, a Grace from God, Calling me back.
One more thought:
Such despair by no means will diminish our access to Heavenly Aid available to correct the situation via Angelic Partners designed for Spiritual Battle. (in other words ask for the help of your Guardian Angel, who is for sure all rested up by now)
When the enemy (satans fallen angels or demons who have a far superior intellect and cunning to that of our own ) has successfully tricked us into sinning and then trick us into giving in to such despair as thinking we are not forgivable. How could anyone imagine, A Loving Father, NOT having Compassion and Mercy on the “underdog” in this situation, (And even being extra forgiving if there is such a thing as extra?) just to level the playing field for future attacks against His (merely human) Children.
When we consider that after having lived through grievously sinning against The One True God and He allowing us peace of heart and mind in return for humility, we must admit that, this is far more than simply Just, it is Loving.
If we consider that we can trade our disgusting mutinies and vile distrusts in His Goodness for a eternal lifetime membership in His Family. And that this can be done by allowing Him to take away our fears, and accepting His Forgiveness thereby putting our no good old ways AWAY… and putting His really good caring Ways into our everyday actions, WOW how can we turn down such a deal (“covenant”)?
Me thinks if we are at a bargaining table anywhere on earth, from a car dealership to wall street to a sentencing hearing in a courthouse, our advisors or lawyers would tell us to “take the deal while it is still on the table”.
Pretty safe to assume that: This is the same advice our Guardian Angels have been giving us all along.
For with God all things are possible