You may remember in one of my previous posts how I described the awesome phenomenon of what seemed like ‘recording God’. Almost as if you could get the Holy Spirit on tape…
Remember how I said that worship music stirs up the spirit of worship in the worshipper’s heart; how the reality of God’s Presence comes into focus as your heart turns towards Him?
Well, I’m writing this on the train to London, and I had some old classic Vineyard music playing (over my headphones, I might add!). Trouble is with that sort of thing is that when the spirit of worship arises in your heart, it’s very difficult to contain it. But I did my best; no more than a surreptitious raising of hands under my laptop….but for me the Presence of God was right there. I was almost in tears.
As a worship leader, I lead people into God’s Presence. It’s what I do. And I do that whether it’s in person or, like in this blog, by proxy. God is the same right there with you right now, as He is on this train with me.
So I thought I’d share this with you right now, so you too can join in. Fresh worship from an old song; fresh because the Creator God is right there in your heart, just as new and bright as He was on the Day of Creation and yet just as ancient as the universe, and even more so. The song is ‘Alleluia’, also known as ‘Jesus I love You’. Listen to it, join in, experience the Presence of God for yourself as you focus on Him.
Jesus I love You
I bow down before You
Praises and worship
To our King
Here’s a most encouraging quote from ‘Jesus Calling’, given here for your upbuilding:
“I am with you and for you. You face nothing alone—nothing! When you feel anxious, know that you are focusing on the visible world and leaving Me out of the picture. The remedy is simple: Fix your eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. Verbalize your trust in Me, the Living One who sees you always. I will get you safely through this day and all your days. But you can find Me only in the present. Each day is a precious gift from My Father. How ridiculous to grasp for future gifts when today’s is set before you! Receive today’s gift gratefully, unwrapping it tenderly and delving into its depths. As you savour this gift, you find Me.”
Sometimes, you can be at absolute rock bottom. Everything is mounting up against you and one thing piles on top of another. Trouble after trouble, affliction after affliction, and there seems to be no end to it in sight.
You’ve likely been told at some point in your Christian walk that the way to drag yourself up by your bootlaces, as it were, is to ‘praise the Lord’ and everything will be OK. You’ll feel better soon.
But of course this isn’t what happens, because the circumstances are still there. You’ve declared your victory over the problems in Jesus’s Name, but still the problems are there. You pray for the Kingdom power that you have been granted; you pray for it to apply in your situation and bring the breakthrough that is so sorely needed. And still the troubles keep piling up and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel, not even an oncoming express train.
Can I say this with all sensitivity – because I too am in that dark tunnel as I write this – the ‘valley of the shadow of death’, as the Psalmist describes it – but actually praising God and declaring your trust in Him really is the way forward. You might not feel any different, but you are still consciously bringing Him into the equation. You are making the conscious decision to declare Him as Lord, no matter how you feel.
And, for some reason, this type of praise is so precious to God. He is right there with you in your suffering, and He delights in hearing your trust being expressed. Years ago, one Saturday morning, Fiona and I had to make the heartbreaking trip to the vet’s to have our precious German Shepherd dog, Jasper, put to sleep. The next morning, I was due to lead the main worship meeting at Church, from the front, and everyone would be looking to me for the lead. I decided that I would go for it. That worship time, from the midst of my grief, was one of the most precious I have ever led. God’s Presence was right there, for us and for our congregation.
I don’t know how that worked. I don’t know why that worked. And I don’t know why these horrible things happen to people despite God being Good, all the time.
But let’s just acknowledge this: In the raw suffering, where every step is pain, God is there. He knows what it feels like. He can empathise with you, because He’s been there before. He will continue to be your Rock, even when it seems like your feet are sinking in the waters of the oceans of despair.
Here’s a beautiful song by Mandisa, called ‘Broken Hallelujah’ which expresses this perfectly. If you’re in a dark place today, join with me and Mandisa in expressing your trust by letting Him have your ‘Hallelujah’ – the Hebrew word for ‘Praise the Lord’ – no matter how broken it might be.
And, somehow, this brings God’s power into your situation. I don’t know how He does it, but He does. You might not feel any different. But the power of praise is not to be underestimated, and at the very least it will take your eyes off the circumstances and lift them to Him, even for a short while, and give you maybe a better perspective on how He’s still in charge – because, make no mistake – He is still in charge. And, in the past, He’s always come up with the best possible solutions at the best possible time – and He’s not going to change now.
And I’m going to continue to give Him my broken hallelujahs. Because they are the best I’ve got.
With my love and my sadness
I come before You Lord
My heart’s in a thousand pieces
Maybe even more
Yet I trust in this moment You’re with me somehow
And You’ve always been faithful so Lord even now
When all that I can sing is a broken Hallelujah
When my only offering is shattered praise
Still a song of adoration will rise up from these ruins
And I will worship You and give You thanks
Even when my only praise is a broken Hallelujah
Oh Father, You have given
much more than I deserve
And I have felt Your hand of blessing
on me at every turn
How could I doubt Your goodness,
Your wisdom, Your grace
Oh Lord hear my heart in this painful place
When all that I can sing is a broken Hallelujah
When my only offering is shattered praise
Still a song of adoration will rise up from these ruins
And I will worship You and give You thanks
Even when my only praise is a broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
I lift my voice
Your spirit moves
I raise my hands
I reach for You
‘Cause all that I can sing is a broken Hallelujah
And my only offering is shattered praise
Still a song of adoration will rise up from these ruins
And I will worship You and give You thanks
Even when my only praise is a broken Hallelujah
This has been the cry of my heart as long as I can remember. There’s nothing I want more than to be in God’s Presence, where all things that surround become mere shadows in His Light. In God’s Presence, there’s healing, there’s peace and there’s wholeness. There’s forgiveness, mercy and compassion. There’s love and acceptance like you never dreamed possible, no matter how bad you might feel about yourself. And the most important thing is that God is there, and He’s wanting to spend time with you!
Here’s a lovely song, written and performed nice and simply by Don Moen, which you can use as a prayer song. Listen to it, join in where you can, but ownthe lyrics. Make it your own song; make it your prayer. Desire to be in His Presence.
You see, God promises to draw close to all those who seek Him. Feel His presence right there with you. Everyone feels that presence slightly differently to others – some might feel a burning in their chest, some might feel a lightness of spirit, some might feel what seems like a cloak around their shoulders, some feel an overwhelming sense of love and acceptance, some see the air sparkling, some hear heavenly music – however you feel Him there, let Him draw close. He won’t scare you or do anything uninvited; He’s the perfect gentleman.
So, make this song your prayer, and then follow on into the next song, Here we are in Your Presence. Believe that He’s there in His life-changing power. Worship Him for His greatness and His love for you, for you personally. This is real; this is where it all happens!
I just want to be where You are, dwelling daily in Your presence I don’t want to worship from afar, draw me near to where You are
I just want to be where You are, in Your dwelling place forever Take me to the place where You are, I just want to be with You
I want to be where You are, dwelling in Your presence Feasting at Your table, surrounded by Your glory In Your presence, that’s where I always want to be I just want to be, I just want to be with You
I just want to be where You are, dwelling daily in Your presence I don’t want to worship from afar, draw me near to where You are
Oh, my God, You are my strength and my song And when I’m in Your presence Though I’m weak You’re always strong
I just want to be where You are, in Your dwelling place forever Take me to the place where You are, I just want to be, I just want to be with You
I just want to be, I just want to be with You
We want to be where You are, dwelling in Your presence Feasting at Your table, surrounded by Your glory In Your presence, that’s where we always want to be I just want to be, I just want to be with You
I just want to be, I just want to be with You
I just want to be with You
[Segue]
Here we are, in Your Presence Lifting holy hands to You Here we are, praising Jesus For the things He’s brought us through
Here we are, in Your Presence Lifting holy hands to You Here we are, praising Jesus For the things He’s brought us through
Feel free to search my site for other worship songs (using the ‘category’ of ‘Worship’), so you can continue with your worship if you want to do so. Most of my worship song offerings on these pages have the lyrics too, so you can join in.
I remember when our Church had a Vineyard team over to Leeds, all the way from Anaheim in California. This would have been in about 1986 or so, I suppose. They’d come to activate us in the healing ministry and it was all very powerful stuff.
They had brought some new worship songs, along with the tapes for us to learn the music and even the sheet music for the songs (not that I could read music anyway; I played entirely by ear, and I still do….). I can remember listening to the tapes with Fiona and being completely lifted into the high realms of worship, and it was almost as if they’d managed to get the Holy Spirit on tape. As we listened to the tapes, we could feel the Spirit welling up in our hearts and were transported into God’s Presence in our spirits. How can a song bear ‘anointing’ in it? How does this work? Is it really possible to capture God Himself on tape?
Well, no, of course it’s not. However the phenomenon is real – you will probably have experienced it yourself – so how does it work?
What’s happening is actually quite simple. Drawn by the Holy Spirit, the worshipper’s face is turned towards Jesus, and that is the point at which you feel the Spirit rising up in your heart. When you worship, the Spirit joins in and makes His presence known. The Spirit wasn’t ever on the tape, but in actuality He was always closer than that – he was right there in your heart all along! The reality of His presence comes as a response to your decision to worship, as your heart turns towards Jesus. That’s what’s happening and should come as no surprise when we remember that one of the things that Holy Spirit does is to glorify Jesus (Jn 16:14); when you decide to do that, He naturally joins in!
So, to complete the picture, let’s do a little experiment. Here are three of the songs that were so anointed in those days, I Will Magnify, It’s Your Blood and Thank You For Being. Have a listen, and don’t be surprised if you feel your spirit responding within you. If you feel your hands raising in worship – even if it’s not something you normally do – don’t stop them. This is a natural response to the love of your Saviour, Jesus. Bless the Lord!
I Will Magnify
I will magnify Thy Name above all the earth
I will magnify Thy Name above all the earth
I will sing unto Thee the praises in my heart
I will sing unto Thee the praises in my heart
It’s Your Blood that Cleanses Me
It’s Your Blood that cleanses me
It’s Your Blood that gives me life
It’s Your Blood that took my place
In redeeming sacrifice
And washes me whiter than the snow, than the snow
My Jesus, God’s precious Sacrifice
Thank You for being
Thank You for being just Who You are
Thank You for shining like a Morning Star
Jesus, Oh Jesus,
Thank You for being my bright and Morning Star
I love You because You first loved me
Your healing touch has set me free
Jesus, Oh Jesus,
Your healing touch has set my spirit free
Thank You for being just Who You are
Thank You for shining like a Morning Star
Jesus, Oh Jesus,
Thank You for being my bright and Morning Star
I’ve shared Don Francisco’s songs on my blog before, such as ‘Vision of the Valley‘ and ‘Still Your Soul In Silence‘. Don is one of my favourite Christian artists. His trademark story-song brings to life so many Bible stories, for example the one about the thief on the cross next to Jesus’s Cross in ‘Too Small A Price‘. But Don also writes worship songs, prophecy, ballads and prayer songs, all of which bring the word of God into our lives in great measure. Don is a modern-day prophet and, if you let Him, God can speak to you clearly through his songs.
Here’s the first Don Francisco song I ever listened to, Brother of the Son, shared here with his permission. Enjoy!
Jesus, all I want to do is follow I take the gift of life You offer me Come and shine Your light into my darkness Wash away my sin and set me free
Take this heart of stone and make it over For all my life, it’s all I have to give Fill it with your grace and truth and wisdom Show me how to love, and how to live
Father, let Your Spirit flow inside me ‘Til all that will not praise You is undone Help me keep my feet upon the highway And grow to be a brother of the Son
When at last the Book of Life is opened And accounts of all Your servants have been shown Lord, let me bring somebody with me And stand with all my friends before the Throne
Father, let Your Spirit flow inside me ‘Til all that will not praise You is undone Help me keep my feet upon the highway And grow to be a brother of the Son
Legalism is where a person believes – knowingly or unknowingly – that they need to adhere to some sort of rules, codes of conduct, or other behaviour-based method in order to make themselves acceptable to God. But the real message of the Gospel is that it’s all Grace: the full, free, undeserved favour of God on us which means that Jesus has already done everything for us on the Cross, everything we need for our salvation, for living the Kingdom life, and “… for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence” (2Pet 1:3)
I saw this comment in a discussion on the blog jesuswithoutbaggage.com recently, and wanted to share it. If you are in this position, please be assured that your freedom is close at hand and is yours for the taking – just surrender your dependence on yourself, however much you may have disguised it as religious devotion!
“In general, I’ve found that people who are very legalistic try very hard to recruit others to their ranks. My opinion is that the more insecure one is in what one believes, the more that person will need the validation of others, which is often gained by getting others to join them and by refusing to even hear any other views. I suspect they’re also jealous of those who’ve found freedom by not having to beat themselves over the head daily with guilt and shame and “laws”. Jesus made it clear he didn’t / doesn’t appreciate spiritual enforcers, those who think they’ve got such a grip on righteousness that they are hammers, and everyone who doesn’t agree with them exactly is a nail that needs to be hammered.”
Jesus said of these people in Matthew 23:15, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are!” Legalism is such a miserable place to be in, but weirdly it’s also self-propagating in that the legalist wants to drag more unfortunate victims in! Misery loves company! Ugh!
And I do know what it’s like. I was once a Legalist. And, running parallel with my love for God and my knowledge that I am His child, was an underlying feeling that actually God could easily become displeased with me. The Cross was, quite rightly, my only hope in that I relied on Jesus’s finished work there to make me ‘worthy’ – but somehow I felt that if I put a foot wrong, then God would be mightily dischuffed with me despite the Cross. Although my salvation would not be at risk – I have always believed in ‘once saved, always saved‘ – I would not be able to minister in power nor to move in the consciousness of His presence. But in His Grace, God led me out of that mindset with a real revelation of, not only just how much He loves me, but also a revelation of the joy that is in His presence when we just let go and let Him do it all. It all becomes so effortless.
I escaped from Legalism over a fifteen-year period of being outside Church, questioning what I believed in and why. I saw a quote on a blog about a year ago which said this:
“It’s hard to overexpress how much unanticipated joy I felt in being released from the prescribed mindset that Christianity gave me; in many ways, it gave me the opportunity see the world and respect others in ways I had not realized the Bible had closed me off from before”.
And that is more or less exactly what happened to me. I too felt that joy, not so much about what the Bible said, but about what others told me I should believe the Bible actually means when it says, well, whatever. I was free to believe in my own way without others telling me what to believe. It’s so liberating to be what I call a ‘free Christian’ – free from others’ dogma and interpretations. While I choose to consider myself answerable to people I am close to (both in and out of Church), I am not answerable to anyone else except God.
Interestingly, about a year ago I was once again subjected to an (uninvited) barrage of accusations/doctrinal correction/call it what you will, from a ‘non-free Christian’, and it made me realise, while in the process of categorically rejecting that person’s diatribe, just how far I have come in my freedom. I never want to go back to that life. My ‘detoxification’, as it were, has released me into entirely new freedoms to love people of different views without judging them or trying to change them. And that, to me, is real freedom!
I’ve also noticed that when you start to enthuse about your freedom while talking with a Legalist – whether they know they are one or not! – the first thing they will do is to try to explain to you why you should not be free. It’s usually couched in Bible verses, and [possibly] from a good heart, but still that’s what they are doing. “He gave His word for freedom; you use it to enslave“. And they will claim that they are under Grace but their lives will not show this. I sometimes wonder if this is simple insecurity; they feel threatened to see someone operating out of freedom instead of Law. And I get that.
But, Legalist, you too can be free, if you just let Jesus take over. There is no place for both Law and Grace in a believer; the Law has fulfilled its purpose in that it has brought you to the point – probably some years ago – where you realised the futility of trying to impress God in your own strength. So just let go. Don’t strive; just relax in Him and all that He has already done! It was for you that Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 (Message), “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (MSG translation) There is complete security, and indeed Divine permission, in your freedom; you do not have to be afraid of it!
For those looking for Biblical support for the exercise of their freedom, well, the Bible is full of it. Begin by reading the entire book of Galatians, in the light of freedom rather than that of legalism. It’s set out there more plainly than in any other book of the Bible. And in Jesus’s declaration in Luke 4:18, He said He was here to ‘proclaim release for the captives’. Freedom is what the Kingdom is all about; it is your birthright as a child of God – which means you are entitled to it – and you are missing out on the whole point of the Gospel if you don’t grab your freedom with both hands! Liberty is huge, it’s free, it’s amazing, and it’s yours for the taking if you’ll just let go and trust God. What are you afraid of? God will uphold you no matter what. I know it’s hard to let go. It’s like you’re clinging to the side of the swimming pool; the water is deep and there’s people out there where they can’t touch the bottom, enjoying themselves. And you want to tell them it’s not safe – you want to exhort them to come back to the side and hang on where they’ll know what they’re holding on to. Isn’t it dangerous out there in the deep water? No, it’s not. Because Jesus is the Lifeguard on duty, and He will not let any harm befall any of His own.
So relax, let go, and let God!
I heartily recommend that you get the whole picture by following the links in red in this article. In those links, I explain more about the background for my thinking on these points. You may well find in those links the keys to your freedom.
A few weeks ago, Fiona and I went to a meeting at my dear friend’s School of Supernatural Ministry here in Devon. At the start of the meeting, there was of course worship: the saints lifting up the name of Jesus and drawing near into His presence. We were slightly late and the worship had already begun – and it was like walking straight into the Throne Room of God. His glory was there with such weight, was so tangible, that we were straight into His awesome Presence. Fiona and I have always found it easy to ‘tune in’ to God in our worship; basically we can go straight into worship at just about any time, but this really was something special.
It was one of those worship sessions where the very first thing you do is to fall at His feet in awe of His Majesty. And yet, you know you are welcome there, because He loves us and thinks it’s ace when His kids come to worship Him. The Presence of God is not a threatening Presence, it’s a welcoming Presence, a Loving Presence, a Healing Presence. Huge and overwhelming, but utterly peaceful and utterly beautiful.
At times like this, there is no consciousness of the passage of time, no inclination to stop, no boredom or desire to leave. It’s just Jesus, Jesus, Jesus all the way. Lost in His Love. Conscious of little else but His Presence. When all things that surround become shadows.
And then it happened again, just last Sunday, when Fiona and I were at a healing meeting in Bridgend, South Wales. Again, the Presence of God. Again, His healing Hand at work. I was shaking with His power; I just couldn’t stop it. Simply indescribable. You can’t fake God’s Presence; there is simply no substitute. It’s not music, it’s not singing, its just that He honours us with His Presence. Anything less is simply worthless.
I wish there was a better way to explain, but unless you have been in God’s Presence yourself, there’s just no way I can describe it. Sometimes it seems as if the air itself is sparkling with what is known as the Shekhinah glory of God in the room – sometimes it appears that the air becomes slightly cloudy; sometimes, as I said, it sparkles. And the strong feeling of the Presence of God in the place is unmistakable and indescribable too.
There is simply nothing else that can compare with being in God’s Presence. I would like to encourage you to seek Him earnestly and draw near with faith, into His Presence!
Here is a lovely song, ‘I want to sing until I am lost in Your Love‘, by Malcolm DuPlessis, which reflects this idea of being ‘lost’ in God’s Presence and Love; please feel free to join in…..enter into God’s Presence today.
I want to sing until I am lost in Your Love Till I am found in Your presence Worshipping before Your throne.
Filled with Your Spirit Entering into Your flow, How precious these moments, Lord, I want You to know.
It’s You, You who have won my heart, Taken me into Your arms, Comforted me like a friend. Your love surrounded me from the start I never want to be apart from You ever again.
‘I want to sing until I am lost In Your Love’ can be found on the tape ‘Celebrate!‘ on my website Vintage Worship Tapes
“The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” – 1 Cor 11:23-26
The Holy Communion, the Eucharist, The Lord’s Supper, call it what you will. It’s the sacrament where Christians eat the ‘bread’, which is representative of Christ’s Body, and drink the ‘cup’, which is usually wine or some other red drink (like red grape or blackcurrant juice) which signifies Christ’s Blood. And just like with baptism, the other main Christian sacrament, some Churches make it so complicated – but really it isn’t, and it doesn’t need to be.
When we come to the table, and eat of Christ’s Body, and drink of His Blood, we are signifying so many things. We are declaring that Jesus died and rose again. We declare that the bread and wine, being physical objects, represent something that is no less real (God) just because we can’t (normally) see and touch it. We are remembering Jesus and what He did. We declare our unity as Christians, and as a body of believers – because we all ‘eat from the same bread’, we declare that we are one body – which indeed we are.
And there’s more. We declare and remind ourselves that we are in Christ, both in terms of identifying with Him, but also in terms of that we were ‘in Christ’ when He died, and therefore not only did we die with Him but also we were raised up in Him too. Hallelujah!
Communion is so important for healing; because Christ is whole and healthy, by remembering that we are in Him, we also declare our own health and healing. As He is, so are we! (1Jn4:17 NKJV) And the blood for forgiveness – we are talking here about a whole, full and complete healing for our bodies, our souls and spirits, and our relationships – both with humans and with God.
What a feast Communion is, then! Ok, we get only a tiny bit of bread and a little sip of wine, but in spiritual terms it’s a real banquet!
So why has the Church made such a fuss about who can and cannot take Communion? My theory is that the Church are trying to act responsibly. You see, if you read the entire passage in 1 Cor 11:17-34, it looks at first sight as if it is possible to do yourself real harm if you eat and drink the Lord’s Supper ‘in an unworthy manner’. This is, apparently, mainly justified in that they prevent an unbeliever – and therefore someone supposedly ‘not worthy’ of receiving Communion – from drinking and eating something that may be ‘harmful’, although the harm is never really adequately defined, apart from saying that he ‘eats and drinks judgement on himself’.
Well I’m sorry (well actually I’m not!), but this smacks mightily of superstition to me. It’s actually not like that at all. For an unbeliever, all he’s doing is eating a bit of bread and drinking a bit of wine that he could probably buy off the same shelf in Tesco that the priest did on Saturday. It’s just bread! It’s just wine! No, the actual context of the original passage is that the people in the Church at Corinth, to whom Paul was writing, were all Christians already. Unbelief was not an issue. What was at issue was their behaviour – read the passage again if you like – people were bringing their own food for private consumption instead of sharing it out; people were being separatist rather than expressing unity, some weren’t waiting for everyone to arrive so some went hungry – that sort of thing. We don’t even know the ‘format’ of their meal, if indeed there was one. They were probably just meeting in someone’s house and all bringing something along. This was the problem Paul was addressing; it had nothing to do with people being ‘unworthy’. The judgement that people ate and drank upon themselves, by not ‘recognising’ the Body and Blood, was that they did not recognise the true significance of the sacrament, and therefore missed out on all its benefits. People ‘died’ because they were not being healed as part of the sacrament, not because they’d done something wrong.
Jesus, remember, is so much more relaxed than we give Him credit for. Jesus invites us to come to His table. As with all Grace-related things, Jesus invites us based not on who we are, how good we are, or how much we keep the Rules, but based entirely on His own merits.
The truth of the matter is this: anyone, at any time, can take Communion, wherever and whenever they like. You do not have to have it administered by a priest or someone like that – although equally there’s nothing to stop you receiving it like that. You can do it by yourself or with friends. You can include believers and unbelievers alike. We regularly ‘do Communion’ at our dinner table; we have a bottle of wine, a glass and some sort of bread to hand so that anyone can take it at any time as they feel like it. There’s nothing heavy about it; we simply appropriate the Lord’s goodness and blessing, receive His healing and forgiveness, feel His presence. It’s not ‘religious’, we’re not being pious, its just what we do as part of everyday life.
So, if this piece has spoken to you; if you feel you might have gained a bit of freedom through reading this, then why not make this a habit for yourself? In fact, when you have time, why not take ten minutes out of your day and spend some precious time with God over His Communion? You could do it right now, if you like. Get yourself some bread and wine now out of the cupboard. Go on, go and do it! Or even a cream cracker and a glass of water if you like; it doesn’t matter.
Sit yourself down with your bread and wine, and maybe play this music track, from Hosanna’s vintage tape ‘Come to the Table’, from 1991. Beginning with ‘Your Grace is Sufficient’, then the lovely ‘Come to the Table’, then the Communion itself happens in ‘Remember Me’, let Marty Nystrom and his band lead you into the Presence of God….Hold on to your bread and wine; Marty will prompt you when to take the Communion during the last song.
Sure, this was recorded 25 years ago, but remember that Jesus is exactly the same now as He was then, and He will be overjoyed to meet with you once again. If you’re not yet a believer, still you’re welcome. Jesus said in John 7:37, “Whoever is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink”. If you feel the need for Jesus today, then go ahead and accept His blessings, no strings attached. Expect to feel His Presence – which you may need to learn to recognise – but trust Him and believe Him to come as He promised. “He who comes to Me I will never turn away”, Jesus said in John 6:37
And believe for your healing, believe for your restoration, believe for your forgiveness, believe for your new life. This stuff is real, it is powerful, and it’s here right now in the Person of Jesus, even as you read this.
But be warned. This could seriously change your life, for the better, like you never imagined possible!
Guilt, Shame and Remorse. These can be terrible feelings, and for Christians, who are supposed to be forgiven, they can be crippling for your faith if you don’t know how to deal with them. So, today, let’s see what we can do about that! If you like, consider this a practical application of the teachings in my recent blog post, ‘Left in the Grave!‘
First up, let’s take a look at some definitions.
Guilt is feeling bad because of what you’ve done.
Shame is very different, and is defined as feeling bad because of who you are
Remorse is different again – it’s feeling regret for the actualthingsyou’ve done wrong
Let’s deal with these things by looking at what Jesus has done for us.
Guilt. Everything you have done, everything you are doing, everything that you ever will do, that is or was or will be wrong – call it ‘sin’ if you like – its all been nailed to the Cross of Jesus Christ. Your sins are taken away, destroyed forever, forgotten. Psalm 103:12 says this: ‘As far as the east is from the west, this far has He removed our transgressions from us’. Hebrews 8:12 echoes Isaiah 43:25 in saying, “For I will forgive their wickedness, and I will remember their sins no more“. Be assured, God has forgiven your sins because of what Jesus has done. You need no longer feel guilt for what you have done, because Jesus has made open the way to God, and you need never feel that your guilt – either now or in the future – can ever again separate you from God! Don’t allow your guilt to block the way; tell it to take a hike. The conviction of the guilt of sin is useful only to bring you to Jesus, who then takes away the guilt; and after that, you no longer need to feel it any more.
Shame. Everyone’s heard the phrase, “You should be ashamed of yourself!”, and in one sense that’s correct because ‘yourself’ is the only thing you can feel ashamed of [feel shame for] is yourself. You don’t feel ashamed of things you’ve done (that’s Guilt); no, you feel shame for who you are. The feeling of ‘what sort of person would do the things I have just done’ is Shame. It’s feeling bad about who you perceive yourself to be – maybe as a result of things you’ve done, of course, but it’s still about who you are. And the answer? Again, it’s found at the Cross of Jesus. In an earlier blog post, I describe how Holy Spirit revealed to me that I was ‘crucified with Christ’ when He died on the Cross. And He did the same for you. Your old self – the self that causes you to feel shame – that old self was included in Christ when He died. In Galatians 2:20, it says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”. And in Romans 6:5-7 it says, “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been set free from sin“.
Do you feel as if that old self, of whom you feel ashamed, deserves to die? Do you feel that there’s nothing you’d like better? Well, too late! It’s already been done! And this means that you can walk in freedom from shame; that freedom is yours by right. 2Cor 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new is come!” You – yes, you! – are a completely new creation. A new creature, completely separate from the old. And this is what counts. [Rules are of no] value; what counts is the new creation – Gal 6:15. So you can be free of shame because, again, it’s all been dealt with at the Cross. Both your guilt, and the cause of your same – the old self – have been nailed to the Cross.
Now isn’t that something?
And another thing: Shame has the effect of making you feel worthless. Nobody could value a person like me. But God loved you so much that He came in person to do something about it. He came to show you the Kingdom; He came to heal you; He came to die for you and to give you abundant, eternal life! Now if that doesn’t put the shame into perspective, I don’t know what will….
So, you see, you don’t need to own your guilt and shame any more. You don’t need to give them any space in your life, ever again. Sin is dealt with; shame is defeated. Don’t give them another moment’s thought!
But, you might say, I hurt someone. I murdered someone. I [did whatever to] someone, and that harm still exists. That person is still hurting; that person is still dead. I wish I could undo the past; I wish I could make things right again after what I did. And I feel so bad about that.
Right. This is what is called Remorse. Think of it like this: once guilt and shame have been dealt with, what is left is remorse. And it too can be dealt with. But first you need to deal with the guilt and shame. So, bring the sin before God. Ask His forgiveness; you have assurance of this forgiveness because all your sins have been forgiven through Christ’s work on the Cross, as we have seen. And then deal with the shame; reassert your new creation, stand up and leave behind the shame which has been nailed to the Cross. It’s in the grave; it was not resurrected with Him! Remember these feelings have no place in you any more!
So now, the effects of the sin on you – the guilt and shame – have been dealt with and your path is now clear to deal with the remorse. Perhaps you’ll need to apologise. Perhaps you need to put things right. You need to judge each situation individually, prayerfully, and according to the circumstances. Some things cannot, but some things can, be put right; you will have to be the judge for your particular situation. Ask Jesus to give you wisdom.
But sometimes you still have to live with the remorse. And in that case, decide to use it for good, rather than letting it destroy you. Remorse can be a healthy thing, for example if it prevents you from doing the same thing again.
Say, for example, you injure a person because you are driving too fast. Believe me, you will most likely be so affected by the remorse that you will never speed again, and your driving will most likely be more careful from then on.
You see, life is a learning curve, and providing you can deal with your guilt and your shame effectively, your remorse can actually be a good thing. And I believe that this is sometimes the reason why remorse does not always go away, because it can be a positive force for change provided it has been cleansed of the guilt first. So, once again, because of the Cross, this can be positive – because the Cross takes away the guilt, so that the remorse can now be constructive. In the new life, Holy Spirit is in the business of (amongst other things) transforming us into Christ’s likeness. So, ask Him to use it to effect His changes in you.
Offer the remorse up to Jesus and ask Him to take it and use it. You will most likely feel the difference straight away, if you really let go of it. In that way, it’s just like any other burden you feel; if you “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1Pet 5:7) then He will take it if you’ll let Him.
Cast your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you!
You may never forget the remorse; the memory will fade, and its burden is gone, but you may not forget. But you can use it for good, so that one day it will be a jewel in your crown rather than a stone in your shoe.
And be encouraged. You can never lose your salvation, no matter what happens. Jesus is walking close to you; even if you can’t feel Him, He’s there. Romans 8:18 says that, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us“, and this is true. Guilt and shame have no place in the Christian’s life. Remorse can be useful but only as an aid to growth, when it is committed to God.
If this is for you today, if you are struggling with these feelings, then I sincerely hope that you’ll find this piece helpful.
Be encouraged!
For an interesting take on how to deal with Fear and Guilt, check out this article on RedeemingGod.com
