Anxiety – Page 4 – Nancy Demary

My heart goes out to anyone living in relationship with someone who is carrying a load of guilt and shame. It is a heavy load that weighs people down. Sometimes it is loaded on because of the sin against us by someone else and we carry the offense. Other times it comes from our own sinful condition or our perception of the situation we’re in. There can be many reasons for it.

For people in this struggle, self-protection can grow into an obsession. It takes precedence over everything, and relationships suffer greatly.

If you live with, or interact closely with someone living with guilt and shame you can understand how difficult it is to interact with them. Normal questions and conversations are virtually impossible. A defensive posture is the norm — the inability to express to them a complete thought without interruption, accusation, anger, or disrespect is commonplace.

Understand that the conflict the guilty soul feels is great because the person wanting to help them is usually someone who offers love to them and has already demonstrated much care for them; therefore they are conflicted between a sense of duty to respond rightly versus self-protection. This brings confusion in because one day things can go seemingly well and the next very badly. It’s understandable why many give up in attempting loving confrontation. It is often because of our own failure to consistently love or the abusive responses becoming to painful to bear, or both.

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Continue to read full article and a biblical solution

What do you do when you see someone you love and care about heading down the wrong road?

1) ASK for guidance from the Lord. Hold on to what the Holy Spirit shows you in the midst of prayer and His Word. Psalm 63:1-3 (KJV).

2) DISCERN if you should speak or hold your peace. Discerning when and what to say is important. Prov. 9:9 (KJV).

3) PRAY always and sometimes with fasting. Mark 9:29 (KJV): ²So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”

Prayer prepares our hearts with the heart of God toward grace and mercy for all. Through fasting we overcome our flesh and rise to a place of power with God to overcome self and the works of the Devil. Deliverance comes in the spiritual realm. We are dealing with demonic workers of iniquity. Christ knew their power and our weakness in the flesh.

Keeping ourselves daily in God’s Word and prayer will give us guidance in these matters. We should also rely upon the authorities God has provided both in our church and/or civil government.
Note: This was primarily written for those situations that do not require the involvement of civil authority as proscribed in Rom. 13:3-6. If this is warranted, then as a Christian the situation should be brought into the light (I John 1:7) for necessary correction and consequences. Consult with your pastor, a solid Christian friend or leader, if you are uncertain about matters that are questionable. There are many more verses to be considered when it comes to knowing how to respond, such as Hebrews 12:12-14 (KJV) and your pastor should be able to guide you. A Biblical Counselor can be an additional resource.

Continue to read full article under tab: HOW TO WALK IT OUT

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