WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WORD...don't let your knees buckle!

Have you ever tried to withstand a heavy burden of guilt?

 There are two things about guilt that you can count on: 1. We ALL have plenty to feel guilty about. 2. We CANNOT get away from it.

PROVERBS 20:27 "The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the innermost parts of his being."

Solomon is saying that you and I have a conscience that cannot be turned on and off. Having guilt is one of those things that if left unaddressed, it just grows and grows. We cannot tuck it away and hope that it will fade from our memory and our spirit.

Have you ever had a fear of no return?

The biggest factor in feeling this way is unresolved guilt. We all have it. We regret something we said (or didn't say)! We feel guilty about how we did something (or because we didn't do something)! In last week's YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL, I asked the readers about this:

"Do you have guilt about something?"
1. 55% of those voting said, YES, for something I said!
2. 33% voted and said, YES, for something I have done!
3. Another 33% responded, YES, for something I should have done!

Unresolved guilt is good for only one thing ... to grow and grow and grow. When we allow this to happen, it leaves us feeling hopeless and burdened down. This is exactly where the enemy would like to see us remain.

David struggled with his own kind of guilt:

"For my iniquities are gone over my head; as a heavy burden they weigh too much for me. My wounds grow foul and fester because of my folly. I am bent over and greatly bowed down; I go mourning all day long." (Psalm 38:4-6)

Our shoulders are not wide enough to carry the load of feeling guilty. In New York City, there is a statue of a Greek god, Atlas. The statue weighs 2 tons and it depicts Atlas carrying the entire heavens on his shoulders as his punishment for having defied Zeus. But if you look carefully at the statue, you will see that while his shoulders are broad and he appears very strong, his knees are buckling under the immense weight of the universe on his shoulders.

This is exactly how guilt affects our lives - it is beyond our ability to carry. There is only one place that is wide enough and strong enough to hold our guilt and that is at the foot of the cross. His shoulders are broad enough, wide enough and His knees will not buckle. He holds the world in His hands ... what's alittle more weight for Him?

"Dear Lord - Forgive me for holding onto things that I know I shouldn't. Forgive me for not always doing the right things, not saying the right things and not doing the right things. I know that your blood cleanses me, so I am asking you today to remove the guilt that I feel and restore my soul! From this day forward, I place my words, my actions and my life in your hands, have Your way, I pray! AMEN"