David Diga Hernandez - Religious Spirits: Guilt and Fear

Hello, David Diga Hernandez here, and you are watching Spirit Church on the Encounter TV Network. I am continuing my series on religious spirits, and I truly want to address the religious spirits of guilt and fear. Guilt can leave believers bound to their pasts; it can weigh them down with the burdensome torment of their mistakes. Fear can torment believers too. Perhaps you constantly wonder about your salvation, or maybe you often question whether or not God is angry with you. Some believers still struggle with the fear of Hell, even though they have been saved. I want to tackle these issues head-on; that is what I am discussing in this edition of Spirit Church. But first, Stephen Moctezuma is here with me. He’s going to lead you in some worship today, and then we will get right into this message.

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I want to begin by attacking the spirit of fear, and then I will address the spirit of guilt. This religious spirit of fear causes you to constantly question your salvation. The spirit of fear leads the children of God to wonder if God is angry with them. Now, there is nothing wrong with wanting to please God; there is nothing wrong with wanting to live a holy lifestyle, and there is nothing wrong with reverencing God. However, the spirit of fear causes you to live in paranoia, suspicion, and torment. Whenever you lack peace, you can rest assured that whatever is robbing you of your peace is not from God. When the Holy Spirit speaks, He speaks with a light of hope. In other words, when He confronts an issue in your life or calls you out on something, He will also offer the hope of overcoming it. Whenever you have a shortcoming and sense that conviction, along with that conviction, the Holy Spirit will always bring the power to repent of that sin and walk toward holiness. What I’m talking about here is the spirit of fear—the fear of Hell, the fear of the wrath of God, the fear of making a mistake. You may constantly wonder, «Am I in the perfect will of God?» «Did I miss it?» «Did I upset Him?» «Did I go in the wrong direction?» «Did I say the wrong thing?» This is not just self-examination; it goes far beyond that. This is self-hatred, self-torment, and a lack of peace. Believers who struggle with this spirit can’t even enjoy the Word of God. As they read, instead of learning more about Christ or fellowshipping with His Word or the Holy Spirit, they read in fear of misinterpreting it. They worry that perhaps they are being influenced by a demonic spirit that is causing them to be deceived. There is a constant fear of deception and a constant fear of missing it. Now, this is no way to live, especially because God has given us peace. The Scripture affirms the work of salvation; the spirit of fear questions it. The Holy Spirit has given us the truth, but the spirit of fear constantly asks, «What if you got it wrong?» Now, again, I must emphasize the balance here: there is nothing wrong with asking questions and examining yourself, but if this troubles you to the point where you are losing sleep, if it troubles you to the point where you can’t pray, can’t worship, or can’t even approach the Word of God, then something is wrong. I’m going to read a scripture to you—a portion of scripture from 1 John, chapter 4, verses 17 through 19, which says, «As we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face Him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love. We love each other because He loved us first.» Ultimately, the spirit of fear comes down to this: you’re afraid of punishment, you’re afraid of the wrath of God. If you have not been redeemed, if you have not received Christ, then this fear is well-founded. However, if you are someone who, as the Scripture says, lives like Jesus here in this world—this is not perfection we’re talking about; this is the walk of holiness, the process of sanctification—you have nothing to fear. You can stand before God on the day of judgment with confidence, knowing that He loves you, and this perfect love casts out all fear. Do you realize God is not working against you? He’s working for you. God, who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present, is working in your favor. God is doing and has done everything in His power to save you. If God will continue to, by His Holy Spirit, pursue those who resist His love, then how much more will He hold on to you who seek His face? You see, when it comes to fear, fear is ultimately a useless attempt at control. But when you let go and understand that God is in control, and that the one who loves you is also all-powerful and has the ability to perform that which He wants to do on your behalf, then the spirit of fear begins to lose its hold. Why? Because you understand you are perfectly known and perfectly loved, and He will not let you go. It’s because of His love I trust—not in my ability to cling to God, but in God’s ability to cling to me. The perfect love of God casts out all fear. The second thing I want to address here is guilt. Guilt tells you that you have to work for love; it tells you that the accomplishment of your salvation rests on you and not on God. Guilt tells you that you have to work for your salvation instead of simply receiving it. Guilt emphasizes your past; it emphasizes your shortcomings, character flaws, and mistakes. Guilt magnifies the thoughts you do not want to think and brings attention to you, focusing on your darkness rather than on the light of God. People who live with guilt experience a constant tension, a relentless frustration with themselves that becomes self-hatred. Therefore, you can’t receive the love of God because you…