None of us can break God’s rules, society’s rules, or even our set rules, without feeling the pain of guilt. In Don Baker’s book, Depression-Finding Hope and Meaning in Life’s Darkest Shadows , he writes that guilt is a subjective human response to what is viewed to be sin. It is one of God’s ingenious tools designed to penetrate the soul of humanity painfully in order to drive humanity to the only adequate provision for sin, which is Jesus Christ.

One way to distinguish whether our feelings of guilt are false accusations from Satan or true convictions from the Holy Spirit is that Satan’s accusations are general and non-specific. They take the form of constant reminders that we are not worthy, or that God could never love us. The Spirit of God is specific. He always points His finger right at the actual instance of sin. He is not the author of confusion, but very carefully convinces us of a particular act that needs to be confessed, moving us toward repentance and change.

Memorize 1 John 1:9.