Several years ago I had a profound spiritual realization. I was sitting quietly in a church meeting when it happened.  I had enjoyed such a beautiful week, – filled and upheld by the spirit, – but unexpectedly at that moment, it was as if a dark cloud overshadowed me. I began to feel a feeling of strong condemnation against me, like I was being spiritually assaulted. I started to feel guilty, but didn’t know why. (Not doing enough? Not being enough? Saying the wrong thing? etc) My spirit was shrinking because I was believing these condemning thoughts and feelings.

Just as I was sinking into the dark abyss, I became alert to what was really going on. I realized, in a flash of spiritual insight, that “Something is wrong! These things I’m feeling bad about aren’t even true! I instantly understood that I had been “acted upon” by the adversary.   This condemnation had been thrust upon me, and I had been buying into it hook, line and sinker.

This inspiration empowered me to pray, “Heavenly Father, please take this darkness and guilt from me. None of it is true!   As easily as it descended on me, it departed and I was once again enveloped in peace. I felt that the whole experience gave me a gem of knowledge that I could truly use in my life and share.

I recognized that I had been “pounded” many times like this before, (and usually with good reason), but this was the first time I figured out the source of my condemnation.

If we hear “voices” that condemn, they are NOT of God!

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”(John 3:17)   If the adversary can get us to believe that we are condemned, he has won a major battle, even if it may be justifiable. Because we are not perfect, he always has fodder with which to condemn us. The particles of truth that he uses are just what he needs to threaten our peace.

One of the greatest tools Satan uses to keep us from being “one” with the Lord is to convince us that we don’t “deserve it.” When we do something wrong, (if we have any kind of conscience at all), we are made to suffer. He tries to convince us that we are bad, or we’ll never change. With his continual thrashing, we sometimes find ourselves agreeing that we aren’t worth saving, and we perpetuate the “beating” with SELF- CONDEMNATION. We generally continue where Satan and his minions leave off, and we do a pretty thorough job.

Read the full article at Meridian Magazine.