God sends the sense of guilt when you violate one of His commandments. Guilt is God’s reminder that you need to make amends for your disobedience. Once you accept the blame, ask for forgiveness, and reconcile the problem, then God and only God will remove the guilt. But there is man-made guilt for the purpose of manipulation. There are those who prey on the emotions of other’s guilt for their own benefit. You will make others feel- wretched, worthless, defeated, and a failure just to get them to do what you want. Guilt tripping works, in the short term, because the person will do whatever it takes to ease the emotional pain you have caused them. But by using guilt as a weapon, you have weakened your connection with that person, many times forever. You now have made your relationship based upon conditions and manipulations, which never makes for a strong bond or lasting friendship. Your threats, lectures, nagging, emotional appeals, and pitiful claims are guilt assaults that will destroy every relationship you are involved in. Eventually, one by one, you will lose family members and friends because they stop caring.
The Consequences of Guilt Submission:
The person will at first experience GRIEF from the guilt you have burden them with.
As you continue to control them with guilt, the person grows to RESENT you.
The mixture of unresolved resentment and persist guilt produces increasing ANGER.
Prolonged anger causes bitter HATRED.
Humans seek to stay away from those things they hate therefore, SEPARATION from your guilt filled intimidations is a logical conclusion.
Guilt Filled Statements. Is This You?
“If you really loved me, you would do it.”
“Can you not see how much you make me suffer?”
“You should be ashamed of how you treat me.”
“I wish you were more like. . .”
“Why do not ever help me?”
“You will be sorry when I am gone.”
“Why are you never here when I need you?”
“All I do for you and this is how you treat me.”
“Do not worry about me, I will make it somehow.”
“You cannot say, No!”
“I guess I will do it, I do everything else around here.”
“I really believe if I died tonight no one will ever miss me.”
“If you were a good Christian you would . . .”
“Do you even think about me?”
“You are an awful (mother, father, son, daughter, etc.) how could you . . .”
“I never thought I would have a child that would treat their mother/father like this.”
“You do not really love me.”
“If I mean anything to you at all, you would . . .”
“No thanks to you …”
“Thanks to you, I . . .”
“You always . . .”
“You never . . .”
“You made/pushed me into . . .”
“I hope you are happy now.”
“Am I the only responsible person around here?”
The Bible and Guilt
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 2Corinthians 7:10
God given guilt results in a change of mind towards your actions, which has two immediate outcomes: 1. Deliverance from the burden. 2. A change you will never regret making. Responding with repentance of your sin when the Holy Spirit touches your heart with guilt will restore your fellowship with God and with men. A better life awaits you if you submit to the Holy Spirit’s gift of guilt.
While man made guilt (worldly) brings separation and regret. Guilt tripping others into submission results in misery in every important relationship in your life. Your self-imposed guilt does not lead you to deliverance, but it does brings you death: Death to your fellowship with God, Death to your relationships with people, and can even bring physical death. A miserable life awaits you if you continue to use guilt as a tool to control others.