Some time ago, I noticed a sad, desperate-looking man attending the “Jesus Heals” program. Clement, who was in his 60s, shared the story of the tragic incident that had altered his life forever when he was only 13. He and his older brother had been playing with guns in their home. Suddenly, the gun in Clement’s hand accidentally went off and fatally injured his brother.

For 47 years Clement had been burdened by the guilt of those few minutes. It was a haunting tragedy that exhausted him emotionally, physically and spiritually. He came to “Jesus Heals” wondering if he could ever be saved from the pit of sorrow he had been trapped in for most of his life.

When I preached, I reminded the audience of Jesus’ steadfast love and mercy: Jesus is the good news for each of us. He removes our transgressions and rids us of the lingering guilt. When we confess our sins we are forgiven by Our Lord, who suffered for our salvation. He frees us from the burden of sin. If we are still plagued by a voice of guilt, it is the evil one telling us we are unworthy. Listen, instead, to the voice of the Lord. We can never be deserving enough for all He promised us. Just place your trust in Him and heed His message of love, hope and truth.

I am pleased to say that Clement was deeply touched by the Word of God that day and was released from his affliction. In loving gratitude to His Savior, he now shares the love and mercy of Christ with others who have not yet heard this good news. In this mission of evangelization, he takes a leading role in organizing programs and retreats for his community.

Are you aware of a spirit of condemnation working behind the scenes to tear you down in your spiritual journey? The scripture calls this spirit an accusing spirit: “for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night” (Revelation 12: 10). This anti-Christian spirit can take hold of people who have good intentions when they approach people with a tone of condemnation but no love. If you are constantly told how much of a failure you are, or that you are not worthy to receive the mercy of God, then this accusing spirit is tearing you down. Whenever you try to make some improvements in your life, this spirit may undermine your confidence by casting up past mistakes.

This accusing spirit can be an inner voice that reminds you of your failures, mistakes and sins. Satan even accuses God in the book of Job. This blaming spirit overlooks and discredits the blessings the Lord bestows upon each of us. It seeks to make our lives miserable by separating us from God, from others and even from ourselves. Never forget that our strength in spiritual matters is reliant on God’s faithful promises.

The fruit of the accusing spirit varies widely—self-hatred, guilt, low self-esteem, self-reproach, despair and resentment toward God. You will never realize your worth as a child of God while this finger-pointing spirit is encouraging you to only see your problems and wallow in self-pity. The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, will always lead you toward repentance, reminding you of your inherent value and helping you find solutions. How do you combat this deceitful spirit? First, we need to fill our minds with God’s Word. Jesus came into this world to free the captives from their chains. When we claim His Word and power we can be freed from these negative spirits. Second, we must learn to recognize the voice of the accusing spirit and seek refuge in Christ to combat it. Both Peter and Judas were attacked by the accusing spirit. Both were filled with remorse and tempted to fall into despair. In his pain after denying Jesus three times Peter raised his head and turned toward the Savior. Despite his grief when Jesus died, Peter was ready and waiting to run to the tomb on Easter Sunday and to affirm His love for Jesus three times. Judas, however, put distance between himself and Christ. He was too ashamed to beg for forgiveness.

Let us be like Peter. Let us believe that the promises made by the Lord will be fulfilled. No matter how much or how often we have failed, He offers us a fresh beginning. His mercy is much greater than the sum total of all our failures.