GUILT VS SHAME

Guilt vs. Shame

I've never really compared these two words. I used to think they meant the same thing until yesterday i read about the two and i realized that although they kind of share features they are totally on opposite sides. What is guilt? What is shame? I'll take illustration from the bible Guilt is what peter felt when he betrayed Jesus and shame is what Judas Iscariot felt when he betrayed Jesus. Guilt is actually your friend, it keeps us in line with God, guilt is an awareness of wrongdoing, and guilt could birth two things it could bring forth shame or remorse (to feel sorry and apologize). Peter felt guilty for denying Jesus he became remorseful and pleaded for forgiveness which he found and even after Jesus was crucified he lived on doing the work of Jesus. While Judas felt guilty for betraying Jesus but instead of remorse he was overtaken by shame, the reason why he committed suicide. Guilt is the work of the conscience and the conscience is of God, though I can't categorically say guilt is of God I can say guilt keeps us in check with God. Shame is of the devil it’s a very oppressive feeling. Guilt is that small voice from your conscience that says "you shouldn't have said that" or "that was sinful you know" or "you didn't need to lie" or "you shouldn't wear or have worn that dress" or "go back to God" while shame is that high pitched voice that screams at you "you big sinner you can never be good enough" or "this is the height of it God can't forgive you this time"  it is the voice that gives you an account of how many times you've sinned and how God's mercy cannot abound for you at a certain point it’s the voice that tells you how you've fallen too far for grace. The sad thing however is a lot of us (myself inclusive) listen to the voice of shame more often than we would like to admit God has said he'll blot out your transgressions and our sins he'll no longer remember but even after we've confessed our sins and found forgiveness we still choose to live in shame of our past mistakes, if God as said then you can be sure he means it God is no man that he should lie. Personally up until yesterday i still used to go down the valley of shame and i'll call it guilt but now I realized that walking down that valley amounts to taking a stroll with the devil which makes one fall into sin again. So beginning from today i know my sins have been bloated out at Calvary I need not hold on to them again but walk in the victory of Calvary and no longer listen to the voice of shame but the voice of God and if i go wrong Guilt would come and when i restitute its over any voice after that is of shame and I would not listen to that voice no more.