Guilt vs conviction: guilt is a bridge, not a home
The hosts distinguish guilt from the Holy Spirit's conviction: God does not use guilt as a rebuke tool, but when you walk outside what you know is true, you should feel it; that burden is God saying he will not leave you there. Missing a self-imposed daily plan is not separation, but living outside your integrated beliefs will register. Ben's example: realizing that downloading music without paying was wrong felt like guilt because it was wrong, and the right response is repentance and grace, not carrying guilt for weeks. Greg adds that guilt-based evangelism never works, citing the Puritans, and quotes Roger Williams: forced religion stinks in God's nostrils.
More on Repentance
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Do accountability partners actually work?
- Do accountability partners actually do anything?
Mike raises his accountability-partners question: the standard dude-circle advice to get a buddy to hold you accountable for Bible reading, porn, church attendance, and drinking.
From No. 598 · Emphasis | Accountability, Worship and Praying with Strangers
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Restitution after conversion: the Walmart shoplifter
- Do you owe restitution for sins committed before your conversion?
From Paul's unpunished past the hosts pivot to earthly consequences after repentance. Mike tells of a man converted fifteen years ago who had been shoplifting from Walmart; Mike told him to go confess to the store, and now isn't sure that was the best advice.
From No. 579 · Wanted: Paul and Hope | Paul’s Persecution of Christians and Radical Redemption
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Dear LFTP: the married man who wants her as his side piece
- Should I block the married man who lied to me and wants me as his side piece, or stick around?
- When someone is cheating, do you tell the wife?
Ben reads a Dear LFTP letter from a woman who fell for a coworker who claimed his ex was out of the picture, then learned via internet research that he is married and bought the house with his wife — and now he wants her as his side piece.
From No. 535 · Solo Contendere
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Does God affirm our struggles or call us to repent of them?
- Does God affirm our struggles or call us to repent of them?
Mike frames two camps: one that says God affirms our struggles as-is, another that says He calls us to repent of what is in our control.
From No. 534 · The Antagonistic Bison