Guilt Trip Dogs Don’t Feel Shame and Guilt……Question: is shame and guilt necessary to sanctification? In other words, do you need to feel ashamed of yourself and guilty before you can truly be humble? When Isaiah fell on his face before God and said "woe is me, I am a man of unclean lips" was that an example of shame and guilt? Or was it humility? And what's the difference?……I was reading a story the other day in Mark. It's a familiar one, from Chapter 7. Take a look:

“And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.” And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.”

We tend to think that boldness and pride go together, and that a truly sanctified person will be a passive sort who never speaks their mind or really has any desires. But this woman is so filled with desire, so desperate for an answer to her prayer, that she has forgotten herself entirely. In that way, her boldness actually highlights her humility.……Think about it. She is a gentile, Jesus is a Jew. Jews at that time thought of gentiles as lower life forms, unclean, etc. But this gentile woman knows that Jesus can heal her daughter, so she doesn't care. She'll be a dog if that's what it takes. So, she goes to Jesus on her knees and says, essentially "Yes, I know I'm a dog. But even the dogs get the crumbs." What an amazing thing to say. She is so in need of what Jesus has to offer, and she believes in Him so deeply, that she is willing to accept the title of a lower life form.……We can learn a lot from this woman's attitude. Especially in regards to prayer. The Syrophoenician woman wanted her daughter to be well. So, she came to God, and humbled herself, and asked for it. Pretty simple. We’re taught to believe that He is able and willing to grant our prayers. But it seems from this passage that the gentile woman didn't know if Jesus would be willing. Nevertheless, her desire drove her on. And when Jesus basically infers that she is a dog, her response to Him shows that her heart was already in a position of humility. It’s possible she even expected Him to be unwilling. There's no offense taken, no fear, no hurt feelings, just pure faith. Faith in His power, and the request that His power would be used to grant her desire. That's beautiful.……Conversely, how many times do we go to God with self-righteous, falsely pious prayers, crafted to impress Him and gain His favor? Instead of appealing to Him on the basis of our desire and His power, the way the Syrophoenician woman did, we appeal to Him on the basis of our goodness and how closely we are in agreement with His will. Do we think that's what gets prayer answered? Shame and guilt is what produces that sort of prayer. And shame and guilt is a tree with its root in the river of pride. This may seem like an oxymoron, but if you're honest with yourself you will find it to be true. Pride does not produce shameless prayers.……When was the last time you prayed a really shameless prayer? When was the last time you were honest about what you really want? Are you ashamed to ask the Lord for what you really want – your heart's desire – because you think it isn't spiritual enough? That's a Pharisee mindset. Don't get me wrong, it's good to pray for what you know is God's will – i.e. praying that you'll be filled with the Spirit, praying for the salvation of the lost, etc. but we should guard against trying to be more sanctified than we are.……For example, what would you think if your child came to you at Christmastime and said "Oh, Daddy, nothing for me this year, I don't deserve it. Just buy an extra toy for my brother Billy, and I'll be happy." You would wonder what your kid was trying to pull. Or, you would think he was the most insufferably pious child on earth. Let's not be like that with our Heavenly Father.……Remember, God knows what's on your heart. He knows what you want to ask for. You aren't fooling anybody. Don't let shame and guilt keep you from being honest. Don't be like the third servant in the parable of the talents who excused his lack of passion by saying to God, "I knew you were a hard man."……Honesty, humility and desire are a better basis for prayers than shame and guilt. Intimacy between people is impossible without honesty, and I think it's the same between man and God.……Shame and guilt teach us to lie, and to hide, and to believe that we are unimportant to God, and to try to impress Him with how low we can go. But that is just as prideful as believing we are so important to God that all we have to do is "name it and claim it." Both of these mindsets elevate man, man's goodness, man's power. But true humility is the recognition that God is important, and that God is powerful, and that God is loving and that God is the Source of all good things.……So, stop playing mental games with God. No more weak, worthless, lukewarm prayers motivated by shame and guilt. Whatever it is you really want, just ask. He has the power to give it.