When a person has a guilty conscience they tend to jump at their own shadow, and be suspicious of everyone.
The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, But the righteous are bold as a lion. Proverbs 28:1
Being guilty of something makes a person defensive and angry.
Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity Ephesians 4:26
Guilt is a friend to us because it heads us toward Christ.
Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith Guilt is produced by our knowledge that we have limits set upon us, and we violated those limits. Galatians 3:24
Thank God for those limits and for the remedy for our sinning against them!
Guilt causes us to take responsibility for our own sin and is intended to help us to see God’s true and only solution for earned guilt- which is Jesus Christ.
There are numerous ways secularists attempt to help people resolve their guilt. In the 12 step world the person is encouraged to “make amends” to those they hurt by their “addictive” behavior. This is at least something but does nothing for his eternal state!
It is no exaggeration to say it is vital that we understand that we are accountable for sin, that our sin has a steep penalty that has everything to do with eternity! If you only want to deal with the feelings of guilt or just make amends as AA would tell you to do without truly dealing with the spiritual aspect, you will be like the priests who make daily sacrifices that can never take away sin. Hebrews 10:11
The greatest need we have in relationship to guilt is to be sure that our guilt has been handled. You want to be sure that you have received God’s forgiveness through Christ at the cross.
Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Please remember that while there is no longer eternal punishment for your sin, relational forgiveness must still be sought with the people you have sinned against, and repentance must be done. The guilt you experience is produced by the Holy Spirit in order to convict you of sin.
When a person responds correctly to guilt, admits sin, repents of it and turns toward living life God’s way, God is glorified and the person grows in his or her faith, and they are experiencing another avenue of progressive sanctification.