Every now and then in life, I let myself get down because of mistakes that I make. I feel ashamed, broken, out of place, and even a little condemned. It doesn't even have to really be a mistake that I have made, it could be guilt for buying a pair of jeans- even when I only have one other pair that really fits. Why would I feel guilt for that? I clearly have a real need, but fear bubbles up and turns into guilt and condemnation. They were on sale too! What's the deal?!
These feelings are brief, because I have it ingrained in me that there is now no condemnation. In my head, I know it is true that I have no reason to be consumed with fear and sadness. But it almost seems like my rising heart rate, and defeated attitude don't want to listen, as if they enjoy this state of turmoil. In times when my knowledge of who God is and my feelings butt heads, the question rises: how do I stop feeling like this and start walking in what God has for me? So over years of knowing the grace, mercy, and lovingkindness that my God has for me while also battling negative thoughts, I have found a few thing that really help.
1. Prayer Coupled with Faith
Prayer is our open dialogue with God. I never "spruce up" for him at all, because I know he already sees what I have done, and who I am. By not trying to fake it, I find that God is able to be real with me. Not that God ever puts on a front, but when we hold back some of who we are from God, we limit how fully he can work in our lives. We should not be afraid to come to God with anything. He is not angry at all. He has only love for his children.
Now, that being said, I made sure to include "Coupled with Faith". James 1:5-8 lays it out pretty plainly, "5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."
Please don't take this as discouragement or something to make you at all afraid. For a while, this verse made me feel a little defeated. Am I being double minded? Am I sabotaging myself? That was not the intention of this verse. The entire point of this passage was to spur on faith. Yah, I can believe! If I ask, I will receive! Thank you, Lord, in advance, because I am so expectant of what I asked for, that I can't help but to already say thanks!
If you are having trouble believing God when you pray, one thing that helped me is to start by believing God for tiny things. Believe him for what you can as an exercising of your faith. Just as we walk before we run, we can also strengthen our faith by starting small and working our way up.
Another thing that I have found helps me exercise my faith is to remember what God has done for me in the past. There are so many definite times in my life that God has been gracious toward me or provided in some way. When I draw my mind back to those times, it almost feels ridiculous that I would doubt him again.
In the same turn, I have been with countless friends and acquaintances that are constantly asking for prayer, but still talk in a defeated tone as if nothing has been or ever could be done for them. Our God is the one who parted the Red Seas and raised Jesus back to life. If we pray for something, we have no reason to do it with anything but a sense of accomplishment. It is not up in the air for us; we are more than conquerors through Christ.
2. Hear the Word
While we are on the subject of faith and believing that God really is for us and has no condemnation for us, I must impress upon you the power of hearing the word. When we get into the word and hear it spoken over our lives something happens in our spirit. Our faith is built up. Romans 10:17 says, "17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." Start speaking verses out loud when you start to feel condemned, fearful and put down. The word will not return void.
Romans 8:1 clearly states that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Print out the verse you stand on and tape it to your mirror or your computer at work. Do what it takes. Speak the verse aloud. Even have the narrator function on your computer read it aloud to you! I tried it just to see what it would sound like. It sounds a lot like someone who is having some trouble reading but very confidently mispronouncing every three words. It was odd, but even from the electronic voice on my computer, there was power in the word of God! If you are having trouble with something, there is a verse for it in the bible. Find it, print it, and hear it.
3. Take Your Eyes Off of Yourself
When I dwell on what I have done that I should not have, it has the automatic effect of discouraging me. When I concentrate on all that I have done, and try to feel better about who I am, it usually fails me. That is because to truly boot insecurity and feeling of being condemned, we must have our identity rooted in Christ. The more that we look to God, concentrate on who he is, his goodness and love, and worship him, the more that we will find that who we are is not the deciding factor for our peace. Our peace is found in God and who he is.
Life in Christ is not about obtaining salvation through Jesus in order to be a better person. We will be fallible until we die and meet up with Jesus in heaven. The point of being on this planet and coming to know Christ is to glorify him and come to know him: R E L A T I O N S H I P . It's like we are trying to live a life of worship for God, but doing it with a floor length mirror in front of us. We focus on what we are doing and how we look doing it the whole time. We may have the sincere desire to not mess up, perfect ourselves and not sin, but the constant inward focus will block our view of God and eventually leave us feeling hollow. Concentrate daily, hourly, moment by moment on God, his goodness, his love, how great he is. That step alone may put your life on a 180 degree turn.
4. Admit When You Experience Conviction
This step might as well say Attn: Candace. And you know what, I would love it if it said that, because it is a holy experience when the Holy Spirit grabs ahold of you. By that I mean, when the Spirit pricks your conscience and brings something that you have done to your attention, it may be painful, but it is an awesome opportunity to let yourself be soft, malleable clay. When we are open to conviction, confession, and repentance, we are able to see ourselves move lightyears past the old man in us that holds us back. Old habits can be broken. The same old rut that we return to even though we remember how it ended last time can become a fading memory. We can let the new man manifest here on Earth instead of waiting until heaven, but we must be open and willing to accept the soft soft correction of the Holy Spirit.
God will never play you like a puppet. We have free will, and because of that we can freely love him, or freely choose the path of death. Because our existence is set up that way, the method that God uses to mold us in this life is not force, but conviction. And conviction is completely different from condemnation. Being condemned has to do with separation with God. One who is condemned is judged and disapproved. They have little to no hope. One who is convicted hears, "that was not right", rather than, "out of my sight. You are defined by what you just did".
2 Corinthians 7: 10 says, "10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death." So yes, you may experience grief in the moment. After doing something that we know God has been working on in us, we will probably feel our conscience twinge. In that moment, we must not hide ourselves from God, deny our action, or rationalize it in our head. We need only to say, "yes, God. You're right. That was not what I need to be doing", and then trust God to give us the strength to obey him. Conviction leads to salvation without regret. Condemnation only produces death.
There is a difference, and with that a need to be able to tell the difference. Pray and seek God next time you are facing grief for what you have done. Look at the way you are feeling. Are you overwhelmed with despair or simply aware of what you have done? Look at what it is that you are worked up about. Is it leading you towards God or stealing your peace. Little by little it becomes easier to pull God's voice out from the worthless thoughts in your head telling you that you should lose all hope. God will guide you. He loves us. He has no condemnation for us. That means that he does not wish us to be filled with anxiety about every little action. Walk with him, talk with him, and keep your eyes on him. He will fill you with love and peace that passes all understanding.
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Thank you for chilling with me over the web for a few words! I'm so glad you're here! What are your favorite ways to keep your eyes on God? Share your thoughts bellow!
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Have a wonderful Thursday.
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