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Supernatural Help A Prayer The following is exactly what appears in the webpage you have been reading, with very simple changes such as “God” changed to “you” to turn it into a prayer. Lord God, Like so many other people, I’ve wrestled with the issue of blame, and nothing I’ve tried has brought me peace. I need a new approach. I ask for a revelation of how real and powerful Jesus is and how him suffering undeserved pain, shame and blame can bring me supernatural healing. Of course, you are not human, and yet having had my trust violated by a human has made it hard for me to love and trust  anyone  – even you. Cold logic might say there is no reason to fear that you might act like a sinful, fallible human, but what I’ve suffered seems so overwhelming that it clouds my perception of everything. Living, as I do, in a world crammed with people who pretend to love, just to get their selfish way – or even well-meaning people who unintentionally end up hurting others – it is hard to believe that you are so different. If, however, you are morally perfect, and filled with genuine love that has no trace of human selfishness, then you truly are trustworthy. If you have infinite knowledge and wisdom, you must understand me even better than I understand myself. And if you really are love – not lust – then you will be patient and understanding as I try to reach out to you. To be healed and freed from this oppressive burden of blame, I need to stop blaming myself, blaming others, and blaming God. But on one or two points this seems beyond me. I need your help. And blame must go somewhere. Grave offenses have occurred. Justice must be done. If you are truly a good God and a God of justice, then satisfying the need for justice must be an even bigger issue with you than with me – and it is huge with me. At the same time, being both faultlessly good and loving, you long to forgive and want offenders to change. Meeting all these requirements is simply too much for any human. Help me to trust you to do it – and do it well. I hand all blame over to Jesus, not because he deserves it but because if he somehow died for the sins of the entire world, he must want to take this burden from me. Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that you swapped places with me on the cross, bearing the full consequences of all that has happened to me. You fully paid my debt to justice. So I choose to honor you by no longer accepting as my debt what you have already suffered so much to pay in full. Instead of me carrying it any longer, I hand over to you all my fear, pain and guilt, and if ever I again slip into accepting responsibility for my past, I will again put my trust in you by handing it back to you. I thank you that your healing work has begun in me. Help me to keep trusting you, so that you can complete the healing you long to perfect.

Spiritual Secrets   Making Sense of Jesus and the Bible   The Greatest Spiritual Discovery   God’s Mysterious Ways     The Designer of every molecule in your brain might know a thing or two. The God who could use as marbles suns more powerful than a billion nuclear bombs, might just be big enough to meet our needs. And yet . . .   Jesus’ teaching – in fact the entire Bible – has dire consequences if ignored, yet God’s way seems so illogical and unworkable that few of us dare try it. Even among devout believers much of the Bible gets left gathering dust on the “nice sentiment but impractical” shelf. Our brain flashes, “Does not compute,” and fails to program the instructions into our daily living. It is easy to become so familiar with the words of Scripture and so conscious of the importance of revering the Word of God, that we are barely aware that we are not actually living according to its directives.   After staking virtually everything on God’s method we will gradually begin receiving personal confirmation that it really works. We must first, however, reach that critical point where we are willing to risk this plunge into the unknown. Much of what follows is therefore devoted to building confidence in God’s way of doing things. To assist in this, a goal of the webpage is to make the relevant mysteries as easy to understand as possible. We will pursue this from several different angles, using as a main tool simple illustrations from the world we live in.   Let’s be frank   Most biblical revelation is the exact opposite of what any sensible human would come up with. This should come as no surprise. There would be little point in God giving us a Bible if it were filled with truths that mere common sense tells us. A helpful way to understand why spiritual principles seem illogical and unworkable is to consider many tragedies that have occurred in Australian deserts.   A rule of survival in the harsh Australian Outback is if your only vehicle breaks down in a remote place, stay with the disabled vehicle. That seems dangerously out of touch with reality if you have no means of raising an alarm, you are somewhere that does not see a human for weeks at a time, and your water supplies can keep you alive for only a few days. So people in this predicament often disregard the warning and try walking the long distance to where help is more likely to be found. Eventually, they are reported missing, a search locates their vehicle, but no one is there. The Coroner’s investigation later confirms that vehicles are more easily located than walkers, there was more water in the vehicle than walkers can carry, and the extra exertion demanded of walking hastened the dehydration and sunstroke that led to their death. They died because they tried to save themselves. Had they done nothing except trust that they would be saved, they would have lived. They dismissed advice that would have saved their lives because such instructions only make sense to people who can believe that rescuers will arrive in time.   Likewise, whether Jesus’ advice seems reliable enough to bet your life on it hinges on whether you can believe that someone – in this case, God – will come to your rescue. This is why faith is so critical to Christianity. If the Almighty will powerfully intervene for you, the best course of action is usually the exact opposite to what you would do if you are in this predicament alone. The tragedy is that most of us, petrified that God might let us down, usually suppose we are playing safe by choosing whatever option would work best if God doesn’t care enough to intervene. We would dearly like to have a bet each way – hoping that God will act, while covering ourselves in case he doesn’t. With the God who knows our every motive, however, hedging our bets is as impossible as surviving by walking in tight circles half way between a stranded vehicle and a very distant source of help.   Signed in Blood   Since the Bible is the Word of God, every statement in it is backed with an iron-clad guarantee from Almighty God. To ratify his pledge, the One who put the stars in space and who keeps your heart beating, put his guarantee in black and white, and signed it in the blood of his own Son. He who cannot lie, then had his guarantee published around the world in thousands of languages so that the Holy One’s entire reputation with humanity hinges on him keeping his word.   Whenever Scripture says something that seems out of touch with reality, the One who runs the entire universe is pledging his integrity and power on the fact that he will make it happen. It means the Creator and Sustainer of every law of physics is announcing a new law.   Unless God’s physical laws are correctly understood, they will be thought to fail. It is not always true, for instance, that what goes up must come down. The law of gravity is more complex than that. Likewise, whenever the Almighty establishes a spiritual law, the conditions must be accurately understood or we will sooner or later discover what we mistakenly think is God’s failure to keep his word. What we would actually be discovering are defects in our understanding of God’s promise. A common error is to misunderstand the time frame. The Eternal One’s timing often shocks us. Even before Abraham plunged the knife into his son, he got his son back. On the other hand, the fulfillment for God’s promise to Abraham about the birth of his son had dragged on and on for so long that the situation seemed utterly hopeless. Moreover, it was not until centuries after Abraham’s death that some of what he had been promised was fulfilled. It might have happened after the end of his earthly life, but Abraham will be rejoicing over it for all eternity.   Another error is failing to realize that most of God’s pledges apply only to people who are in true, intimate fellowship with God. Some promises have even more conditions attached. Tragically, some people have been devastated by what they imagined was God letting them down but was actually a tragic misunderstanding of God’s words. For more on this see  When Promises Aren’t Promises.   It would be ridiculous to expect spiritual laws to be easily verifiable. When, for instance, the Bible says, “it is more blessed to give than to receive,” it is not implying this is a readily observable fact – if it were obvious it would hardly be a significant revelation. By placing it in the Bible, the Almighty is declaring he will ensure that ultimately – not necessarily this side of eternity – those who give will end up more blessed than if they had received.   Obviously, the frequently stated biblical truth, “He who humbles himself will be exalted,” comes with a similar guarantee that the Lord will ensure it happens in God’s time. That’s a scary path to honor. It is most unlikely to work unless there really is a Holy Lord whose integrity makes it impossible for him not to keep his promise. So the pressure mounts for us to disbelieve the Word of God and try to boost ourselves rather than leave it to God. The Lord of heaven and earth, however, not only expects you to stake your life on the fact that he will keep his side of the deal, he has already staked his Son’s life on it. Moreover to disregard this directive is to risk your eternity on the presumption that the Word of Almighty God is a lie when it says that God resists the proud.   “Nothing but Dirt”   Suppose someone suggested you sell absolutely everything you have – your car, house, furniture, jewelry, even your best clothes – to raise the cash to buy a barren piece of land that to you is nothing but dirt. That’s about as ridiculous as what Jesus seems to be asking of us – to give up things we hold dear and for this enormous sacrifice he offers what seems little better than dirt. But what if the person urging you to buy the land were a devoted friend who had discovered oil on the property? Underneath that land is enough crude oil to make you an instant multimillionaire. You would not be able to stop grinning as you excitedly sell all you possess. You would be focused not on the house you are losing, but on the mansion you will soon be able to buy. You would be too busy thinking about sports cars, limousines and Lear jets to mourn the loss of your old car. That’s how eagerly we would follow Jesus’ seemingly crazy requests if we really understood what God is offering us in exchange. If, for instance, we are horrified when God asks us to give up our puny, selfish ambitions, it is only because we have been too pre-occupied with ourselves to gain the slightest conception of how excitingly superior are God’s ambitions for us. If only we understood we could hardly contain our joy.   Back to Earth   As wonderfully true as this is, for me to leave you floating in the clouds would be less than honest without first tackling the issue that most preachers and teachers, myself included, are sorely tempted to side-step. We must face up to the cost, plunging into those icy waters while desperately clinging to the truth that by an incomprehensible but divinely-guaranteed miracle, the benefits are exceedingly greater than the enormous cost.   Jesus is our Savior – saving us from many things we could never bear, including an eternity in hell. In addition, Jesus is our Example – the Pioneer who trail-blazed the route for us to follow, all the way to the cross and beyond. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). Not only was it necessary for our Leader to suffer  en route  to indescribable victory, joy and honor, so must his followers. Prayerfully consider the following:    . . . if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.   (21)   To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps   (1 Peter 2:20-21).   Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude . . .  (1 Peter 4:1).   Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.   (13)   But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed   (1 Peter 4:12-13).   This truth is strongly emphasized in Scripture. Most of us will find the relevant Scriptures in the verses not underlined in our Bibles.   Act like Christ – which is possible only by letting Christ live in you and express himself through you – and you will end up like Christ – despised, rejected, humiliated and finally reigning in honor on God’s throne for all eternity.   Sheer Agony   “Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me,” declared our Savior (Matthew 10:38). I dare not rob that chilling statement of the dread filling the thumping hearts of Jesus’ original hearers. Crucifixions were so common that all Jesus’ contemporaries must surely have seen condemned criminals dragging their crosses on the way to a most torturous death. Later, many of his hearers witnessed their Leader agonizing on the cross, confirming the enormity of the cost involved.   It is an inescapable fact that the cross is sheer agony. I would be little better than a charlatan to suggest otherwise. I, for instance, made what at the time seemed a huge sacrifice for the Lord. Over twenty years later it still hurts deeply every day, with no hint that the pain will ever cease this side of eternity. I am unaware of the slightest compensation for all the suffering, except for an increased capacity to minister to hurting people. If I hold on until the end, however, what had seemed a sacrifice will prove itself one of the shrewdest imaginable investments.   Following Christ starts by sweating drops of blood, sobbing the prayer, “Not my will but yours.” It necessitates abandoning our pet sins, even though the incessant craving may gnaw at our insides day after endless day. It involves lowering ourselves in our own eyes; viewing ourselves as weak, ignorant and useless without Jesus’ constant input, and believing we are so morally corrupt that we deserve endless torment in hell. It could well mean letting people walk all over us, or choosing a path that exposes us to rejection, ridicule, perhaps even physical suffering. It will probably involve giving up whatever is dearest to our heart. It might be prized possessions, hobbies, loved ones, a promising career, financial security, or the right to marry the person we love, but whatever most rivals our love for God may have to go. Jesus’ teaching is crammed with this emphasis and if it is currently unpopular to talk about it, that just shows how far we have yet to go before we truly reflect Jesus.   Our Lord was forever warning would-be followers of the enormous cost involved. This worries most of us so much that we would like there to be two categories of believers: disciples and ordinary born again Christians. But scripture makes no such distinction. There are indeed two categories: true Christians and fake Christians. Or, expressed another way: those who are genuinely born again and those who merely think they are. Space allows only a couple of reminders of how Jesus’ approach to potential converts differs so markedly from what we typically hear today:   Luke 14:25  Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said:   (26)  “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple.   (27)  And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.   (28)  Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?   (29)  For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him . . .  (33)  In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.   Matthew 10:25  It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!   John 16:2  They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.   The apostles, of course, followed Jesus’ method of evangelism and teaching. Thus, for example, we find Paul and Barnabas “strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. ‘We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,’ ” they said (Acts 14:22). “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” promises 2 Timothy 3:12. Today we are so eager to declare people “co-heirs with Christ” that we often gloss over Scripture’s proviso, “if indeed we share in his sufferings” (Romans 8:17).   “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ,” said Paul (1 Corinthians 11:1). We know how much Paul suffered. “I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church,” he wrote (Colossians 1:24). Paul kept his side of the bargain. He paid the price of following Christ. What about us?   The cost highlights why faith is so essential to authentic Christianity. Faith is the glue without which our entire spiritual life disintegrates. Without faith, we would not dare pay the price. We would be left only with false religion, no matter how much we cite Christian doctrine. And what faith it takes! Without a foretaste, it is nearly impossible even to imagine anything so wonderful as to make the cost worthwhile. Whatever could move anyone to pay such a price? I suggest the greatest of all motivations: love. The future joy that moved Jesus to endure the cross was not the happiness that ease and luxury gives, nor an empty euphoria like a drug-induced high. What held Jesus to the cross was the thrill and matchless satisfaction of knowing he was delighting the Father who meant everything to him, and the ecstasy of obtaining eternal fellowship with us, whom he loves with an intensity beyond our comprehension. Likewise, it was supernatural love pumping through the hearts of the early Christians that propelled them to exult in what they regarded as the privilege of suffering for their Lord (Acts 5:40-42). And it was that same love that exploded within the heart of Paul, driving him to count all his earlier achievements as trash relative to the joy of intimately knowing Christ and of sharing in Christ’s suffering (Philippians 3:8-10). We love because Christ first loved us. We embrace pain because he first did it for us.   When I remind you that “hope” is a theological term about the certainty of the reward, you will see that we have been discussing the big three – faith, hope and love. No wonder Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 sang the praises of these three qualities. They empower us to embrace the cross and thus plunge into the riches Christ has purchased for us.   New Life   To take up our cross and follow Christ sounds horrific, until we discover that following Jesus takes us not only to crucifixion but to resurrection; not only to the death of self but to a gloriously new and superior life. It is only the spiritually corrupt part of us that we are asked to let die. Once that goes we find ourselves tingling with life like never before. It’s the death of the grub so that butterfly wings might be stretched and soar heavenwards. It’s the death of the sin-addict, the groveling sin-slave, the despicable weakling, and the rising of the glorious conqueror. It’s the death of pollution and the emergence of purity; the death of lonesome self-infatuation and the release of true love.   ‘Self’ refers to everything within us that is weak and ignorant and ugly. It is all that would ultimately darken us with shame and misery – the foolish choices that seemed a smart move at the time; the sweet things that turn sour. This, and only this, is what your loving Lord wants to die, so that a new you can burst onto the scene. Like (and through) Jesus risen from the dead, the new you will be a person brimming with life; glowing with purity, honor and a thrilling future.   I have sometimes so much craved sin that I actually felt that without it life was hardly worth living. That is utterly ridiculous and yet temptation is all about the enemy of our souls creating a dangerously false but highly convincing illusion. The critical issue, however, is that even if sin really were the only thing that made life seem worth living, I should lay down my life for the sake of the One who laid down his life for me. Christ paid the ultimate price for me, even though I deserve nothing. This leaves me utterly without excuse for not laying down my life for the exalted Lord who deserves everything. As Christ resurrected to a new and glorious life, so will I, as I cling by faith to my Savior. Through the One who died a slow, agonizing death for me, I will gain a sparkling new life, far superior to the old, sin-stained one. This new life will be fully manifested only after I physically die. Nevertheless, as I “die daily” – daily sacrificing a life of self-centeredness for the sake of my Lord – I will receive greater and greater foretastes of this new and excitingly superior life. Since they are only foretastes I will still have times when life feels awful, but in faith I plow through those times, refusing to surrender eternal reality for temporary illusion.   Making Room for God   Alex, a friend of yours, inherits a massive fortune in diamonds. He knows you have a small safe for personal valuables. “I have many diamonds with me,” he says, “I’d hate for them to be stolen. Could you put them in your safe?”   “Okay,” you say, none too pleased. You open the safe. It’s crammed with stuffed toys and fake jewelry.   “You’ll have to remove your things to make room for the diamonds,” Alex observes.   “What?” you exclaim, “and risk having my valuables stolen? Not on your life!” You angrily show Alex the door.   You later meet a friend and tell him about it.   “Alex kindly approached me, too,” your friend replies with a big grin, “I gladly threw out my valuables for his diamonds!”   “You did?” you reply, taken aback. “You took your valuables out of your safe, when he has enough wealth to buy a million safes of his own?”   “Alex didn’t want to use our safes!” laughs your friend, “He wanted to share his new-found wealth with us. All he wanted was to ensure you had a secure place to store your diamonds until you made up your mind what to do with them.”   “You mean all those diamonds would have been  mine to keep ?” Your ‘valuables’ suddenly seem worthless. “If only I’d understood, I’d have immediately emptied that trash out of my safe!”   Most of us make that same tragic mistake when God makes his offer. Like no one else, God is a giver, yet we mistake him for a taker. We each have, as it were, a treasure chest within us. We usually cram it full with such trinkets as self-righteousness, self-pity, self-promotion and bloated self-esteem. Pathetically, we horde these fake commodities, foolishly thinking them valuable. We realize they are inadequate, but they are all we have and we don’t think God would give us genuine valuables. We think the Lord asks for sacrifices, when all he wants is for us to clean out lesser things to make room for priceless treasures. Most of us fail to realize that by making room for God, we are making room for a vast treasury of divine riches that will be ours to keep.   If God filled that treasure chest within you, it would make you of infinite worth. While that chest is filled with yourself, however, there is no room for God. The more you make yourself small, the more of God there can be in that chest. The thought of making ourselves small terrifies us until we discover that it is simply making room for real riches that will be ours forever. Anyone opening up to God and pricking the balloon of his/her own importance, fills with divine importance. The new you fills with divine glory and supernatural power and majesty and joy and goodness and love and wisdom.   By emptying ourselves, we free up space for God to cram honor, beauty and eternal riches into our lives. When we shrink our estimation of our unaided ability, we make way for more of the ability of Almighty God to come flooding in.   Dying to self means coming to life like never before. It is trading trinkets for treasures; taking desires that end in despair and exchanging them for superior passions that produce life and fulfillment. And yet, when we have only known the inferior, it is so hard to even imagine the superior that it seems an enormous sacrifice to swap our darling trinkets for things of eternal value.   You might have heard it said, “God does not make junk.” The implication is that because we are God’s creation, we are of great worth, irrespective of whether we are filled with self or filled with Jesus. There’s a flaw in that logic. A brilliant artist will only make masterpieces, but any fool can vandalize a work of art until it is worthless. Our value lies only in our potential to be restored to the condition the Master originally intended. This restoration cannot happen if we keep Christ at arm’s length. We were divinely crafted to be filled with Jesus. As a human body without life is nothing but a putrid, decaying shell, so is a human spirit without Jesus.   Ironies   So upon opening yourself up to God, the more you shrink in your own estimation, the more you grow in worth, honor and usefulness. Here’s an example that may startle you: the more morally superior to a rapist Jane thinks herself, the more of Jane there is in that chest and the less there can be of God. On the other hand, the more Jane regards herself as morally corrupt and worthy of the same eternal fate as a rapist, the more she makes room for the Holy Lord and so the more she grows in purity and eternal honor. Consider Jesus’ parable of the tax collector and Pharisee praying in the temple. The one overwhelmed with a sense of moral depravity went home pure in God’s eyes. The good-living man, however, left morally corrupt in God’s eyes because he considered himself better than notorious sinners (Luke 18:9-14). Likewise, we see in the life of the apostle Paul, the more he grew in spiritual stature, the lower his opinion of himself. That’s the only way anyone can grow spiritually. Paul went from thinking himself the equal of any apostle, to regarding himself as the least of Christians, to concluding he was the worst of sinners (Galatians 2:6-14; Ephesians 3:8; 1 Timothy 1:15). The more we lower ourselves, the taller we stand. Life is filled with such ironies and spiritual life is crammed with them.   Consider these ironies:   Jesus, without equal in wisdom and spiritual power, regarded himself as useless without God.  “By myself I can do nothing,”  he said (John 5:30).   “The meek . . . will inherit the earth”  (Matthew 5:5).   “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted”  (Luke 18:14)     “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants . . .’”  (Luke 17:10)   “Honor your father and mother and love your neighbor as yourself,”  said Jesus, quoting the Old Testament (Matthew 19:19). And yet another time he said:  “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple”  (Luke 14:26).     “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”  (Galatians 2:20).   “I die daily,”  wrote Paul, (1 Corinthians 15:31) who had discovered how to really live.     In a nutshell:   The world says  love  yourself,  Jesus says  deny  yoursel f.   How can this be the gateway to fulfillment and supernatural joy? Continued

Mysteries in Jesus’ Teaching   The Forgotten Secret of Spiritual Power   The Gateway to Fulfillment and Supernatural Joy     Deny yourself.   Die to self.   Crucify the flesh.   Take up your cross.   A living sacrifice. Dry theology? Outdated platitudes? Spiritual mystery? The heart of Christianity?   This webpage is best understood after reading the previous page,  Spiritual Secrets     The world says  love  yourself,  Jesus says  deny  yourself   Jesus and the entire Bible poured much effort into expounding this concept, but few people grasp what Jesus longs for us to know because it sounds so dreary, even scary, that we are loathe to investigate it. And it is only those who seek, who find. Only if we delve deeply into this truth, will we ever discover how exciting it is.   Denying ourselves makes not the slightest sense until we realize we have a God who is so devoted to us that he eagerly fills us with his goodness when we trust him enough to give him room to move.   Few non-Christians can face the truth of what they are without Christ – morally corrupt and doomed to hell – but true Christians can face the full truth because we know we are  not  without Christ. We can make what to the world seems enormous sacrifices because we have a God who delights in looking after our interests better than we ever could. All our Lord requires is for us to take our hands off the steering wheel of our lives, letting him steer us to eternal fulfillment.   The Perfect Marriage   What is the quickest, easiest way to soar to cloud nine and become wealthy, honored and the envy of millions? Fall in love and become united in marriage with someone rich, famous and adorable. God not only fits the bill like no one else, he has the love and integrity to remain devoted to you forever.   To illustrate the consequences of being spiritually united to Jesus, let’s put it in financial terms, whilst remembering that it applies to your abilities, moral achievements, wisdom, in fact everything about you. You have $154.75 in the bank. Jesus has trillions. He wants to have joint bank accounts with you so that you can enjoy his trillions and delight in them as being your own. Instead of being excited, however, you see problems. You worry about what Jesus might do with your $154.75. And if Jesus really kept his word and you gained his riches, you’re concerned that everyone would know that those trillions became yours only because of Jesus’ generosity and love for you, not because of your hard work or skill. Although you could spend the trillions as if they were yours, you could never be credited with the honor of having earned them. If, however, you refuse to merge Jesus’ assets with yours, you can continue to boast that you have earned every cent you possess. So you have a choice: risk your $154.75 and lose your right to boast that you earned all your money and you will have trillions, or retain your right to boast and you will have $154.75. This creates a dilemma: we like the thought of being rich, but boasting makes us feel good. The Lord gave us feelings and he would like us to enjoy even the nice feeling that boasting creates. Here’s how to do it: “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31; 2 Corinthians 10:17). When we truly understand the utter oneness that we have with Christ, boasting about his greatness and perfection will excite us even more than when we used to boast about our own puny achievements.   We all know what a thrilling, fulfilling experience being in love is. It’s not perfect – there is usually a hint of selfishness in being in love – but it is a giant leap in the direction of what the Bible calls dying to self. When in love we hardly think about ourselves other than wanting to make ourselves more desirable for the one we love. Our thoughts and dreams revolve around the other person. There is a huge shift away from ourselves. The one we love becomes the center of our universe. Does this make us feel half dead? Is this losing of our pre-occupation with ourselves a painful, miserable experience? Of course not. Anyone in love has never felt more excited or more alive. Falling in love with the King of kings, the most exciting Person in the universe, is the ultimate solution to self-consciousness and low self-esteem. The answer is not to try to boost ourselves, but to delight in our God and make him the center of our universe; to thrill in his perfection.   Everything you could ever hope for is found in Jesus. Get Jesus and you get honor, knowledge, joy, fulfillment, power – everything. Delight in all his wonderful qualities, knowing that they are all yours because he is yours. Seek any of these without Jesus, however, and even if you temporarily obtain a little, you will eventually end up with nothing.   Scripture indicates that although King David let many of his sons run wild, he carefully trained Solomon from childhood. Presumably, David was grooming Solomon to be king from a young age. Solomon did not take the throne until he was fairly mature. All the ground-breaking work of establishing and structuring the monarchy had already been done by Saul and David. So Solomon had many reasons to be confident that he had all it takes to be a good king. After he had reigned for a while the Lord offered Solomon whatever one thing he asked for. He could have asked for security. A few of his subjects would like him dead, and some foreign countries that were subject to him would like to rebel, whereas some other nations would like to invade and plunder Israel. But he did not ask for security. He could have asked for world-wide fame. But he didn’t. He could have asked for wealth. But he didn’t. He humbled himself so much as to ask for what he must have been tempted to think he already had – the wisdom to rule. And he sought it not so he could boast of his intellectual prowess but so he could better serve God and God’s people. Humble yourself to see inadequacies within you and you will be exalted. Lower yourself, seeking to serve, and you will be raised high. Because Solomon sought wisdom, he got everything – wisdom, security, fame and wealth. Jesus is the Wisdom of God. Sacrifice everything to get him. Get him and you get everything.   “For Me”   “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it,” said Jesus (Matthew 16:25). Permit me to expound a little on one aspect of this divine principle:   Whoever tries to preserve his or her self-esteem will end up losing it, but whoever deliberately loses self-esteem – lowering his opinion of himself or exposing himself to ridicule for Jesus’ sake – will find genuine and lasting honor. Try to maintain or boost your self-esteem and you will end up riddled with shame. Take the opposite course for Jesus’ sake, however, and you’ll brim with joy and honor forever.   Central to the promise “whoever loses his life for me will find it,” are the words, “for me.” It is Jesus, and he alone, who turns the impossible into a spiritual law you can bet your life on. He is the all-powerful Lord, who transforms a fanciful idea into an immutable law. With him, a suggestion we would otherwise never dare attempt becomes a plan of action only a fool would refuse.   To understand the power and the necessity of Jesus adding those words, “for me,” recall the little boy in the midst of the famished thousands. For the boy to offer the crowds his lunch would be a noble but futile gesture. So rather than give the first hundred people half a crumb each, he gave his lunch to Jesus. Making Jesus the central figure transformed the situation. Suddenly, not only the boy, but thousands were being fed with something that moments before was utterly inadequate. Only after the boy had given his all and passed the point of no return, did what had seemed a foolish sacrifice prove to be the smartest thing he had ever done. The secret is to hand everything over to Jesus and then wait for him to move. Give yourself to Jesus, and he will give himself to you. Lose yourself in him, and you will find yourself in God – no longer restricted to human possibilities.   Just as the boy could not expect to be fed after giving away his lunch, so people cannot expect to thrive emotionally if they give away their self-esteem –  unless they give it to Jesus.  Then a miracle takes place.   Suppose your computer crashed and no matter how hard you tried, you could not fix it. Your only hope would be to give your computer away – to a repairer. You do this in faith that he will not only fix it with the care that he would if it were his own, but that he will then return the computer to you. With this same trusting attitude, we hand our lives over to Jesus, believing that not only will the all-powerful Lord do for us things that are humanly impossible, but believing that he will not exploit us. He will, in fact, pursue our best interests with greater passion than we ourselves would. This is backed by something infinitely stronger than any business agreement. It is backed by the unstoppable love of Almighty God who has invested everything – even the agonizing death of his only Son – on ensuring that you get his very best.   Too often we try applying a spiritual law with Jesus left out of the equation. We might as well expect a car to work with the engine left out of it. And then, when our attempt without Jesus doesn’t work, we have the audacity to imagine God has let us down!   Suppose Jeremy, a highly regarded investment advisor, tells you there is money to be made in the stock market and suggests you let him advise you. Off you go and make your own investments without consulting him. You lose badly, then blame him for your loss. “You told me there is money to be made in the stock market,” you complain bitterly.   “Yes, and those who have come to me for investment advice have done handsomely,” comes the reply, “but you thought you could do it without me.”   “Before doing anything I always asked myself, “What would Jeremy do?”   “You asked  yourself . You didn’t ask me.”   “I took notice of your associates’ advice.”   You didn’t ask  me .   “Well . . .” you squirm, “I  sometimes  asked you.”   “And did you follow my advice  exactly? ”   “ Exactly?  That’s a bit much! I followed the general spirit of what you said.”   “And now that you have lost everything you know that wasn’t enough,” replies Jeremy, with pain in his voice.   Bringing it together   Denise has a lump in her breast. Left untreated it will eventually kill her. Her life teeters on whether she admits to herself and then to a doctor that she has a problem. Denise might often visit her doctor, admitting to colds, migraines and so on. That is not enough. The doctor could even be a friend whom Denise meets socially several times a week, and she would still die from this cancer if she did not face the embarrassment of revealing the lump. She might have additional health problems she is keeping quiet about. Ironically, the more she admits to bad health, the healthier she will be. Similarly, the more we admit to sin, the holier we will be.   Let’s see how this spiritual law about holiness fits what we have been discovering. First, because God is a giver, not a taker, we know that anything God asks of us ends up being the best thing we could do. Whatever God asks us to endure, we can be sure that it is in our very best interest. Next, we know that to work infallibly, a law must be correctly understood. As we saw in the case of the boy’s lunch, a spiritual law will only work when Jesus is made the central figure. With health problems, admitting the problem to a non-medical person would achieve nothing. The crucial thing is admitting it to, and submitting to, a person who has the power to heal you. If we admit our spiritual sickness to Jesus and we submit to his treatment we will be made whole. On the other hand, those who tell themselves they are okay are in a terrifying predicament, whether they realize it or not.   Of course, there is much that makes people very reluctant to be examined for cancer. It could ruin your short term plans. Depending on the nature of those plans, that could be an enormous loss. Hospitalization means loss of freedom, loss of income and being somewhat cut off from friends and family. It could lead to the humiliation of suffering many indignities at the hands of doctors and nurses. Treatment could involve devastating disfigurement, severe physical pain and huge financial outlay. To risk all this would require great trust in your doctor – that his diagnosis is correct and that all that you suffer from the treatment is absolutely necessary. You would have to stake much on the belief that for the rest of your life you will look back with gratitude that you endured all the unpleasantness that treatment entailed. This brings us back to the beginning of this web series, where we noted that our spiritual life hinges on faith – how much we trust God’s love to propel him to supernaturally intervene in our lives. It takes quite a faith-leap to follow instructions that will only work if there really is a wise, loving, powerful God who cares for you so deeply that he will rush to use his limitless power to meet your deepest needs and allow you only to suffer what is absolutely necessary for your highest good. But that is exactly what God is like. The One who holds your molecules together and agonized on the cross for your welfare is trustworthy to the infinite degree.   Balance   In my desire to gently ease you into a radical re-thinking – moving away from the world’s view all the way to Christ’s view – my presentation of these thrilling truths is itself more self-centered than it should be. Enormous benefits await us, but ideally we should be seeking not the personal benefits but the joy of delighting the God who means everything to us. This shift of focus from our pleasure to God’s pleasure is the ultimate in discovering endless joy and fulfillment. It frees us from everything holding us down, allowing our spirits to soar heavenward.   How could we really enjoy a movie if during most of it we were looking in a mirror checking our hair, worrying about what people think of us, and so on? Our Lord is much more important and exciting than any movie. He is the Source of life, love, creativity, goodness, beauty, wisdom, joy, honor, power, purity, perfection – does the list ever end? Like our movie analogy, the more we forget ourselves and focus on God, the more enthralled we will be by him. We will not merely be transfixed, we will be transformed. We still, to use Paul’s expression, “see through the glass darkly” but when we take our eyes off ourselves and seize the grace made ours through Jesus’ shed blood, our eyes will begin to pierce the darkness that restricts our view of God. The more clearly we see God, the more we will behold such wonders that we will not only be captivated, our entire lives will begin to fill with the divine qualities that we focus on.   At the death of infatuation with myself, my spiritual senses become alive to the thrilling reality of God. I behold the most wonderful, exciting and beautiful Person in existence. The combined splendor of the entire universe; the pooled intellectual power of every intelligence in that universe; the greatest thing that the greatest minds could ever imagine – nothing compares with the One I am then empowered to fellowship with. To deny myself is get my eyes off myself – to stop distracting myself from focusing on the King of Glory. It is then that I truly live.   “Set your minds on things above” (Colossians 3:2)   When walking in an open field, it might seem best to keep focusesd on where you are placing your feet. We all know from experience, however, that if we only looked at our feet, we might think we are making good progress but we would actually stray off course; needlessly tiring ourselves and probably never reaching our goal.   To reach our destination with the greatest speed and ease, we must literally take our eyes off ourselves and set them on our goal, with only occasional, fleeting glances at the ground nearer our feet. Likewise, we make the greatest spiritual progress not by constant self-examination or preoccupation with our needs, failures or inadequacies, but simply by fixing our attention upon Jesus; filling our mind with an awareness of how wonderful he is.   Like Peter, I fix my eyes on Jesus, step out of the boat and take a couple of miraculous steps on water towards my Lord. Then I notice the wind. I look at the waves. I remember I’m human. I begin to sink. On the positive side, Jesus is ever-present to grab me in his strong arms and I had managed a couple of amazing steps. But it was ever so brief because my focus soon lowered from Jesus to circumstances and then to myself. As an alcoholic is addicted to drink, I’m addicted to focusing on myself instead of my Lord. What initiates my self-consciousness is more often feelings of inadequacy than pride. Whatever the cause, however, it gets my eyes off Jesus and I begin to sink. I have times when I wrench my eyes off myself long enough to gaze upon my Lord. For those brief moments astounding things are possible. Then the old addiction gets the better of me. Pride or self-protection, fear or selfishness, consciousness of my inadequacies or memories of past failures – some awareness of what I am without Christ – becomes so strong that I forget that I am  not  without Christ. Before I know it, the Lord has slipped from my thinking and I’m getting that sinking feeling. But although it happens so often, I know the answer is to re-set my gaze upon my Savior. So I try again. Will you join me?   Savior,   I’ve wanted to follow you, but from a respectable distance. I haven’t wanted the humiliation of dragging my cross to Golgotha and sacrificing my self-centeredness, self-righteousness and selfish ambition. I’ve wanted to avoid discomfort, not voluntarily embrace it for you. And yet you said, “If  anyone  would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” – follow the Lord who was crucified for me. You leave me no option. It is so basic that you even drive home the nails by placing the statement in three Gospels. You want the best for me and from me. It’s scary. I recoil from it as if I had touched red-hot metal. And yet, Lord, you’ve promised resurrection the other side of death to selfishness. And how can I hold back when you’ve sacrificed everything for me? Moreover, you gave your all for me when I deserve nothing, while you – my Creator, my Redeemer, the supreme Ruler and the God of perfection – deserve everything.   I’ve called you ‘God,’ but you haven’t really been my God. My life has revolved around myself, not you. I’ve followed my own desires, not yours. I’ve wanted to be  your  God, ordering you to do what I think is best for me, not let you in your love and wisdom tell me what is best. I’ve felt the need to look after my own interests because I didn’t think you would care enough to do a proper job of it. I thought if I completely stopped pursuing my own pleasure and focused on giving you pleasure, you’d just use me up. I’ve paid lip-service to your great love, but I haven’t really believed it. I have suspected you are almost as selfish and as self-centered as I am. I’ve praised your great wisdom, and then had the audacity to think I know better than my Maker as to what will bring me fulfillment. Even though you suffered incomparably more for my endless happiness than I’ve ever suffered for myself, I’ve stupidly thought I want my happiness more than you do. I loathe myself for even seeking my own happiness when you sacrificed all of yours for my sake.   I have been so infatuated with myself that I have seldom dragged my eyes off myself for long enough to see a tiny fraction of your love for me. Even when I thought I hated myself, I could think of little else than myself. I might have been tormented by self-hate but still my thoughts could hardly have been focused more on myself if I were in love with myself. Instead of being like a plant reaching up to you, my sun, I have turned in on myself. No wonder my soul has shriveled up.   From this moment I resolve to change my thinking. I now want to be Christ-centered, not self-centered. I will trust your love. I will take you at your word that if I seek nothing but your greatest good, you will seek my greatest good, which is what you longed to do all the time that I foolishly kept hindering you. I am in awe of your love because I know I get the best end of this deal; you don’t need me, but I desperately need you, and my attempts to please you are riddled with human frailty, while your efforts to please me are empowered by divine omnipotence.   Thank you, Lord. You are truly wonderful.   Climax   It’s a fundamental mistake to think that Christianity is about using God to get what we want. That would render us guilty of the treason of dethroning the King of kings and the blasphemy of hailing our desires as god. It would be to rob ourselves of God’s infinite love, goodness and wisdom and confine ourselves to our puny ability to know what is best.   Is it such a revelation to discover that Christianity is about being God-centered, not self-centered?   Dying to self might seem painful and scary but it is one of the most liberating experiences anyone can ever bask in. The results are mind-boggling, even mystical. For example, I have found it to be the secret to enjoying the peace that transcends all understanding when you reach that point of yielding to God where nothing – not life, happiness, material things, relationships, reputation, vocation, avoiding suffering, or anything else – really matters to you except God and him having his holy, wise and loving way in every aspect of your life.   Dying to self doesn’t mean ceasing to care about people – people are infinitely important to the God of love. It doesn’t mean giving up – through God we are winners. It doesn’t mean ceasing to put in enormous effort – Jesus sweat until it was like blood. Dying to self means no longer trying to get things for yourself – whether protection, fulfillment, achievement, peace or whatever. Such things are no longer your concern. If they come, praise God; if they don’t, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is God, because his way is perfect and can never be improved on. And when that attitude floods your heart, you have peace, no matter what horrors are exploding around you.   We’ve been following a guide since birth. One day we meet another guide who we discover has much greater wisdom, is a far superior companion and will take us to an exceedingly better destination. There is no question that following the new guide is the smart thing to do and will end up being the most fulfilling, and when our journey is complete we will forever be grateful we went with him, whereas if we go with our old guide we will forever regret it. The choice seems a no-brainer – except that in stark contrast to the final destination, the old guide’s journey starts off so much easier, more comfortable and enjoyable.   The new guide is Jesus. The old guide is our own heart. Where Jesus is going, our heart recoils from. It’s the way of the cross. Not even Jesus’ heart wanted to go there – hence the agony of the Garden of Gethsemane. The final destination is glorious but the only route is horrendous.   “. . . anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. . . . If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 10:38; 16:24). Where is Jesus going? The only place anyone drags a cross to – the place of torturous and humiliating execution where one’s self dies. And after that? . . . the place of triumph; the place of eternal honor; the place from which you will rule the universe with the risen Lord.   We long to follow both Jesus and our own heart but that is utterly impossible. They are going in totally different directions and to completely different destinations. When either is your traveling companion, the other is left behind. “For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). We might ache to follow both so much that we even deceive ourselves into believing it can be done, but it cannot. You know what you  should  do and you will regret every moment’s delay, but which will you choose?

When Promises aren’t Promises   I will give just one of many possible examples to illustrate how easy it is to imagine God has promised every believer something, when we have merely ripped a verse out of context and forced into God’s mouth a promise he has not given us. I chose this example because it is popularly believed. At the same time, however, I dare not imply that God can never take words out of context and use them as a promise to an individual. It is not for me to tell the Almighty what he cannot do! But it is also not for us to tell him what he  must  do, unless he has specifically promised it to us. For example, I do not consider it impossible for God to want someone to go to Macedonia and one day that person is reading Acts 16 and suddenly Paul’s call to Macedonia leaps out of the page at him and God uses it to speak to his heart that he should go there. Nevertheless, it is obviously ridiculous to claim that God is telling every Christian to go to Macedonia just because Scripture says God told Paul to go there.   I therefore find it easy to believe that God could speak to you personally through a few verses later (Acts 16:31) and promise you that all your family will be saved. Nevertheless, this would have to be a dramatic personal revelation direct from God because this is not a promise that every Christian can claim. Paul was speaking specifically to one man – the Philippian jailer. The apostle immediately preached to the jailer’s entire household. They all responded and were baptized on the spot. If this simple statement were a promise for every Christian, it would be stated clearly elsewhere in Scripture. In contrast, 1 Corinthians 7:15-16 implies that it is uncertain whether or not an unbelieving partner will be won to the Lord, even though, of course, it is not God’s desire that anyone should perish.   Your loved ones might indeed come to the Lord and you should faithfully pray and gently work toward that goal. The point, however, is that without God specifically and unmistakably promising you salvation of your loved ones, you cannot claim that Acts 16 guarantees it.   Jesus proclaimed, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” He then raised Lazarus from the dead. If we do not claim this as a general promise to all Christians whose loved ones have been dead for four days, what right have we to do it with other statements that are directed at an individual and not taught throughout the rest of Scripture?   God-honoring faith in a divine decree is a spiritual world away from presumptuously stuffing words into God’s mouth. Until we hear from God we can do nothing but act like Peter staying in the boat and saying, “If that’s you, Lord, tell me to come.” Unless we submissively wait and ask, what we claim to be faith is nothing but arrogance that exposes us to the need to be taught a lesson. Once Jesus gives the word, however, we can step out on that word, and participate in a miracle.   Even personal words from God, whether they come direct from God or through someone else, need prayerful interpretation. Is it truly from God or is some human fallibility mixed with the word? John Bevere’s  Thus Saith the Lord?  (Creation House, 1999) expounds several reasons why a “word from God” might not be from God, regardless of how undeniably supernatural it is and despite the high reputation of the person claiming to speak for God. In addition, even a personal word from God often comes with conditions that are not spelt out. For instance, the prophet Jonah’s pronouncement that in forty days Nineveh would be destroyed made no mention of any possibility of avoiding this fate. The mere fact that they were being told ahead of time, however, implied that there was still a chance to avert destruction. The people repented and the city was untouched. Anyone not understanding the nature of prophecy would conclude that Jonah’s word could not have been from God since it never happened the way he said it would.   The infallible Lord always keeps his promises, but we do not always infallibly interpret his promises.

Why we can’t be forgiven while refusing to let go of sin     Christ’s sacrifice has provided a legal way whereby anyone, though guilty, can go scot-free. But that does not make forgiveness automatic.   Forgiveness requires a response on our part.   Suppose someone is proven guilty of dangerous driving. No matter how much the judge likes the person, he must declare the law-breaker guilty and fine him appropriately. It is quite legal, however, for the judge to offer to pay the fine out of the judge’s own pocket. It is then up to the offender whether he accepts the judge’s gift.   There is one more consideration, however. If the reckless driver intended continuing the same offenses, he would be a danger to the community. It would be wrong to pardon someone who plans to continue flouting the law.   Likewise, the Perfect One is obligated to consider our attitude to sin before releasing us from eternal condemnation. He does not insist that we never fall; simply that we  want  never to fall. I am referring neither to your actions nor to sinlessness, but to a mental attitude of vital importance to God. The Bible calls it repentance  – a change of heart regarding sin; a willingness for God to deliver us from sin. It involves placing our trust in him, rather than in our own ability to control our lives; giving more credence to his wise and loving demands than to our own whims. We may find it virtually impossible to even  desire  a sin-free life, but we must at least want God to make us willing.   Suppose you are caught in a burning building. Just in time a fireman hears your terrified screams, bursts through the flames and begins to carry you to safety. But you fight him off. ‘No!’ you say, ‘I don’t want to burn, but I want to stay here.’   ‘You idiot!’ shouts the fireman, ‘This whole building is about to go up. Either you leave this place immediately, or you’re dead!’   Likewise, we either let Jesus take us from our sin, or we will die in our sin.   The essence of sin is disobedience. So to be saved from sin is to be delivered from disobedience. No matter what you pray, heaven knows you cannot want the Savior to deliver you from disobedience if you want to remain in disobedience.   It is sheer hypocrisy to ask God to take away the sins we hate, if we plan to keep the sins we love. It is blissfully easy to make a sin seem little. We can never fool God. Tragically, we often fool ourselves. Adam’s sin, with its cataclysmic results, was not mass murder, hideous perversion or demon worship. In God’s sight their sin was so gross that Adam and Eve had to be forever banished from Eden, and yet they had lived better lives than any saint.   The Almighty longs to give us holy desires and victory over sin, but he never abuses his power by forcing this upon us against our will. Many people, though they would never admit it, want to keep their favorite sin more than they want forgiveness. Though it would grieve God greatly, we will rot in any sin we deliberately choose to remain in. This would result in our entire lives being cut off from God.     Just as we cannot let a jet take us into the sky while keeping one toe permanently on the tarmac, neither can we let Christ take us to heaven if we stubbornly insist on keeping a part of us outside of his will. Our own efforts will never get us off the ground, but we must agree to Christ’s desire to lift every part of us away from the world. This has nothing to do with our own moral struggles, but simply permitting Christ to save us from the sins we love – giving him permission to wrench our darling sins from us.   I reel at the thought of the hordes who have tragically missed this point. Another analogy will confirm its centrality.   You are trapped in a sea of sin. Bottomless waters lap towering cliffs. No one can tread water forever. The murky depths terrify you, except for one spot. You’ve found a place where the deadly waters seem beautiful and the sensual waves exquisite. How can anyone take seriously your cries for help if you’re splashing around enjoying yourself? And what’s the point of saving someone who is hell-bent on plunging back after every rescue attempt? No one with a suicidal commitment to a sin can be saved.   How can God take seriously your request to be removed from sin’s penalty if you have no desire to be removed from sin’s ‘pleasure’? The sin you love is as deadly as the sin you hate.   This doesn’t mean you must initiate a sinless life to enjoy forgiveness. We’re in sin’s death grip. Only Jesus can break it. But do you want him to? Do you want to be rid forever of your favorite sin?   The Almighty gives us dignity by respecting our wishes. If we don’t want him to be our God – ie in total control of our lives – it grieves and appalls him, but in his gentleness he will permit us to go our own way. No one has suffered the pain of rejected love like God.   The issue is not ‘works’ – our attempts to do right – but faith – trusting God’s loving wisdom above our own so that we give up running our own lives – trying to be our own god – let God be God of our lives.   You can never be forced to love someone. Nor can you be forced to genuinely want purity of heart. The Giver has done all he can. It’s over to you.   By genuinely wanting to be removed from both the penalty and ‘pleasure’ of all sin and trusting the pardoning power of Jesus’ sacrifice, you give God free rein to do what he longs to do – pay your debt to justice and credit to your account the moral perfection of Christ. That makes you so pure in his eyes that you need no longer be isolated from him. You can then commence an endless communion with the most wonderful Person in the universe.   Related Webpages Satan, Evil Spirits and Temptation: You  Can Beat Them  - Winning secrets Spiritual Secrets Dying to self: the key to supernatural Christianity

Satan and Evil Spirits: You  Can Beat Them   The Secret to Casting Out Demons, Defeating the Devil, and Overcoming Temptation   The Forgotten Weapon in Spiritual Warfare And Key to Successful Deliverance Ministry     The Truth Summarized   Even though the Bible claims we have great power over evil, the way most of us actually live is humiliatingly different.   Christians are invincible in the face of evil only when they are in  total  submission to God and would rather suffer torture or loss or death than let evil win.   For those who are in union with Christ, evil spiritual powers are nothing but caged beasts, unable to touch us. Satan’s entire forces can only resort to idle threats or bribes to entice us into entering their cage where they can rip us apart. Nevertheless, Satan is such a supernaturally powerful evil genius that he can end up luring into his cage every living Christian. The only sure thing to protect us is what the Bible calls death. No one, no matter how terrifyingly cunning, can threaten or entice a dead person.   The key is not physical death but something that can at first seem as scary and as extreme. The Bible calls it death to self, or being crucified with Christ. Like Jesus’ death and resurrection, however, what seems like a ghastly end is actually the beginning of a brand new life. As Jesus revealed, losing one’s life for Jesus’ sake is the key to finding real life (Matthew 16:25; John 10:10). Becoming a true Christian is like recklessly throwing all your money away on “worthless” desert land. People mistakenly think you are a fool, because only you know there is an oil field underground.   As soon as you die with Christ, you rise with him and begin reigning with him, with your every spiritual enemy under your feet.   The Truth Expounded   Although vigorously denied by the average person, everyone not a genuine Christian is a slave of evil.   John 8:33-34  They answered him, “We . . . have never been slaves of anyone. . . .” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. . . .”   A person might have no idea he has lost his freedom until he tries to act as if he were free. If you enter a room and the door locks behind you, you might not realize you are imprisoned until you try to leave. Likewise, many people are blissfully unaware that they are enslaved by an addiction until they try to quit. Then they usually do their utmost to live in denial. “I could quit any time I want,” they tell themselves.   Being enslaved by evil applies to much more than what is commonly regarded as addictions.   Proverbs 5:22  The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast.   Acts 8:23  For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.   Romans 7:14   . . . unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.   Titus 3:3  At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.   Despite slavery to sin being broad, however, commonly accepted addictions provide a window on how slavery to sin operates.   As it begins to dawn that we are enslaved, our minds are likely to do surprising things to avoid the truth. For example, slaves to sin typically do their best to fool themselves into thinking they are enjoying their bondage. Years ago, when the dangers of smoking were less publicized, psychologists brought together a group of smokers. They asked the smokers to describe how much they liked smoking, then subjected them to a strong presentation on the dangers of smoking. A follow-up study revealed that those who kept on smoking despite increased awareness of the danger, claimed to enjoy smoking more than ever. What tricks our minds can play, rather than face the disturbing truth of bondage!   Peter highlighted the extent of people’s delusion:   2 Peter 2:19  They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity – for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.   The only way to remain free from slavery to sin – to not be mastered by evil – is to keep making God our master.   Matthew 6:24  No one can serve two masters. . .  You cannot serve both God and Money.   Romans 6:16-22  Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey – whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? . . . But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. . . . Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.   The only alternative to being a slave of evil is to become God’s slave. That sounds like bad news until we begin to realize the implications of having a master who is so mind-bogglingly good that he has no equal:   Mark 10:18   . . . No one is good – except God alone.   Being God’s slave is not remotely like being tricked and ensnared like sin’s slaves. Instead of forcibly submitting to a master who will destroy us, being God’s slave is voluntarily submitting to a master who, as Jesus proved, would rather be tortured to death than see us harmed. God’s slaves are love slaves. At any instant we could rebel, but we choose instead to revel in God’s loving wisdom, and obey like a starving man saying yes to food.   To be a love slave of God is not to lose one’s identity but to become more gloriously alive than we could ever otherwise hope to be. Obeying God is like a seal plunging into the ocean. Suddenly a clumsy, lumbering landlubber is transformed into a graceful, acrobatic sea creature, able to dart and somersault in astounding fashion. Nothing could be more liberating.   Whether God or evil is our master, is determined not by a one-off decision – deciding to become a Christian – but by whether we live in continual obedience to God. This is why Scripture has to warn Christians not to let sin become their master:   Romans 6:12  Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.   Galatians 5:1  It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.   Remaining free from slavery to sin is a daily decision:   Luke 9:23  Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. . . .” (emphasis mine)   So unless we keep making God our master, sin and Satan and his hordes are able to enslave us. This is why “Submit yourselves, then, to God” comes immediately before, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Only when we are in complete submission to God can we expect to successfully resist the devil and his deceptive schemes.   We sometimes act as if “Lord” were a mere courtesy title. It means master, and this is why the word appears so often in the Bible. Fully obeying God, however, is nothing like the scary thing that it seems. It is warmer, safer and more satisfying that even obeying one’s own whims. What makes obeying God so satisfying is that no matter how much you want to look after your best interests, God wants it even more. The God of infinite love is more devoted to you and loves you more than you care for yourself. No matter how smart you are, the all-knowing Creator of the universe is wiser still. His guidance is the expression of his yearning to pour infinite intelligence and divine foreknowledge into your every decision. To obey God is to say goodbye to foolish decisions and hello to mastery over self. Yielding even to God’s scariest commands is not only the smartest decision you could ever make, it is like yielding to a lover’s caress.   Most of us are tempted to think, “I’ll obey God almost all the time. I’d only disobey if asked to do something that is exceptionally difficult.” That’s not letting God be our God. Making our own decisions as to which of God’s directions we will obey is making ourselves god – the one who decides what we do. To push God out of part of our lives is to reject wisdom and security and love. It not only breaks God’s heart, we deeply wound ourselves. Making oneself god is what Eve thought she was doing when she disobeyed God. Tragically, the devil fooled Eve into thinking that obeying God was not in her best interest. She thought that exercising the option of disobedience would make her as smart as God. Instead, she foolishly trashed her relationship with the true God, the Source of life. By refusing to let the loving Lord be her master, she became subject to the only alternative: death, sin and Satan became her master.   We find it so hard to take from theoretical doctrine to practical reality the thrilling truth that God is good, infinitely wise, and passionately and selflessly devoted to our eternal welfare. Little children are sure they know how to have the most fun – eating nothing but ice-cream and candy, chasing balls on to busy streets, sticking forks into electrical outlets, playing with scorpions, and so on. They remain safe, healthy and grow up to be outstanding adults, however, only by obeying parental directions that at the time they don’t like. No matter what our age, we find it hard to believe that there is anyone in the universe who knows better than us what is best for us. Nevertheless, the truth remains that, relative to the infinite intelligence of Almighty God, we are as little children and as likely as them to be dangerously mistaken as to what will end up giving us the greatest satisfaction and happiness. To submit to God is to let him give us his best. Like running for cover and warmth during a blizzard, we desperately need to snuggle into the God of infinite wisdom. To enter into total submission to God is to enjoy the ultimate safety.   If total obedience still seems scary, I understand. There’s a link at the end of this webpage just for you, about how God’s will for you is more wonderful than you could imagine. If, however, you are unsure as to whether you have a genuine personal relationship with God, it is vital to get this sorted immediately. Please bookmark this page and read  You Can Find Love  before proceeding.   The Implications for Deliverance Ministry   The practical importance for deliverance ministry of being in submission to God is seen in the dismal failure of the sons of Sceva to cast out a demon (Acts 19:13-16). Being not just Jews, but priests – sons of the chief priest, in fact – these men would have known Scripture exceptionally well and were most likely highly moral. They were probably also very caring and loving, since they were trying to relieve someone afflicted by demons. This all counted as nothing, however, because they were not in submissive union with Jesus. Their attempted exorcism was so disastrous that they themselves ended up attacked.   We are like five year olds in a tough neighborhood. Jesus is our devoted, much older brother. Our father has warned us to always stay close to big brother traveling to school and in the schoolyard, and for as long as we do we are safe. We must be careful not to feel untouchable, however; forgetting that only because big brother is with is that would-be child molesters avoid us and we can mock school thugs and see them retreat. Instead of going where our brother wants, we could decide it would be more fun elsewhere and run off alone, having no idea how vulnerable that simple act has made us. That’s what happens when we disobey God. We move out of the Almighty’s protection and have no conception of the terrifying danger that action exposes us to.   We can be like Samson compromising with Delilah and getting away with it for a while until suddenly we go too far and don’t realize it until the Philistines overcome us, take us captive and make us their plaything (Judges 16:4-25).   The centurion with the sick servant was highly commended by Jesus because he understood that power hinges on submission to authority (Matthew 8:9-10). Those under his command obeyed him as fully as we would like demons to obey us, but he recognized that he was obeyed only because he obeyed those above him. As a Roman soldier, he knew that submission does not allow him to choose which orders he will obey. He could not obey easy orders and reserve the right to disobey battle orders that could cost him his life.   Just as becoming a soldier means giving up the right to make one’s own decisions on critical matters, so does becoming a genuine Christian. Living in submission to God, however, is true freedom. Like an electrical appliance submitting to electricity, submitting to God empowers us and releases us into our full and glorious potential. It is what we were made for. Disobedience disconnects us from our life sources and renders us pathetically less than we were intended to be, like a disconnected electrical appliance that can only be turned by hand.   God, in his grace, can respond to anyone’s prayers. For instance, I’ve heard of Muslims converting to Christianity after discovering the effectiveness of using the name of Jesus in exorcism. Here’s scriptural confirmation that demons can sometimes be cast out in the name of Jesus without the exorcist being fully submitted to God:   Matthew 7:22-23  Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?” Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”   No wonder, when the seventy-two returned rejoicing and saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name,” Jesus replied, “ . . . do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:17,20).   Despite the occasional exception, however, no one has any  guarantee  of dominance over demons without total submission to Jesus. And even if the Lord were to graciously kick start our freedom removing a demon without us fully submitting to Jesus, we cannot hope to keep the demon permanently at bay without full submission.   John 15:4,5   . . . No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. . . . apart from me you can do nothing.   To not want full submission to God is as foolish and destructive as a branch no longer wanting the life of the vine flowing through it. Our power over evil teeters on the extent to which we are in perfect, submissive union with our Lord.   When Slavery is Good   Hebrews 9:15   . . . Christ . . . died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.   If we are truly saved/redeemed – rescued from the power and eternal consequences of sin – we are not free to make our own decisions. Jesus is our master.   1 Corinthians 7:23  You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.   Being bought by Jesus is contrasted with being a slave to a human master because biblical references to being bought/ransomed/redeemed are usually a reference to the purchasing of one’s liberty from slavery or imprisonment and often the thought of being bought at a slave market seems to be in mind.   The wondrous result of being “bought at a price” – having your freedom purchased by the blood of Jesus (Revelation 5:9) – is that you are God’s slave.   1 Corinthians 6:19-20  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.   To be God’s slave means that at last you belong to purity, royalty and divine authority. Yes, you obey as fully as a slave but with God as our master, we do so with the joy and devotion of a lover and with the dignity of a prince/princess of God.   When hoping to cast out demons, some people act as if there is something almost magical about using the words “blood of Jesus”. The sobering truth is that such words are powerless – and demons know this – unless they cease to be mere words but we are actually redeemed by the blood of Jesus. And if you are truly redeemed, “You are not your own; you were bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). If, however, you are “your own,” how can you be redeemed/saved from the bondage and eternal damnation of sin?   We were not freed so that we would again become enslaved and shamed by our fickle passions, but so that we would follow Christ. Pursuing our own whims would bring us back into slavery to sin again.   Galatians 5:1  It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.   If we disregard this warning we could actually fall into an even worse quagmire than before.   2 Peter 2:20  If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.   Those who follow this route could end up as Jesus described:   Luke 11:24-26  When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, “I will return to the house I left.” When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.   What Makes a Christian Invincible   The Bible insists that the devil and all his henchmen should cower, shivering in fear, before those who cling to Jesus. A baby Christian facing Satan and all his evil hordes should be as one-sided in favor of the Christian as a champion athlete facing a cunning but feeble ninety-year-old man. That word “cunning,” however, is not to be glossed over. Musclemen have handed over their valuables to weaklings armed with fake guns. Strong, intelligent men have been conned out of their money by the enticing but empty promise of get rich quick schemes. Still others have been duped into supposing they were having an Internet romance with a sexy young woman, when they were actually writing to an old man with a cruel sense of humor.   Like weaklings who can only use bluff, and con artists who in reality have nothing good to offer, defeated spiritual foes try to dominate us with terrifying, though hollow, threats or entice us by skillfully baiting their trap. The dilemma we face, however, is that most of us arrogantly suppose we are smart enough to see through his tricks, brave enough to ignore his threats and strong enough to resist the powerfully alluring bait concealing his deadly trap. Us thinking we can outwit this caged, evil genius is like a little child tinkering with a bomb, feeling sure he can dismantle it. Our enemy is supernatural. We are no more resistant to Satan than Simon Peter was able to resist denying Jesus, despite Peter being certain he could do it (Luke 22:33-34). Nothing but the most drastic action can save us – so drastic that the Bible rightly calls it death. Thankfully, dying with Christ to our old life, leads immediately to rising with Christ to a new life. It is like trading dirt for gold. Nevertheless, it seems almost suicide to those who have never experienced the unique joys and fulfillment that Christ offers.   2 Timothy 2:11-12  Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. . . .   John 12:25  The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.   Breakthrough   Christine once had eight demons. A while after being delivered, one of the most highly seductive of those demons appeared to her when she was feeling very low. Rather than yielding, she was furious at him for cruelly choosing her lowest time to try to seduce her, and immediately sent that demon packing by commanding him to leave. She then contacted me, declaring that she would choose Christ no matter what torment she had to endure. I immediately knew why Christine is a winner.   Christine had the attitude of Job: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him,” (Job 13:15, KJV) and of the three Hebrews about to be thrown into the furnace, who declared, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it . . .  But even if he does not , we want you to know, O king, that  we will not serve your gods  . . .” (Daniel 3:17-18 – emphasis mine). It is this attitude – being willing to endure anything for Christ – and only this attitude, that makes a Christian invincible.   Let me remind you of this:   Matthew 5:29-30  If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.   Of course Jesus did not mean we should injure our bodies. He was describing what it takes for a Christian not to be dominated by evil – a ruthless resolve to spare no pain or loss.   Jesus kept saying such things as:   Luke 9:23   . . . If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.   And he followed this up by sweating, as it were, drops of blood as he agonized over choosing to be tortured to death on the cross in submission to God. To be like Christ in the face of demons and temptation we must be like him in being willing to suffer “hell on earth” for heaven’s sake. When we have that determination to fight, no matter what the cost, demons sense it and flee. Ironically, that very determination to fight lessens the fight.   Let’s remind ourselves of how basic to Christianity it is to be resolved to suffer for Christ.   Romans 8:17  Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.   2 Thessalonians 1:5  . . . will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God,  for which you are suffering .  (Emphasis mine.)   The book of Revelation ends with:   Revelation 21:8  But the cowardly . . . – their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.   Earlier it said:   Revelation 13:10  If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.   This is not the easy road that many of us mistakenly think is the Christian’s right. This promise of persecution and even death applies to the “saints” (see also Revelation 13:7). The “saints,” says Revelation 14:12, are those who “remain faithful to Jesus” – that is, true Christians.   So the Bible does not promise an easy time for Christians. To be Christians we must be willing to endure for the One who endured everything for us. “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude . . .” says 1 Peter 4:1. It then continues with a remarkable statement: “ . . . because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin.” It is the person who is resolved to suffer whatever it takes to be faithful to Christ, who will be victorious over sin and evil. We must not cut this verse short:   Revelation 12:11  They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony;  they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death .  (Emphasis mine.)   You  Can Do It!   We begin to imagine all sorts of horrors are poised to savage us should we step into the security of God’s will. Such fears are largely satanic bluff, doomed never to materialize.   Nonetheless, heaven’s assignments aren’t always a piece of angel cake. There are moments when it seems the only thing more frightening than doing the will of God is not doing his will. We have as Leader and Supreme Example, One who suffered immensely.   Those who shrink from hardship or danger shrivel up inside; dead, long before their hearts stop. Don’t throw your life away, enslaved by the allure of opulence; lazing while suffering humanity floods past your door. The easy path leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13).   When people came to Jesus desiring to serve him, you’d think he would have smothered them with praise. But he knew the human heart. His blunt response shocked would-be followers into a painful realization of the great cost involved (Luke 14:25-33; Matthew 10:21-22) . “Sell all you have and give it to the poor” (Luke 18:22) . “Wild animals will have better shelter than you if you follow me” (Luke 9:57-8, loose paraphrase).   “To serve me,” he declared, “you must take up a cross” (Luke 9:23). Two thousand years later, it is easy to romanticize that brutal statement. Carrying one’s cross involves nothing less than anguish and devastating humiliation. It is suffering inflicted as a direct result of serving God; torment you could avoid by compromise. Jesus wasn’t looking for adherents; he was looking for martyrs. He wanted not admirers but imitators – volunteers who could shoulder a gibbet of pain (Matthew 20:22-3). The person more concerned about his neck than the exaltation of God, is unworthy of him (Luke 9:23-6).   The cost is exceeded only by the glory. So immense is the glory, in fact, that the cost fades, totally eclipsed by the reward (2 Corinthians 4:17; Revelation 7:16,17).   The cost frees us to express the depth of our devotion. Moreover, it’s the cost that produces the exhilaration, the fulfillment, the honor. Look at any field of endeavor: we admire heroic achievements; people who overcome the odds, who endure hardship and succeed where others would have slunk away. That’s the glory of Christ-likeness. There’s no honor in being swept along by a godless throng; no satisfaction in fleeing at the sight of a challenge; no glory in being dominated by fear or frozen by doubt. We either walk through the curtain of fear or end up a broken shell of the person we could have been. To choose the soft life is to turn our back on our bleeding Savior and lose ourselves in Satanic deception. It’s those who sow in tears who reap in joy; (Psalm 126:6) those who endure who win the crown (1 Corinthians 9:24-27; James 1:12; Revelation 2:10; 3:11). Insipid, half-hearted ‘Christianity’ is sickening to God, the world and the devil.   That’s not for you. You belong in heaven’s hall of fame. You were born with the desire for it; born-again with the power for it. You were made for daring persistence, stunning triumphs, awe-inspiring excellence. While others wallow in the mud of mediocrity, sentenced to eternal obscurity by their half-heartedness, you’re breaking free, bringing honor to the One who redeemed you.   Fired by the love of God, live life to the full.   In a heart-stopping display of skill, Blondin pushed a wheel-barrow along a tight-rope over Niagara Falls. “Who believes I could carry someone across the falls?” he asked. The crowd went wild. Of course he could. So he asked for a volunteer.   Shocked silence.   Life is like that. Anyone can slip into Christ’s embrace and be carried to startling conquests, but when the call comes, knees begin to quake. The weakest saint who dares follow Christ will excel; the strongest who stays behind will be crushed.   The last time I flirted with danger was when I decided against a double knot to tie my shoelace. I have a heart of gold – yellow to the core. Yet Christ died that I might rule. Yield to my old nature and I cower; yield to my Christ-bought nature and I conquer.   Fear will come. I can’t avoid it, but through Christ I need not bow to it. Victor or victim: it’s my decision.   The tragedy is that we are often enslaved by forces that are meant to be our slaves. Rather than being tyrannized by fear, we should rise up and let it serve us. Fear’s duty is to impel us to prayer. Deprived of this faithful servant we might foolishly expose ourselves to danger without activating God’s wall of safety.   Ensure your plans are in the will of God. Then list every fearful possibility. Pray through each point for as long as it takes to muster the faith that God has taken control. Now you have divine protection, the highest conceivable security. Fear has done its work. Bid it farewell. Like a naughty puppy, fear may still tag along, but ignore it. Reciting the fear-crushing promises of Scripture, fix your eyes on the goal and stride toward it.   Waiting for fear to fade before advancing is like Peter waiting for the lake to evaporate before stepping out of the boat. Faith is the defeat of fear – not usually by fear’s removal, but by moving us to proceed despite fear’s yelps.   If the torment is intense, the support of experienced counselors can be valuable. Be prayerful about your choice of help, however. Unwise counselors can wound.   Heaven’s heroes are natural weaklings who are willing to let Christ make them supernaturally strong.   All of heaven is on red alert when you follow Father’s orders. Help is a prayer away. Heaven’s resources – infinitely more than you will ever require – are available the instant you need them (Matthew 21:12-19; Luke 10:19; 21:12-19). As you march forward in obedience success is certain.   Freed!   Perhaps by not realizing that there are situations where a verbal contract is binding, or by some other means, many people have been tricked into contracts in which payment is taken from their bank account each month without them realizing it. Once they discover the implications they are horrified, but no matter how vehemently they protest and want it to end, payment will still be extracted month after month after month unless they formally terminate the contract.   This is almost identical to what happens when we think we are doing something innocuous but are actually getting involved in the occult without even realizing it. (For example, by having our fortune told we are submitting to anti-God supernatural forces; giving them permission to influence our futures.) There are countless ways in which we can be tricked into entering a spiritual contract that will continue despite us finally discovering the implications and wanting the nightmare to end. Only a formal termination of the contract will free you. By “formal,” I mean specifically repenting of your former involvement, breaking all ties (such as destroying objects, books, and so on associated with it) and declaring to the spirit world (preferably by speaking out loud) that through your union with the devil-defeating, crucified and now-risen Lord, you refuse all the “benefits” and curses associated with involvement with this practice.   The challenge is in identifying everything that could cause bondage. For help with this, please see relevant links at the end of this webpage.   Don’t Expect Instant Deliverance   When the all-powerful Son of God was gloriously victorious over a temptation in the wilderness, Satan did not slink away in defeat. Undeterred, the Evil One moved straight on to trying to seduce the Holy One with a completely different temptation. And when Jesus again delivered a crushing defeat on the enemy, he pounded the Son of God with yet another insidious temptation. Finally, after being beaten yet again, Satan left – but only, as the King James Version puts it, “for a season” or in the words of the NIV, “until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13).   Demons leave only with great reluctance. Like naughty children, they will test us to the limit to see if we really believe we have authority over them or whether they can bluff their way into staying by pretending to be stronger than us. Don’t be surprised or think it indicates you are weak when demons put up a fight.   When we read, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7), let’s not get so carried away with the final result (him fleeing) that we forget that the key word is “resist”. If we have to resist, it must be because he and his minions will put up a fight.   You can expect quite a battle of wills. But even when they finally leave, that is not the end of the story. Jesus spoke of a demon who left a man and then returned. The man happened to have his defenses down and so the demon not only re-entered the man but invited seven other demons to join him (Matthew 12:43-45). The point I must emphasize is that it is typical of demons to keep coming back, checking one’s defenses to see if they can re-enter.   As I so often find myself reminding Christians: Satan and his evil hordes are sore losers. Once they find something that shakes you up they will keep trying it over and over relentlessly until they are absolutely convinced that their tactics will never again work with you. When, finally, they seem to leave, it is only to bide their time for a surprise attack. Their persistence is so very unpleasant for you. The positive side, however, is that this will make you stronger and stronger as you keep resisting his lies.   The enemy of our souls is the master deceiver because that is all he can do. The devil cannot change reality. He cannot change the fact that God loves you with  all  of his unlimited love and that Christ died for the sins of the entire world, which has to include every sin you have ever committed. So all he can do is mess with your feelings, hoping that you will start to believe them rather than believe in the power of Christ and the love of God.   Conclusion   Through sin, we had sold ourselves into slavery to evil. By dying in our place, Christ paid the price required to transfer our ownership from Satan to God. By so doing he utterly stripped our spiritual enemies of power over us. While we remain love slaves to Christ, evil spiritual powers cannot touch us. They have nothing left but their evil cunning with which to try to lure us away from Christ into their fangs. And Christ has provided the way whereby even their attempts to con us cannot touch us.   If we learnt to fly a plane the way most of us approach our relationship with God, we would focus on what we suppose to be the fun parts, give little attention to how to land, and ignore safety requirements. Then we would wonder why there are so many fatalities.   If we look at the full revelation of God we see that victorious Christians are the one who are in total submission to God. They are those who, to use some of the Bible’s many different expressions, have denied themselves, died to self, died with Christ, or crucified the flesh, and are slaves of Christ. The demon-crushing, temptation-beating power of Christ flows through the veins of those who, like Christ, submit to God no matter what the cost. Their eyes are so fixed on the eternal, that pleasure or the avoidance of pain and suffering mean nothing to them relative to the matchless joy of obeying God. This is the resolve that makes them invincible. They can’t be bought and they can’t be tricked by appeals to the ego. They can’t be threatened and can’t be bribed or seduced. Against these Christians, evil spiritual powers are left weaponless.

When God Seems Far Away   Spiritual Wilderness Survival Guide     Of all human experiences, having God in your life is potentially the most exciting, fulfilling and significant. Yet few, if any, of us are strangers to feeling deserted by God. We can feel empty and our every attempt to touch God can seem to end in stony silence or a divine scowl.   Feeling cut off from God is sometimes nothing but a clever illusion instigated by our spiritual enemy, the diabolically cunning, supernatural Deceiver. Sometimes, however, it indicates a serious spiritual problem. Let’s briefly face the worst possibility and then we can indulge ourselves in some much needed reassurance and inspiration.   Literally millions of people have gone through some sort of church act – perhaps going forward in a Christian meeting, or being baptized or confirmed – and yet have not a wisp of spiritual life. They can be convinced they are born again, look like believers, act like devout Christians, and yet have undergone no spiritual change.   We can have unforgiven sin in our lives without realizing it. (It’s worth glancing at these  Scriptures ). This would cut us off from the holy God (Isaiah 59:1-2; Ps 66:18; Proverbs 28:9; Hebrews 7:26). If, for example, you held a grudge against someone, that unforgiveness would hinder your own forgiveness by God. So whenever God seems distant, it is wise to pray along the lines of the psalmist, ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart . . . See if there be any offensive way in me’ (Psalm 139:23-4). There are excellent webpages to help you resolve these issues. If any of the following topics interest you, bookmark this webpage (or note its address), then consult the webpages and return here later: *  Minor Occult Involvement in One’s Past or Family History *  Holding Grudges Can Ruin You Spiritually   *  Why We Can’t Be Forgiven While Refusing to Let Go of Sin   *  Handling Guilt   *  When a Christian Commits Gross Sin   *  The Unforgivable Sin     We should face and eliminate these possibilities before proceeding to other factors in feeling God’s presence.     Gentle Omnipotence   A man who had never in his life seen the sea was disappointed when he finally saw it. ‘I thought it would look bigger,’ he complained.   There is always more to God than we can see. Did anyone expect God to be so foolish as to burn our eyes out when he appears, burst our eardrums when he speaks, crush us to dust when he touches? Since the Almighty must restrain himself whenever he relates to us, why should anyone be shocked if he chooses to be just a little gentler than we expected?   You were literally made for God. It shouldn’t have to be an alien experience – something to fry your brains or drain you of adrenaline – to relate to the God who made you. Why shouldn’t prayer be as simple as breathing, as natural as a child chatting to its mother? You don’t have to wait until something is spooky or spectacular before concluding that God is in it.   To the Jews, Jesus seemed too ordinary to be their Messiah. Could you be making a similar mistake in your expectations of what it would be like to have God in your life?   Feelings versus reality An act of God might occasionally coincide with goosebumps or a warm gooey feeling, or some other emotion, but the moment we begin to expect inner feelings and spiritual reality to coincide, we are headed for disappointment.   In both natural and supernatural matters, feelings and reality only sometimes line up. For instance, if someone handed you a million dollar check, you might feel no richer. One reason for feeling nothing could be that you think the check will bounce. You could throw away a million dollars simply because you don’t believe it’s real.   You could also discard a unique opportunity with God just because you don’t believe it’s real. And that would be more tragic than tearing up a million dollars.   God wants you to make it You are important to God. He is pleased with your search for him and with your genuine questioning. Nothing is more important than getting these matters sorted out. Focus on the fact that what God says is true. His Word guarantees that if you are willing to give up your sins and you ask forgiveness, trusting that Jesus died in your place, then God’s forgiveness is yours. And if you have forgiveness you have full access to God. What you feel is irrelevant. You might feel guilty, depressed, sick, or foolish, it makes no difference. What matters is objective fact, not feelings.   God longs to save us. It cost him enormously (the death of Jesus) to make your forgiveness possible. He’s not going to squander that sacrifice. He has taken the initiative and what he has started he will finish. He will heed only a stubborn refusal to accept his offer of forgiveness. For anyone who even half wants God, the Lord will rush to forgive, because he is neither reluctant to save, nor so weak that he needs our help. If you have asked Jesus’ forgiveness, then you are forgiven, unless you are strongly aware that you are refusing to give God permission to take a particular sin from you.   If you are seeking, you will find. That’s the divine promise. Just keep seeking. Although you might feel as if you are doing all the seeking, your hunger for God was seeded within you by God himself. Your spiritual longings are proof that God is actively working in your life (John 6:44; Philippians 2:13). On the surface, it might seem due to the influences of friends, circumstances, or whatever, but these are just means God is using.   ‘Draw near to God and he will draw near to you’ promises Scripture (James 4:8). The divine commitment is not that you will  feel  that God is close, but that he  will  be close.   Deception When you give your life to Christ, you gain the most wonderful and most powerful Friend in the entire universe. You also gain, however, a fearsome foe. Any friend of God’s is an enemy of the devil. Satan is nothing compared to God – not as smart, not as powerful; a total loser. He is, nevertheless, a superhumanly powerful, evil genius. With God on your side you have what it takes to defeat Satan every time, and the devil knows it. All he can do to Christians is to fool them into not using the spiritual power that Christ has given them. So he will do all he can to make you doubt God’s power and reality in your life by trying to manipulate your feelings.   In short: you have an enemy. He’s an arch Deceiver. And he loves playing with your feelings.   New Christian? There are reasons besides lack of faith why a person with a million dollar check could feel no different. He could be so stunned that his emotions have not yet caught up. Another reason is similar: nothing has happened yet. On paper he might be a millionaire, but he has not yet had a chance to spend a cent. So soon after the event there has been no change to his circumstances. Spiritually, too, unless you have been on the way for quite a while, you haven’t had a chance to start ‘cashing’ your new spiritual riches through prayer, experience and so on. It will take time for the results to become obvious.   So it is perfectly normal for a new Christian to feel nothing at first. After a while you will receive more and more evidence that you really are in contact with Almighty God, but such awareness takes time. Like the growth of a tree, much of God’s work is not immediately obvious. It takes time to realize what has happened. Nevertheless, by faith you can know the miracle has commenced without having to wait until you can see it with your eyes.   Regardless of how long we have been a Christian, if we spend just twenty minutes a day (less than one fiftieth of our waking hours) praying and thinking about the Lord, should we be surprised if the physical world seems fifty times more real to us than the spiritual realm?   Moreover,  all mature Christians have times when they feel nothing, because God wants us to learn to trust  him , rather than trusting our emotions.  He wants us to learn that the weather changes, people change, our feelings change, but he remains rock solid, totally true and dependable  forever .   God has promised to love you, be with you, forgive you, hear your prayers. On and on the promises go, but not once has he promised you will ‘feel’ anything. So place your faith in what God has promised (spelt out in black and white) not what he has  not  promised (elusive feelings).   Spiritual highs You may feel very different when you go from a valley to a mountaintop experience, but little or nothing in you has actually changed. All that happens on a peak is that you can see further with your own eyes. You are temporarily less dependent upon a map or on what others tell you. (Even then, an accurate map or experienced advice is more reliable.) When you are highly conscious of God’s love for you, or you feel his presence, it’s not that God has suddenly become more loving (you can’t increase infinite love) nor that you’ve become more lovable, it’s just that from a spiritual mountaintop you see everyday reality more clearly. From a peak you can look back and see to your great surprise the wonderful progress you have made. You can see how when it seemed your Guide (the Holy Spirit) was taking you in circles you were actually skirting a dangerous area. Suddenly you see the wisdom in what had seemed aimless wanderings and useless diversions. You see how when it seemed your Guide had deserted you he must have somehow still been directing you because you took exactly the right route. You can look forward and see the exciting things you are headed for. Life seems far more exhilarating and makes so much more sense.   You feel so different when you can see further. It’s like night compared to day. But when it’s dark nothing has actually changed, it’s just that you can’t  see  that nothing has changed! So it is when you move from times when you can see God’s love and goodness and closeness, to times when you can’t see them.   Believing the unseeable and unfeelable Can you believe in something you cannot see or touch? Of course, you can! You do it all the time. You believe Abraham Lincoln existed. You have never seen or touched him. You simply believe in the integrity of those who claim to have researched the evidence that he existed. You believe such things, even though, unlike Jesus, these researchers don’t claim to be sinless. We know they are quite capable of lying and they have never confirmed anything by performing miracles, much less rising from the dead, yet we still don’t think of doubting countless thousands of historical events such as Lincoln’s assassination. You probably haven’t even met current heads of state. You merely believe those who claim they know their names and who claim that certain newspaper and television pictures are those of political leaders.   We could say the same about scientific discoveries. Scientists do not squander their lives trying to replicate everyone else’s experiments. It would take them thousands of lifetimes to personally confirm every scientific fact they believe to be true. They simply trust the integrity of their fellow, fallible scientists and build on that foundation to make new discoveries.   Someone wrote to me complaining that he could not be expected to believe the eyewitness reports in the gospels that Jesus conquered death. To have to rely on other people’s testimonies rather than on what his own eyes see is too much to ask, he claimed. And yet, like us, this man lives in a society in which it is impossible to function without trusting human testimony. You can’t even use a phone book without reliance upon the writings of fallible, less-than-saintly humans. And if the man on the other end of the phone line claims to be the person you want to speak to, how do you know he isn’t lying? You put your faith in human testimony hundreds of times each day. All of civilization hinges on it.   The entire universe teeters on the dependability of God. Every time you do anything, you are unconsciously trusting the integrity of God. When you sit on a chair, for instance, you are trusting that God won’t suddenly change the laws of physics and let you crash to the floor. Christian faith is taking the faith we all have in the Creator’s dependability and simply extending that faith to include what he has put in black and white. Bible faith is just taking God at his word. It is choosing to believe that Jesus was not a quack – that he really was from God and that what he said is therefore trustworthy. And since, Jesus taught the reliability of Scripture and that God would reveal further truth to the disciples (who wrote the New Testament), trusting Jesus leads to trusting the entire Bible.   If you have difficulty believing in Jesus, or the reliability of the Gospel accounts about him, there are many books that should set your mind at rest. I recommend  Evidence that Demands a Verdict, Vol I  by Josh McDowell. The critical point, however, is that Jesus and his word must be the foundation of your search for a relationship with God, not vague experiences.

When a Christian Commits Gross Sin   Some Christians find it easier to accept God’s forgiveness for their pre-conversion sins, than to believe God would fully cleanse and forgive them of ‘gross’ or repeated sin after becoming a Christian. But since the Holy Lord forgave while you are his enemy, how much more will he forgive now that you are his friend!   It is true that for the person to whom much has been given, much is required. It is also true, however, that God’s offer and conditions for forgiveness do not change after we are saved. Cleansing is available through and only through the shed blood of our Savior, and our request for forgiveness must be accompanied by repentance, which involves regret that the sin was committed and a genuine desire never to do such a thing again.   You know how strongly Jesus attacked hypocrisy. He sees right through sham repentance – asking forgiveness when you have every intention of continuing to sin, should the opportunity arise, or being so stupid as to be pleased that you had sinned. A death-bed repentance, for example, though possible, is probably less common than is often thought, because a person who realizes he is dying knows his life of sin is over anyhow. He could be quite pleased he sinned and now imagines he can have the best of both worlds – a life of sin on earth and an eternity of pleasure in heaven. God is not mocked.   Nevertheless, if you genuinely wish your whole life (past, present and future) were sin-free, forgiveness is fully available to the Christian and non-Christian alike, regardless of the gravity of the sin. If God so loved you as to forgive you while you were his enemy, how much more does he long to forgive you now that you are his blood-bought child.   John wrote to Christians, ‘My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world’ (1 John 2:1-2).   If anyone repeatedly sins against us and keeps repenting, Jesus insisted that we must forgive that person over and over and over and over.  Dare we accuse Almighty God of hypocrisy? He asks us to be that forgiving of those who repeatedly repent because that’s the way he forgives us.   Scripture provides us with many examples of God forgiving his people of ‘gross’ sin. Let’s examine a few.   From crushing defeat to eternal fame   We find him lurking in the shadows of Scripture. He was a breath of fresh air in a whirlwind. John Mark was bad news. In the human race he led the field from go to woe. He has often been identified with Christianity’s first streaker – the man who blurred through Gethsemane’s garden with the raw grace of a plucked chicken, leaving behind his clothes and his Savior (Mark 14:51-52). More humiliations were to follow.   His unflattering nickname, stub-fingered, suggests he was physically impaired. To this he added a handicap of his own making: he was branded a deserter – a second time.   When the pressure mounts, the last thing you need is for a trusted companion to abandon you. That’s what Mark did to Paul and Barnabas.   His desertion seems to have deeply hurt Paul. The apostle was adamant that hanging out with this dodo was a no-no. Barnabas, who always stood up for the under-dog , defended his cousin Mark. The result was a rift between old friends; the shattering of a great missionary team (Acts 15:37-39). We never hear of Barnabas again.   One look at ‘stump-finger’s’ yellow face and you knew this jinx had had mistake and eggs for breakfast again. Whenever this egg-head cracked, everyone got egg on their face. Just what the church needs! He must have felt as blue as a browned off white man seeing red because he’s accused of being yellow.   Mark could have drowned in self-pity. He could have resented Paul. He could have turned back to Judaism. Instead, he redoubled his efforts, eventually being recognized even by Paul as having an outstanding ministry (2 Timothy 4:11; Colossians 4:10; Philemon 24). Peter also spoke affectionately of him (1 Peter 5:13). As writer of possibly the earliest gospel and a primary source of Matthew and Luke, Mark’s contribution even to today’s church is beyond measure. This planet is a better place today because nineteen centuries ago a ‘no-hoper’ called stub-fingered decided to tough it out.   Knowing our weaknesses, our loving Father has preserved many such stories for us to gain strength.   ‘Then will I teach transgressors your ways,’ crooned David. When? After a calamitous moral fall (Psalm 51: title, 3-5, 12-13).   ‘Simon ... feed my sheep’ (John 21:17). When? After denying his Savior.   ‘He slew at his death more than he slew in his life’ (Judges 16:30, paraphrase). When? After Samson’s greatest humiliation.   Samson and David each knew the horror of spiritual failure. On the crest of their vocation, they plunged to abominable depths. Their lapses were inexcusable. Their ministries were desecrated. Yet they refused to dwell in defeat. They were failures for a moment, but they were overcomers forever. Grasping God’s hand of forgiveness, they clambered to new heights for the exaltation of the One who washed them clean.   Oppression crushed Simon the rock into sand. On the brink of ministry, after years of grooming, he blew it. He lied. He invoked a curse on himself. He disowned his Lord (Matthew 26:74). Yet though it rocked him, this one-time rock didn’t peter. Empowered by his Savior, he again turned to stone.   Though the righteous – that’s you and me in Christ Jesus – fall seven times, they rise again. That’s a promise (Proverbs 24:16, see also Psalm 37:23-24).  It was just a hair-cut For the plaything of Delilah; And just a prayer-cut For Peter the denier. Strong they dozed But weak arose, And knew it not.    Men destroyed by fatal cuts; Left to wallow in their ruts; Left with blame And haunting shame, In sin to rot.    A seed so small and barely sown Meant to die, but how it’s grown! Things so small Grow so tall, But marvel not.    If sin can grow, So can prayer; If prayers will flow, So will hair. With faith restored Hope will soar, And blunders blot.    His repentance real, The victim of Delilah, Had victories still. And the spineless Christ-denier Shed his shame And became The church’s rock.   Please Take this to Heart: If you spoke with me face to face I could only keep pleading with you to read every webpage in this series. I know of no other way to help you. Even if you find reading very difficult and time-consuming, I assure you that writing these webpages takes far more out of me than reading each page dozens of times takes out of you. Despite me being a painfully slow writer, I have provided you with so much about support in realizing that you are forgivable that if it were put in book form it would be 300 pages long. And none of this was done to convince myself. I have never even momentarily doubted Jesus’ willingness and power to forgive everyone. And I have never benefited the slightest financially nor ever hoped to benefit. I have done my utmost. It is now entirely up to you to prayerfully read it all however many times it takes to get it to sink deep into your spirit.

Practical Ways to End Guilt Feelings   How to be Free From Spiritual Deception   Three Powerful Steps 1.   Distinguish between feelings and reality   Feelings are fickle and easily manipulated by spiritual enemies or by life experiences that distort our perception of reality.   A pilot is a danger to himself and to everyone near him until he learns to totally disregard his own feelings as to his orientation and puts his faith solely in the plane’s instruments. Likewise, we are in grave danger until we come to disregard our feelings and place all our faith in God’s instrument panel – his Word. That’s because the Deceiver can mess with our feelings, but he can never change God’s truth. God’s Word always lines up with reality, allowing us to navigate our spiritual life with precision, whereas our feelings are invariably all over the place. So whether we crash or soar heavenwards hinges on whether we rely on God’s Word or on our emotions to determine whether we are right with God.   We keep hearing such testimonies as, “I asked Jesus into my heart and was flooded with love and peace,” “A voice spoke from nowhere, telling me God loves me,” “I just  knew  I was forgiven.” Anyone having such experiences is a spiritual babe and highly vulnerable to spiritual ruin until he or she rises to the point of saying, “I am holy in God’s sight because in the Bible the God who cannot lie has put it in writing and I will cling to this fact no matter what supernatural experiences suggest otherwise. I will remain immovable in my conviction, no matter how strong the circumstantial evidence that God has made me an exception to his universal promise to cleanse everyone who puts his/her faith in Jesus.”   For more on this important subject, bookmark this page (or do something to ensure you don’t lose the web address to this webpage – it is a huge website) and go to When God Seems Far Away and the page it leads to.   2.  Turn head knowledge into heart knowledge   To flood your head with knowledge takes moments, but it takes months of effort for even a drip to soak through to that part of you – call it your heart, your conscience, your subconscious, or whatever – that most often influences your feelings.   Until we can get the truth to sink deep, everything within us is screaming against the truth; opposing every speck of spiritual progress. Until then, we have a bad conscience – not merely in the sense of a nagging conscience but in the sense of it being completely unreliable by accusing us when the divine Judge pronounces us innocent. Being lumbered with a malfunctioning conscience reduces an eternally fulfilling life into a draining, dispiriting struggle, like trying to keep pedaling a bicycle, pushing uphill against strong winds. As the truth trickles slowly into the deepest recesses of our being, however, our consciences gradually adjust. Eventually, it is as if the road flattens and the wind subsides, until finally we find ourselves coasting downhill with a tail wind, with only the occasional harder stretch.   For life to become this easy, our consciences must be reprogrammed by the Word of God. The limitation of the computer analogy, however, is that it suggests a process much quicker than it takes to correct one’s conscience. The human conscience is more complex than a machine. It is more like a pet dog trained to bark at strangers. Then its owner moves from a farm to high density housing where not only is there no need to bark at strangers, such behavior is unacceptable to neighbors. The difficult retraining process that this would require is a better picture of the frustration and effort involved in retraining one’s conscience. For your conscience to reach its current state probably took very many years and much repetition of negative messages going around and around in your head. So to retrain it will likewise take much time and repetition of messages.   The process starts in the head and, for most of us, negative thoughts have had a head start of many years. Ably supported by the enemy of our souls, our mind has been filling with lies that do not stand up to the truth of God’s Word. This head start means the devil’s lies will seem more real to us than God’s truth, and this will never change while we remain lazier than the forces attacking our minds. By in the past agreeing with the devil’s accusations against us – and before we were born again those accusations were accurate – we have developed powerful mental habits that are as difficult to break as any life-controlling addiction. The bad habit we have slipped into is thinking of ourselves as being the pathetic creature we would be if it had not been for Christ’s transforming power. Our thinking hasn’t caught up with present day spiritual realities; much less leapt to the unthinkable wonders God has planned for our future.   Although the Evil One has declared war on everyone who belongs to God, victory is yours for the taking. You have already surrendered, however, if you let his lies play in a continual loop in your mind, instead of constantly drowning out the lies by repeating God’s truth over and over and over in your mind. Any one of us can win, but I will not kid you – it takes hard mental effort. The lies will come effortlessly because they do not come from you and, having had a head start, they flow along time-worn paths. To displace the lies and to get the truth to trickle through rarely-traveled paths into our consciences takes continual effort. For years God-hating fiends have been filling our minds with lies. The only way to counteract the brainwashing is to fill our minds with truth as diligently as the enemies of Truth have been filling our minds with lies.   For this reason, despite there being so many other subjects I could be addressing, I have invested much time writing many webpages on this one subject. I have striven to produce for you a valuable resource, presenting the reality of your complete forgiveness in fresh, insightful, attention-grabbing ways. My goal is to make it as easy as possible for you to keep you meditating on the truth. The more you focus on the truth the more it will set you free. So devour the pages like a starving person. A single reading of all the relevant pages and Scriptures will not suffice, just as a single pill would not cure a physical sickness. Day in and day out, you need to keep taking the prescribed medication, even continuing for a while after you seem to be totally healed. There is no quick fix.   Why do we keep hoping for an instant, effortless cure when the Word of God is crammed with pleas like the following?   Romans 8:25  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.   Revelation 14:12  This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.   Psalms 130:5  I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.   Deuteronomy 11:18  Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  (19)  Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  (20)  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates   Joshua 1:8  Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night . . .   Colossians 4:12  Epaphras . . .  is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.   Luke 18:1  Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.   Yes, in an instant, Joseph was whisked from prison to being second in charge of all of Egypt – after years of languishing in slavery and prison. In an instant, David was brought from minding Dad’s sheep to being anointed king of Israel – followed by years on the run, hiding from Saul’s murderous thugs. In God, quick, easy transformations happen. Like times when you find cash while traveling to work, quick, easy transformations are part of our experience, but not the mainstay of our spiritual life.   Given the nature of our enemy, I predict that if you keep prayerfully reading for long enough, doubts will eventually ease – but only to return later. Whenever they return, it’s your cue to yet again refresh your mind with the truths expounded in these pages.   As perverse as it seems, some people would rather sentence themselves to hell than put in a little effort. I beg you not to let laziness give your enemy the upper hand and rob you of God’s best.   We need more than self-effort, of course. We need God. So why not pray to him right now?   Lord, I look to you for the strength and determination to cling to the truth of your Word, no matter how artificial that truth feels to me in the midst of a trial or spiritual attack. Cause me to display the faith that honors you – faith that doesn’t have to be propped up by gooey feelings or special confirmation. May I not insult you by implying your Word needs confirmation in order for you to be proved trustworthy. It’s not as if you would honor your Word if it felt right to me and you would turn into a liar if something didn’t feel right to me.  What matters is what you declare to be true, not how out of sync with spiritual reality my conscience is. May my faith rest not in the insecurity of fleeting feelings or heavenly signs but solely in the matchless integrity of the One who upholds the very universe and shed his blood for me. I seek your revelation about spiritual truth but I also seek the maturity to accept that if you have put a truth in black and white and signed it in your blood, then it is the ultimate in reliability. May I rise to the challenge of living according to your truth, refusing to yield to nagging feelings put there by the Deceiver, the “Accuser of the brethren.”   Thank you that it is completely irrelevant whether or not I’m the worst and most hopeless sinner on earth or how often I’ve turned my back on you and let you down. All that matters is that Jesus died in my place, binding his destiny to mine, and simply by asking him he has united himself to me, giving me his status and purity. Thank you that regardless of what feelings I have and regardless of what I have done and how hopeless I am, because Jesus traded places with me on the cross, I am in your eyes as spotlessly perfect as Jesus.     I cannot get physically fit for you. Likewise, no matter how much I would like to do it for you, only you can get God’s truth deep into your spirit. Like getting physically fit, it takes a lot of effort and doing the same things over and over for weeks and then maintaining it for the rest of your life. I suggest you read the following and seriously consider resolving that whenever you eat the smallest thing, you precede it by reading to yourself some or all of the following. Or maybe you could find something else you regularly do during the day and form the habit of linking that activity with reading from the list. I suggest you select those statements you feel will be most helpful, print them out and carry them with you. Memorize them if possible. When convenient, don’t just repeat them silently but say them out loud. Whenever you repeat one of them, savor it. Do your best to enjoy the truth it expresses. During your early attempts you are sure to be attacked by doubts and guilt feelings. Ignore them. Accept each statement as truth and refuse to tolerate negative thoughts about it.   *  God says in his Word that my sins are pardoned, forgiven, not remembered, wiped out, swept away, taken away, removed as far as the east is from the west (an infinite distance), trampled on (destroyed) and hurled into the depths of the sea, unable to be found, blotted out, cleansed, washed, made as white as snow.   *  Salvation is never deserved. Salvation is by faith (in Jesus’ ability to secure my forgiveness) not by works. So my salvation hinges on me choosing to believe my eternal destiny depends solely on what Jesus has done for me and not the slightest on what I have done.   I make that choice right now. I choose to regard my works (irrespective of whether they seem good or bad) as powerless to determine my fate. I believe that Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection on my behalf – and that alone – determines my spiritual destiny. I place my faith solely in Jesus and not in my efforts. Therefore, according to the promise of Almighty God, the blood of Jesus cleanses me from all sin. The magnitude of my unworthiness and the grossness of my depravity is swallowed up by Jesus’ power to save and his worthiness.   *  I am not the person who sinned. That person died with Jesus. That person is dead – non-existent.   *  As Jesus rose from the dead, so with him I have risen to a brand new life.   *  The past has passed. In Christ I am a new person; fresh, clean and completely free from my past. The person I now am – newly created by Jesus – is spotlessly pure and innocent.   *  On the cross, Jesus traded places with me. He has taken all my blame and given me his holiness. Because Jesus swapped places with me, I am sinless in the eyes of my Judge.   *  Jesus was tortured so that everyone who accepts his sacrifice could go scot-free. He bore my punishment. I refuse to torment myself because that would be rendering his agony on my behalf a waste. I choose to delight Jesus and make his suffering for me worthwhile by enjoying his forgiveness.   *  God forgives me, so lest I imply my standards are holier than God’s, I forgive myself.   *  The Bible says I am “in Christ.” As my skin completely covers my body, so Christ’s beauty and righteousness and honor completely covers and beautifies me.   *  Jesus makes me whole. In him I am complete.   *  I delight in all that I now am in Christ Jesus. I am excited about the pure, holy and loved person that I have become because of Jesus.   *  God is glorified by forgiving me. The more unforgivable I seem the more the extravagant riches of God’s love and mercy are revealed, to the praise of this glory.   *  God is in love with me.   *  Faith means pleasing God by refusing to give up despite the devastating mountain of evidence and feelings and doubts that seem to scream that it is hopeless. To have faith is to act like the Canaanite woman who earned Jesus’ praise by refusing to give up despite everything being stacked against her and repeatedly suffering apparent rejection from Jesus and his disciples. By refusing to take ‘No’ for an answer, she not only got her miracle, she gained eternal honor. I will thrill the heart of God by acting like her. No matter how much my heart fills with doubts and fears, I will persist, for the glory of the One who loved me and gave his life for me.   I have provided these statements because reading all the relevant Scriptures every time before you eat, although the spiritual ideal, might result in severe weight loss. So I have condensed biblical truth into a few brief statements. It is important to realize, however, that these statements are not a human invention. They are summaries of the very Word of God. to help convince you of the scriptural authority behind these statements I have carefully selected dozens of the hundreds of Scriptures affirming the truth of these statements. You need to absorb the power of the Scripture, the authoritative Word of God that declares your eternal destiny.  So I beg you to please study   It’s True!     3.  Escape the lonely dungeon of secrecy   James 1:23-24 speaks of people who by looking in the mirror of God’s Word see themselves as they really are. The moment they look away, however, they forget. An obvious solution is not to look away, but keep gazing on the image of yourself that you see in God’s Word.   Because self-image is so critical and is affected by other people’s opinion:   Your entire life ends up limited by how you think others think about you.   Let’s refine this still further:   How you live is limited by how you think others would think about you  if they knew everything about you.   This addition is critical. It explains why many people can receive an abundance of heart-felt praise and encouragement and it doesn’t do a thing for them. Even if literally millions of people were to think the world of them, they would still feel lonely and unloved and be haunted by an abysmally low self-esteem. Praise is wasted on them because they have no idea whether anyone would praise the person they really are. They have concealed a secret precisely because they think – usually wrongly – that the truth would completely alter everyone’s view of them.  We can go one step further in our maxim about what determines our self-image and the life we end up living:   How you live is limited by how you think others  whose opinions you respect  would think you are if they knew everything about you.  Some people respect their own opinions so strongly that they are little influenced by the views of others. As Christians, the opinion we most respect should be God’s. In theory, no other opinion should matter to us. In practice, it is almost impossible for us to think God thinks a certain way about us if we suspect that all of God’s earthly servants would think otherwise if they knew all there is to know about us.  Of course, even our refined maxim does not define exactly who you are, but it determines your self-image. It is what you end up genuinely believing about yourself. And it is as difficult as trying to act out of character to avoid acting in complete conformity with your self-image. The self-image God wants Christians to have – the one he has painstakingly portrayed in his Word – is a continual inspiration that fills us with zest for life. The self-image our spiritual enemies want us to have is an oppressive straightjacket.  The Twelve Steps Programs have a powerful saying:   "You are only as sick as your secrets”  The agents of darkness lose much of their power when hidden things are brought into the light. To hide the things that haunt us, treating them as dark secrets to be kept from other Christians, is to try to fight the forces of darkness on their own turf. It is to play into their hands, foolishly putting ourselves at a dangerous and totally unnecessary disadvantage in our spiritual fight.   “ . . . in; the multitude of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14). The cunning enemies of our soul are well aware that their chances of hoodwinking us soar if they can somehow pressure us into isolating ourselves from our greatest human sources of comfort and spiritual wisdom. Their evil strategy is to keep us from sharing with other Christians our deepest concerns because these spiritual con artists know that feedback from God’s children will bring us back to reality and help us see through the lies deceptive spirits have kept whispering in our lonely ears. The forces of evil want exclusive access to the most vulnerable area of our lives   Every street-wise city dweller knows that to walk alone in the dark is the scariest, most unwise place to be. There is security in numbers.  Beasts of prey are forever on the prowl for sheep that become separated from the flock. To try to isolate us from the counsel and comfort of every Christian on the planet is a truly devilish trick. And this is exactly what happens when we are conned into condemning ourselves to the icy loneliness of keeping an area of our life hidden from even the most trusted of our friends and the most warmly accepting, Christlike person we know. The enemy is happy for us to receive affirmation in those parts of our life in which we don’t need help, as long as we are duped into cutting ourselves off from every trace of love and support in the very area of our life that is causing us the greatest torment. Refusing to unburden ourselves to anyone Christlike makes us terrifyingly vulnerable to spiritual blackmail, demonic delusions, groundless fears, suicidal despair, and being cheated out of all the wondrous privileges that cost Christ everything to lavish upon us.   Child molesters have the condemnation of society and the full force of the law against them and yet still they turn innocent children into long-term helpless victims. It would almost seem impossible they could get away with it, and yet they do because they fill childish minds with false guilt and with despicable lies about the consequences of spilling the beans. They might say, “If you breathe a word of this, whoever hears it will know it is all your fault and that you are the most repulsively wicked person on earth. They will tell your parents who will be so angry and cry for days, wishing they had never had you and punishing you worse than you could ever imagine. Then they’ll have to tell the police, who will arrest you and keep beating you to make sure you tell them every single detail. The story will be headlines in all the newspapers and television, and everyone in the whole world will hate you. Mobs will march through streets burning photos of you and demanding you be executed. The police will throw you in jail for life and all the other prisoners will be do cruel things to you because they know you are so much worse than any of them.”   Such threats are made to seem so real to little children that they dare not say a word, but in terrified silence they suffer unspeakable horrors alone, cut off from all the comfort and protection that would have been theirs.   Thus these law-breakers keep their victims suffering horrifically when in reality help is so close at hand and it is the molesters who should be guilt-ridden and terrified of being discovered. Demonic powers – the slimy agents of evil that lust after your soul and long to dominate you – use the same evil tactics, hounding you with groundless fears in the hope that you won’t breathe a word to someone who could give you the love and comfort and relief you so desperately deserve.  The spiritual lowlife arrayed against us aren’t too excited about us having good, Christian friends that we let into 99% of our life. Nevertheless, they are thrilled if there is just a small but vulnerable area of our life in which we act like loners. We give our spiritual opponents the upper hand whenever by giving in to false shame we in effect block everyone out of the very part of our life that is under spiritual attack. That way our enemies have a wounded part of us that they can cause to fester because we won’t let others touch it with the healing balm of their love and understanding and acceptance. They seek an area of your life into which they can keep pouring in false accusations unchallenged by the truth that God imparts through other Christians.   Throughout history, one of the hallmarks of genuine revivals has been the open confession of sin. What seems scary, turns out to be one of the most liberating experiences known to humanity. The ending of guilty secrets brings heaven – that joyous place of transparent honesty – to earth.   One of the most astounding tragedies is that many of those who feel the loneliest, most unloved people on the planet have wonderfully loving friends, families and marriage partners. Their lives seem flooded with love and yet to them it feels like a sham because they are living a lie. You are doomed never to know you are capable of being loved if you shrink from letting anyone know the real you. You can never feel loved while hiding in the bleak, scary, lonely hole of secrecy. Holding on to a guilty secret is the loneliest place in the universe. It is locking yourself up in a haunted dungeon filled with ghosts from the past. It is sentencing yourself to being constantly on edge, afraid of shadows.   The time will come when every secret will be exposed. Get it over with now so that you can start living. Leave it much longer and it could be too late. To freely confess will be your glory. To have it exposed against your wishes will be to your eternal shame.   You might suppose you have no need to share your secret with anyone because it is a matter between you and God. There is no question that God’s view is paramount. If, however, you are too ashamed to tell others about something God says is totally forgiven and is no longer a part of you, it would seem most peculiar. It means you are cutting yourself off from much of the comfort God wants you to have through his children. Moreover, it suggests you are struggling to believe the past has really been cancelled. If so, you would greatly benefit from the support of other Christians and from the knowledge that they accept the real you.   Furthermore, by maintaining the secret, you are keeping others from blessing. Too many of us act as if our mighty Savior is as pathetic as petty humans who can only forgive “small” sins. We reinforce this heresy when we participate in the giant cover up in which Christians dare not glorify their Savior by declaring the extent of God’s forgiveness in their our lives for fear fellow believers prove unable to believe – or at least unable to act as if they believe – that God is as forgiving as the Bible says. Open confession helps break the satanic conspiracy of silence that causes so many Christians to clam up and makes each think that they alone in their congregation have serious battles with sin. It is the breaking of this silence that helps power revivals.  Let me share something I wrote elsewhere:   Who would have guessed that a religion stressing lofty morals would cram into its holiest book the slimy details of King “Peeping Tom” David, “lover-boy” Solomon, fish-breath Jonah, sleazy Jacob, and two-faced Judah (Genesis 38:11-26), to mention just a few of the seething swarm of con-men, backstabbers, rapists, murderers and whores that fill the Word of God?   Few Christian biographies are as fiercely honest as Scripture. If there were more books that gently peel the plastic off famous Christians, it would be easier for us to realize that we belong in the big league. For instance, John Wesley’s godly parents had a marriage so stormy it still puts the wind up people. His own string of abortive romances continued until finally he married, at age forty-seven. “The marriage started poorly and went downhill from there,” wrote Petersen. “Perennial mutual resentment” was how another writer described the union that spluttered and flared for twenty torturous years until ending in permanent separation.   Dwight Moody’s Christian graces have rightly been extolled, but have you heard of his temper? In public he once pushed someone with such violence that the man was sent reeling down the stairs. “This meeting is killed,” gasped a friend of Moody, “The large number who have seen the whole thing will hardly be in a condition to be influenced by anything more Mr. Moody may say tonight.”   Martin Luther wrote things about Jews that, to say the least, are highly regrettable. And many of our early Protestant heroes in Europe, Britain and America, favored killing their theological opponents at the stake or gallows.   It takes a special life to win the devotion of natives the way David Livingstone did. Stanley glued himself to Livingstone day and night, week after week, and the experience melted his hard journalist’s heart. Four months of intense scrutiny led him to praise Livingstone’s piety, gentleness and zeal. “I never found a fault in him,” he marveled. Yet though we could dwell long on the virtues that gilded Livingstone’s soul, slag touched the gold. It is said that throughout his life serious personality defects dogged his service.   John Sung has been called rude, stubborn, a poor family man, and China’s greatest evangelist.   Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision had one driving passion: “Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.” An experienced biographer and researcher lauded him, declaring that “few people in history” have “demonstrated greater compassion for suffering humanity than Bob Pierce.” Yet just sentences later we read that “the love that he gave so freely” to others “was given so sparingly to the ones who needed it most – his wife and his daughters.”   If you knew C. T. Studd personally you would probably be offended by his authoritarianism, his sledge-hammer bluntness, his harsh ultimatums. Like his own mission committee, you might worry about his use of morphine and want to suppress his book  Don’t Care a Damn.  In common with those who knew and loved him most – even close family members – you may feel compelled to withdraw from this great missionary.   We cannot idolize our heroes without falling into heresy, such as the satanic lie that being used by God is a reward for living an exemplary life. Service – like salvation, holiness and every other spiritual gift – is always an undeserved gift received by childlike faith (Galatians 3:2-5). God broke into the apostle Paul’s life and assigned to him his enormous ministry, not after he had proved himself, but when the man was fuming with murderous rage against Christ; while he was still – as he later confessed – the “chief” of sinners, torturing Christians in the hope of making them blaspheme (Acts 26:9-11,15-18; 22:4-8,10,14-16).Though it was years before he was released into its fullness, the timing of that original call is both illuminating and liberating. May the implications ricochet within our heads until our dying day.   Yes, our character flaws grieve and defame the Holy One. Yes, we must move heaven and earth to root out our defects. And yes, as impossible as it sounds, God’s holy power can trickle through flawed, sin-stained channels to a thirsty world.     God does not use synthetic saints petrified in stained glass or mummified in strained biographies. If the paper people squashed between book covers or exhibited in special Sunday services seem real to you, you’ll love the Easter Bunny. If you were thinking of cornering the market on your brand of inadequacy, forget it; heaven’s databanks bulge with the triumphs of people with quirks like yours. Heaven’s heroes are people with pimples and stringy hair; people with wrinkles and pug noses. If you’d like to see a real saint-in-training, a cheeky Master’s apprentice poised to gelignite Hell’s gates, someone on the brink of eternal acclaim, go to your mirror.   If we think confessing our sin could hinder someone’s spiritual walk, how come the Bible got is so wrong in blabbing about everyone’s sins, including sins of the people it exalts as being the most godly? Just how much wiser than God are we? Is it just a “happy” coincidence that trying to “protect” others from the truth about our sins happens to pander to our pride?   What partnership can trying to protect one’s reputation have with the Bible’s insistence that we must die to self? Do we believe that “he who humbles himself will be exalted” or did God get it wrong? Humbling ourselves by confessing our failings usually opens more doors to ministry than it closes. People will regard you as someone who can have compassion on their failings and so they will open up to you like they would never have otherwise done. Others will be inspired to believe that if you can overcome your past, so can they.   1 John 1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.  (8)  If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  (9)  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  (10)  If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.   Can we walk in the light, having fellowship with one another if we are doing our utmost to keep everyone in the dark about our past? How can we believe we are clean if we are unwilling to come clean with people? How can we glorify our Savior if we are acting as if past sins he has forgiven still have the power to ruin us? How can we help others find the forgiveness they need if we refuse to testify to what we have been forgiven of?   Feelings are of no eternal consequence. It doesn’t matter if we feel as if Jesus is powerless, but it matters much if we give in to those feelings and by clamming up act as if Jesus is powerless to save someone who seeks his forgiveness.   Stop acting like a cockroach afraid of the light. Christ went through hell so that you could bask in the light. End the misery. Crawl out of the dark, musty hole of self-imposed solitary confinement. Share your secret with someone Christlike.   The obvious obstacle to confession is that not everyone is Christlike, or even trustworthy. And anyone admitting to a problem – be in bereavement, depression, addiction, or whatever – is in the firing line for hurtful “advice” from people with more mouth than knowledge. Even if done in private, confessing to a crime could also have legal implications that you might need to think through. For example, in many parts of the world, almost anyone – in some countries certain professions are exempted – who hears of a crime is required by law to report it to authorities.   It is so important for you to break out of your self-imposed prison of secrecy, however, that I have three suggestions as to how to make it easier for you to take this courageous step to freedom.   The most important of the suggestions is that you earnestly pray about this matter – especially that the Lord stop you from saying the wrong thing and that it is not misinterpreted or reaches the wrong people.   The next suggestion is a way to get a feel for how people would respond if you were to confess to them. If you are considering confessing to a friend, tell the person, “I have heard of a game to improve friends’ understanding of each other. Could I play it with you? It simply involves dreaming up weird, largely out-of-character scenarios and taking it in turn asking how the other thinks he/she would respond to that situation. It takes us beyond what we have experienced with each other and so gives us new insights into each other’s attitudes.” Use your imagination to list every shameful and embarrassing thing you can think of. Fill in the dots below and add any other situations you can think of. If you feel the response you receive is too shallow, question your friend deeper about how he/she would react if the situation were true. Ask your friend, “How would you feel and what you do if I told you that:   *  I had lied to you all my life about . . .   *  I am addicted to . . .   *  I have told others that you . . .   *  I have secretly thought . . . about you   *  I have these spiritual doubts . . .   *  I have these daydreams and longings . . .   *  I have cheated you out of . . .”   Don’t restrict yourself to just one possibility per statement. You might like to make it even harder for your friend to guess why you are doing this by adding some scenarios that are not confession, such as, “What if in the future I . . .”   If you find your friend’s response favorable, slip in your confession, but treat it just like the others, not letting on that it is genuine. Then later decide if you can trust the person sufficiently to confess.   Another gentle, non-threatening way to break out of the prison is to e-mail me, telling me your secrets. What makes this easy is that chances are I live the opposite site of the world to you and you can remain anonymous. You don’t even have to tell me what country you live in, much less your family name. If you feel the need, you can even set up a new free e-mail account. Nevertheless, authorities have the power to trace e-mails, so you should not share anything that could get you arrested if authorities heard of it – unless you are willing to confess directly to them.   If you write, however, please be thoughtful. Many people write with deep, genuine needs. It would not be fair to them if my time were taken up by dishonest people presenting bogus needs. To abuse my offer would be a waste for all concerned, when you could be getting real help for real needs.   Vital Scriptures:  It’s True! There’s More:  Understanding the Unpardonable Sin Warning:   These Pages Won’t Help Everyone Some people terrified about being unforgivable just need Bible-based reassurance or an explanation of a disturbing Scripture. If vast amounts of rational support and biblical exposition are the answer, keep following the links. Many Christians, however, presume this is what they need but it turns out that no amount of biblical proof or sound, theological argument or even spectacular spiritual experience can put their minds to rest. If you have already sought much help but worries keep resurfacing, you most likely need a totally different approach. You should skip these pages (you can return later if you wish) and go straight to  Scrupulosity .

The guilt-ridden: close to the heart of God   Matthew 9:11  When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and “sinners”?’  (12)  On hearing this, Jesus said, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  (13)  But go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’   Matthew 11:19  . . . they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners”.’ But wisdom is proved right by her actions.   Matthew 21:31  . . . Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.  (32)  For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.   Luke 7:37  When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume,  (38)  and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. . . .  (40)  Jesus answered him . . .  (41)  ‘Two men owed money to a certain money-lender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  (42)  Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he cancelled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?’  (43)  Simon replied, ‘I suppose the one who had the bigger debt cancelled.’ ‘You have judged correctly,’ Jesus said.  (44)     Then he turned towards the woman and said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. . . .  (47)  Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven - for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.’ . . .  (50)  Jesus said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you, go in peace.’   Luke 14:11  For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.   Luke 14:16  Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests.  (17)  At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’  (18)  But they all alike began to make excuses. . . .  (21)  The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’  (22)  ‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’  (23)  Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.  (24)  I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’   Luke 16:15  . . . What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.   Luke 18:10  Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  (11)  The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men-robbers, evildoers, adulterers-or even like this tax collector.  (12)  I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’  (13)  But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’  (14)  I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.   Galatians 2:16  know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no-one will be justified.   Romans 3:20  Therefore no-one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.   Romans 9:30  What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;  (31)  but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it.  (32)  Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the “stumbling-stone”.  (33)  As it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”     Return to the webpage that will set you free

Soothing a Troubled Conscience   Practical Tips . . .   Forgive others   Forgiving others is so critical to your healing and spiritual well being that I have devoted an entire  webpage  to this matter. If you have the slightest difficulty with this often misunderstood subject, I urge you to carefully read it.   Confession   Admitting your guilty secret to someone is extremely therapeutic. It can greatly relieve the burden of guilt, help you see the past in it’s proper perspective, and empower you to get on with life. There are dangers, however. I draw them to your notice not to discourage you from this step but to help you make a wise choice.   Legal implications   If you admit to a crime, the person you reveal it to might be legally obligated to inform the police. I have no idea of the legal intricacies where you live, so if you are concerned about this you should consult a lawyer. For instance, there may be some people (such as your lawyer) who are not legally required to report confessed crimes. A lawyer will be able to advise whether in your state this privilege extends to a pastor.   Scripture says we must keep our word  and  obey the law. If, before revealing your secret, you make someone promise to tell no one, and the person is required by law to break that promise, you are obviously creating a real dilemma for that person.   People you confess to might not be emotionally equipped to handle what you share.   They might be so shocked or hurt that they lash out at you and so increase your feeling of condemnation.   They might blab what they hear.   You might cause them serious problems. For instance, if you confessed to someone with a low self esteem that you had felt ill towards them, you could devastate them or severely tempt them to resent you.   Emotional implications   Confessing to someone who accepts your long kept secret in a non-judgmental way can cause immense relief. This can create within you a strong emotional bond with the person you confessed to. The result could be an unhealthy emotional dependence upon the person, or what you misinterpret as romantic feelings.   Despite the obvious need for caution, however, the benefits of confession are immense and, in general, Scripture urges us to do so.   It is written   James 5:16  Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.   Numbers 5:5  The LORD said to Moses,  (6)  ‘Say to the Israelites: ‘When a man or woman wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the LORD, that person is guilty  (7)  and must confess the sin he has committed. He must make full restitution for his wrong, add one fifth to it and give it all to the person he has wronged.   Matthew 3:6  Confessing their sins, they were baptised by him in the Jordan River.   Matthew 5:23  ‘Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,  (24)  leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.   Acts 19:18  Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds.     Restitution   Making amends by such means as paying back what we have wrongfully appropriated, or giving financial compensation for damage we have caused, is also a significant biblical principle.    It is written   Ezekiel 33:14  And if I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ but he then turns away from his sin and does what is just and right –  (15)  if he gives back what he took in pledge for a loan, returns what he has stolen, follows the decrees that give life, and does no evil, he will surely live; he will not die. 16 None of the sins he has committed will be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he will surely live. Leviticus 6:1  The LORD said to Moses:  (2)  ‘If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the LORD by deceiving his neighbour about something entrusted to him or left in his care or stolen, or if he cheats him,  (3)  or if he finds lost property and lies about it, or if he swears falsely, or if he commits any such sin that people may do –  (4)  when he thus sins and becomes guilty, he must return what he has stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to him, or the lost property he found,  (5)  or whatever it was he swore falsely about. He must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner on the day he presents his guilt offering. Numbers 5:6  ‘Say to the Israelites: ‘When a man or woman wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the LORD, that person is guilty  (7)  and must confess the sin he has committed. He must make full restitution for his wrong, add one fifth to it and give it all to the person he has wronged. Luke 19:8  But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’  (9)  Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.     Again there are dangers:   Legal implications   In the eyes of the law, such things as returning what you have stolen does not make you innocent of the original crime. You are still liable for prosecution, and your attempt to offer restitution could result in police involvement. You may well decide that it is the right thing to do, regardless of the consequences.   Restitution is not a means of gaining divine forgiveness   Just as restitution does not make you innocent in the eyes of the law, neither does it make you innocent in the eyes of God. Restitution may greatly reduce your guilt feelings, but don’t let it rob you of your gratitude to God for his forgiveness. Do not imagine your attempt to make amends makes you more deserving of forgiveness or acceptance by God. You are accepted because of the immense, undeserved love of God that moved his Son to die in your place. There can be no other reason.     Prayer   What a tragedy it would be to miss out on heaven’s best! Prayer transports us into the realm where the impossible is possible. Try never to underestimate the wonders your loving Lord wants to do for you in response to believing prayer.   Reprogramming your mind   Literally thousands of times you have probably let satanic lies and slander go unchallenged through your mind. To undo all the damage demands equal and opposite effort. I wish I could invent a lazier method but I do not think one exists. You have a tough mental habit to break. You need equal and opposite truth to counteract every lie, and permeate your whole being until it becomes a part of your subconscious. Anyone can do it, but it takes determination.   Memorizing Scripture about forgiveness is a powerful way to let healing truths soak into the deepest part of you. Even while feeding them into your mind they can do you good, and afterwards you’ll have them there like a loaded gun the moment Satan’s intruders enter your mind.   I am convinced that it is vital for your well-being to keep saying the following, preferably out loud. Even though it may feel stupid, it really helps affirm it when you hear yourself say it. It would be most helpful to carry a copy of these words around with you and re-read them whenever you can. More than this, you need to memorize them word for word. This will do you more good than almost any other conceivable thing. Just as Jesus could only defeat the devil in the wilderness by quoting the word of God, so it is the only way you can defeat the evil one in your life. No therapist, no one else's prayers, nothing will work like this. The repetition may seem silly but it is critical. It is the only way to counteract all the devil's repetition in your mind over all those years. You must fight back, and this is how you do it: by memorizing the following words. If past or present suffering haunts you, you’ll need the later verses. By all means, add Scriptures to them, but this is a good place to start. Repeat the following:   2 Corinthians 5:21   says I am the righteousness of God in Christ.   2 Corinthians 5:17   says I am a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.   The end of  Romans 8  says that nothing – not even suffering or calamity or persecution – can separate me from the love of God.   Romans 8:18   ‘I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.’   In  2 Corinthians 4:17 , Paul, who was frequently tortured, says my sufferings are light and momentary and are achieving for me an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.   Romans 8:35-37   ‘Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.’   Set free! You were once enslaved by sin, says the Bible, but now you are freed, like a person released from jail. Sin was once your Master. Now you have a new and far more powerful Master – the Lord Jesus. For guilt to take you back it would first have to deal with Jesus.   Freedom!   Romans 6:18  You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. Romans 8:2  through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.     You are the righteousness of God; holy and blameless That’s what God says about you over and over. Dare you deny his Word? Soak in the Scriptures that declare this, as if you were soaking in a soothing bath. Dance for joy in them. Throw a party!   Take a long bath!   2 Corinthians 5:21  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become  the righteousness of God. Philippians 3:9  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ –  the righteousness that comes from God  and is by faith. Romans 3:22  This  righteousness from God  comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,  (23)  for all have sinned . . .  (24)  and all are justified freely by his grace . . . Ephesians 1:4  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be  holy and blameless  in his sight. 1 Corinthians 1:8  He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be  blameless  on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:2  To the church of God in Corinth, to those  sanctified  in Christ Jesus and called to be  holy , together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ – their Lord and ours       White as snow   ‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’ (Isaiah 1:18) The image in this verse is of hands dripping with innocent blood. They are cleansed so that not the slightest evidence remains. It is saying you could be guilty of the vilest crimes and be made spotlessly pure. You are washed clean; cleansed of all impurities; purified.    Spotless!   Psalms 51:7  Cleanse me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.   Ezekiel 36:25  I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.   1 John 1:7  . . . the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.     Perfect! The apostle Paul, before his conversion, had devoted his entire life to doing his utmost to impress God. He lived the best life he possibly could and performed all sorts of religious duties – studying Scripture, praying, following the law to the letter and then going even further. For instance, he was the proud member of what was sometimes called the bleeding Pharisees. They got their nickname by trying so hard not to look at a woman (and so open themselves to the possibility of lust) that they bumped into things. And yet Paul didn’t want God to remember any of the good he had done. He would no sooner display his own bodily filth than present to the holy God the very noblest things he had done. He regarded as trash all the good he had ever done – all the things that had impressed people and caused them to honor him as a man of God.  The Source of Righteousness   Philippians 3:4  If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:  (5)  circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee;  (6)  as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.  (7)  But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  (8)  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ  (9)  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ –  the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.  (Emphasis Mine)       Paul had discovered that the only goodness that counts is Christ’s goodness. God’s only standard is perfection, and only Jesus is perfection. Imagine that instead of your every real or imagined sin you had done something exceedingly noble. Suppose you had committed none of the offences, the memory of which still haunts you, but instead of each you had given everything you own to the poor, witnessed to gangs of thugs who beat you to a pulp for uplifting the name of Jesus, resisted the severest imaginable temptations, frequently devoted 40 days to prayer and fasting, read the Bible from cover to cover 100 times, and so on. Had that been your past instead of the one you remember, could it make a difference to the way God views you now? No! You have the righteousness of Christ. Nothing can add to that. Christ’s perfection is yours by virtue of your union with him. No one can improve perfection. If your past had, in fact, been filled with outstanding acts of devotion, you would be in spiritual danger because of the great temptation to place your faith in your own goodness, rather than in Christ’s. Remember Jesus’ story of the two men who went to the temple to pray (Luke 18:10-14). They were totally different. One was an outstanding citizen, a man renowned for his lofty moral standards and devotion to God. The other was the scum of society, someone whose lust for money drove him to collaborate with the Roman occupation force and to rip people off. The Pharisee thanked God for all the good he had done. The tax collector could do nothing but hang his head in shame, agonizing over his wickedness. There wasn’t one good thing he had done that he could ask God to consider in his defense. All he could do was beg, ‘God have mercy!’ Only one of them left with God’s approval – the one who put his faith not in his goodness, but in God’s mercy. On another occasion Jesus said money grubbing turncoats and hookers would enter the kingdom of heaven before the good-goody Pharisees.  (Scriptures) Satan has no power over God’s children. All he can do is to try to bluff and lie his way into our minds. He has been disarmed by Jesus. All he can do is to try psychological warfare, and at present your mind is a battleground. You need to keep holding on to the truths in God’s Word, even though Satan makes his lies seem like truth and God’s truth seem like lies. Remember, for instance, 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! I strongly urge you to memorize this Scripture. ( Verse 21  is a great one to memorize as well.)   Word of God   2 Corinthians 5:21  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.     There’s Still More: Easy, Comforting, Practical Help Warning:   These Pages Won’t Help Everyone Some people terrified about being unforgivable just need Bible-based reassurance or an explanation of a disturbing Scripture. If vast amounts of rational support and biblical exposition are the answer, keep following the links. Many Christians, however, presume this is what they need but it turns out that no amount of biblical proof or sound, theological argument or even spectacular spiritual experience can put their minds to rest. If you have already sought much help but worries keep resurfacing, you most likely need a totally different approach. You should skip these pages (you can return later if you wish) and go straight to  Scrupulosity .

Why it is Normal for Christians To Feel Guilty and Ashamed   Compassionate help and powerful insights for all of us suffering a guilty conscience   It is inevitable that Christians be plagued with guilt feelings and for people God is proud of to feel hopeless moral failures. Condemnation and shame are powerful, potentially lethal illusions afflicting us all and yet we will discover that these very feelings have propelled famous Christians to spiritual greatness. To understand why every child of God suffers these devastating feelings, we need to understand the nature of spiritual reality and the under-hand tactics of our spiritual enemies.   I am acutely aware that almost always there are natural psychological factors behind a nagging conscience. Understanding the non-spiritual component of our affliction is so vital that I dare not fail to address it. It could literally be a matter of life or death for some readers. Before getting there, however, I’d like us to peep over the fence and glimpse the other side.   Whether we admit it or not, we live in a war zone, with all the danger and horror that implies. In the deadly clash between the two spiritual superpowers, Planet Earth is perhaps the most strategic place in the universe. We fight not flesh and blood – not beings that show themselves and follow the Geneva Convention – but supernatural intelligences so determined to ruin us that there is no level of evil to which they will not stoop. Relative to us, these malicious, nonphysical life-forms have terrifying powers. Relative to the Almighty, however, they are pathetic. They are powerless to stop God from loving us, forgiving us and keeping all his glorious promises to believers. These enemies of truth cannot change reality. They can only look on in frustrated fury at all the blessings God has for us. There is only one thing these jealous ghouls can do. They can fight dirty by trying their utmost to trick us out of everything that is rightfully ours.   For insight into the supernatural power games each of us is thrust into, imagine yourself in the following natural situations. Suppose:   *  You have a million dollar check in your hand, but you believe it is worthless.   *  You are languishing in a dungeon, wrongly believing that the unlocked door is wired to blast you to pieces the moment you touch it.   *  You could become the greatest pop star, but after years of being ridiculed by your family, you believe your voice is so pathetic that you feel too ashamed to use it.   *  You are madly in love with someone who is equally over the moon about you, but you are too shy to make this discovery because you believe that person despises you.   *  A sickly weakling seeks to humiliate you, threatening you with a harmless imitation of what you believe to be a deadly weapon.   Once our beliefs are affected, we can be robbed, stripped, cheated out of almost anything. You can be conned out of the spiritual equivalent of a billion dollar inheritance unless you believe the right thing.   Ultimately, our beliefs drive our actions. So even more important that what anyone does, is what a person believes.   Your belief system is both the engine room and the control center of your entire existence. Your destiny teeters on what you believe, and the spiritual lowlife who lust after your destruction, know it. So your beliefs about God and about what he has done for you is the key area of spiritual attack. The enemies of your soul know that you will inevitably act, not according to the astoundingly wonderful things God has done for you, but solely according to what you  believe  God has done for you. As important as reality is, reality will do you no good if you are tricked into not believing reality.   God’s spiritual enemies want to cheat us out of all the love, dignity, power, freedom, fulfillment, peace, and every other extravagant gift that Jesus shed his last drop of blood to lavish upon us. Demonic, hate-crazed con artists long to hoodwink us out of priceless things that are rightfully ours, and they succeed more often than we dare think.   Spurred to Spiritual Greatness by Satanic Condemnation?   Astounding things happen to everyone serving a God who promised to work  all things  together for good. With a God able to outsmart the devil at his every turn, the devil’s attack could even become God’s secret weapon. People have become outstanding men and women of God precisely because they were hounded by severe guilt feelings. Had assurance of salvation been an easy thing for them, I cannot imagine them becoming the great achievers for the kingdom that they are now famous for. Likewise, I believe your torment could be a sign that you are headed for spiritual greatness. That’s certainly what history suggests.   Every Protestant denomination on the planet owes its existence to Martin Luther’s tender conscience. Had, in his earlier years, he not suffered from what to him seemed an endless list of sins, he would not have made the exciting rediscovery of justification by faith. And had his struggle with his conscience not earlier caused him such agony he would have lacked his tremendous motivation to see the lives of multitudes of people spared the agony he has suffered.   John Bunyan’s spiritual torment was horrific. With a severity that few of us could even conceive, year after year he was repeatedly overwhelmed by a consciousness of sin, hopelessness and the seemingly certain prospect of an eternity in Hell. No wonder  Pilgrim’s Progress  is such an outstandingly powerful book. Much of it was virtually autobiographical.   Great men like George Whitefield and John and Charles Wesley suffered enormously in their struggle to find peace with God. Whitefield’s spiritual need was so all-consuming that his fastings almost killed him. The Wesley brothers were inconsolable until at long last they found how to receive Jesus’ forgiveness by faith. Spurgeon – the revered preacher of the past who is even today read by millions – suffered so greatly with his conscience that he wrote, “I had rather pass through seven years of the most languishing sickness, than I would ever again pass the terrible discovery of the evil of sin.” Not surprisingly, their subsequent ministries eclipsed that of almost all Christians who have been spared such anguish of soul.   Permit me to paraphrase two of Jesus’ teachings: The most important thing in life is to be in love with God, and the person who loves God most is the one most overwhelmed by the magnitude of his sin and yet realizes that God has erased every trace of it from heaven’s databanks.   Scriptures:   Matthew 22:37  Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  (38)  This is the first and greatest commandment.” Luke 7: 40  Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said.  (41)  “Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  (42)  Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”  (43)  Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.  (44)  Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.  (45)  You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.  (46)  You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.  (47)  Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-- for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”     Since salvation is by faith, not works, our eternal destiny is determined by what we believe, not by the good or bad we have done. Keep reading these webpages and you will find multitudes of Scriptures affirming this truth. For the moment, I’ll simply remind you of a Scripture you are sure to know:   John 3:16  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that  whoever  believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ( Emphasis mine. )   “Whoever” is so all-inclusive that, no matter what you have done, it has to include you, or God is a liar. God’s promise is that if  you  believe in Jesus as your Savior, entrusting your life and destiny into his care,  you  will have eternal life. Neither your past nor present struggles can negate God’s promises to “whoever believes.” What to you seems more believable: that “whoever” includes you, or that God is a liar?   People are excluded themselves from eternal life not because of what they do but only because their faith is not in Jesus’ salvation. In the previous webpage,  Feeling Rejected by God,  we gained insight into the struggles this faith involves. We saw that feeling rejected by God can be our invitation to spiritual greatness.     Twisted Thinking     Perhaps the most twisted thinking that we Christians commonly fall for is the ridiculous notion that to be strongly tempted to sin suggests a person is ungodly. To be tempted is to be attacked by anti-God forces, just as Jesus was attacked. The more one refuses to be defeated, the more furious the fight becomes. Someone who always quickly gives in to the slightest sinful whim will never experience sinful urges with a fraction of the intensity that a more godly person suffers.   Picture Jim, a heroin addict reeling in the pangs of withdrawal. Whenever he let himself, he could steal a chemical fix. His flesh craves relief so intensely that the torment could not be greater if he were being flayed alive for his faith and at anytime could end his agony by denying Jesus. Nevertheless, moved by his newfound passion for Jesus, he clenches his teeth and endures the horrors. Now see Darren, lounging in idle ease, blissfully unable even to imagine what a torturous craving for a chemical high would feel like. Never in his life has he even been offered an illicit drug. Who is the hero in this story? The one who has never had a drug battle in his life; who thinks his world is coming to an end if he so much as gets a pimple? If, later on, both were actually being tortured for their faith, which of them is more likely to honor his Lord?   To be tempted is to be afflicted with ungodly yearnings. It is only when temptation rages – only when sin seems the most desirable thing in the universe – that you have the chance to prove that you are committed to doing God’s will, rather than selfishly following your own desires. If to you a sin seems undesirable, there is nothing heroic in avoiding it. Anyone – even the most self-serving, anti-God person on the planet – would avoid a sin that repulses him. The proof of righteousness is when a person denies himself something his flesh cries out for.   Of course, to deliberately stir up a desire for sin is itself sin. I’m not for a moment suggesting you do that. My point, however, is that lack of temptation does not make a person holy, anymore than lack of opposition makes one a champion. Lack of desire for sin is no more proof of spiritual life than lack of desire is proof of physical life. Christlikeness means acting like Jesus in Gethsemane sweating as it were drops of blood. Everything within him screamed to flee from God’s will, and yet he forced himself to submit. That, not lack of temptation, is true holiness.     It’s About the Size of God, Not the Size of the Sin   I am about to very forcefully state my case because the jolt will empower some readers to see through the lie they have been fed. For them, reading this section could be the most liberating experience they have ever known. I am most concerned, however, that you could be one of those readers for whom this heavy-handed approach is inappropriate. The dilemma I agonize over is that very different people will read the same webpage. I lament not having the privilege of knowing you thoroughly as an individual and receiving divine insight to tailor my writing specifically to your situation. So although life-changing and uplifting for some readers, this section is one of several parts of my writings that might not be what you need in order to receive the comfort and relief you deserve. If so, please bear with me. Before long, we’ll get to other parts better targeted to your situation.   Everyone is forgivable, not because what they have done is minor but because what Jesus has done is enormous. You have indeed done awful things. None of us deserves forgiveness. So to regard yourself as unforgivable is not to insult yourself but to insult the magnitude of God’s forgiveness and to label a liar the God who has promised forgiveness to every single person who comes to Jesus seeking it. To regard yourself as an exception to God’s universal promises is to say you have managed to turn the Holy One into a liar and hence rendered him unfit to save anyone.   If God cannot forgive the world’s most depraved repeat offender or backslider who sincerely seeks forgiveness through Jesus, then God can forgive no one. It is never about whether anyone is lovable or forgivable, but solely about whether God is loving and forgiving. And since God is always loving and forgiving, that is all that matters.   To imagine that God could accept you only if you had sinned less, is not only an insult to God’s love and what Christ’s suffering achieved, it is an insult to God’s perfection. Only if God himself were less than absolute perfection would his standards degenerate into relativism. Relative to you, someone might be less sinful, but from the stance of God’s perfection, all of us are utter moral failures, equally worthy of eternal damnation.   The moral difference between any of us is miniscule relative to the infinite gap between anyone’s sinfulness and God’s perfection. Do you suppose you have gone too far to be forgiven, but that you – or someone else – could have been forgiven had the sinning or abuse of God’s grace been very much less? That is as ridiculous as thinking, “I could be forgiven if I had stopped when I had only murdered fifteen people, stolen half a million dollars and blown up two buildings, but now that I’ve also lied about my age I’ve finally gone beyond forgiveness.”   Even if we wrongly supposed that the moral difference between some of us is enormous, it would make no difference. The most distant star might be billions of times further away than the closest star, but it is impossible to jump up and touch either of them. Likewise, it matters not whether we are the most saintly or the most wicked people on earth, God’s standards are still infinitely beyond our reach.   We glibly say no one is perfect, but since perfection is the Holy Judge’s minimum standard, we’ve all missed our chance. If people miss the only flight to safety, it makes no difference whether some missed by far less than others. If none make it, the result is the same for the one who tried hard, as for the one who didn’t bother. When the wages of sin is death, there can be no consolation prizes. Nor can there be no greater penalty for a million sins. It takes no bigger miracle to resurrect one rotting corpse than another. For God to be able to save anyone, he has to be able to save you.   The tiniest sin is so horrendous in God’s eyes that if he can forgive anyone of the smallest sin, he can forgive you if your sins number in the trillions. And what is required is exactly the same – repentance and faith in the cleansing power of Jesus dying in your place.   People are accepted by God, not because of the smallness of their sin, but solely because of the greatness of God’s love. There are no exceptions.   Don’t suppose you have failed too many times. Your Judge is the Person who said if someone sins against us and asks forgiveness we must forgive not seven times but seventy times seven. If there is no limit to how many times we should forgive, there is no limit to how many times God will forgive anyone who keeps seeking forgiveness. To think anything else is to accuse the holy Lord of hypocrisy.   There is a particularly tender place in my heart for people riddled with false guilt over the fact that a sexual predator molested them as a child. It is perfectly valid to insist that these victims of crime are suffering false guilt, because what happened was not their fault. I worry, however, when some Christians are content to only take this approach in comforting these dear people. It suggests there is no greater solution to guilt feelings than what a non-Christian could offer. The danger is that it implies that Christian survivors of abuse might not have been able to find the same peace had what they suffered been their own fault. It implies that Jesus is powerless to offer innocence in God’s eyes to some particularly wicked people who truly regret their past. Such a thought is a slur on the One who died for us all, and a failure to grasp how equally sinful we all are. Not only can little children find innocence in God’s eyes, but so can the world’s most sadistic serial killer who sees the error of his ways and wants Jesus to take all sin from him.   A Christian is someone who goes through life not thinking “look at what I’ve done” (whether good or bad) but “look at what my Jesus has done.” With God, the issue is not what we can do for Jesus but what he has done for us. God is in the salvation business for what he can give, not for what he can get.   Some people mistakenly suppose God must be selfish to want his glory. What they forget is that God’s greatest glory is not his raw power or ability to force submission. God’s greatest glory is in displaying the extravagance of his love and flabbergasting his enemies by transforming into his princes and princesses earth’s most depraved, seemingly unredeemable human wrecks. As an antique restorer wins the greatest acclaim by transforming seemingly worthless pieces of junk into objects of beauty proudly displayed in mansions, so the more hopeless you seem, the more God yearns to win for both you and him the eternal acclaim that comes from beautifying you.     Our Lord keeps emphatically stating in his Word that gaining God’s approval flows not from good living but solely from trusting what Jesus achieved by dying for our sins. To make this point, the apostle Paul lists all his spiritual achievements. Not only was he born to the right family, he was renowned as a highly qualified and respected theologian and Bible scholar. He followed God’s Word to the letter from childhood; his whole life devoted to serving God. And yet if challenged as to why he should go to heaven, he regarded all his clean living and sacrificial devotion and prayer and tithing and training and reputation and position among the cream of the religious elite of God’s chosen people, as being so much trash. When he stood before the x-ray eyes of the fearsome Judge of all humanity, he would sooner display his own bodily filth as hold up any of these as reason why Almighty God should accept him. He was resolute in this determination to put all his eggs in one basket and, on that fateful day when his eternal destiny hangs in the balance, ditch all his qualifications and declare, “Lord God, my one and only hope of your acceptance is that the holy Son of God died for me, the chief of sinners.”      Scriptures:   Philippians 3: 8  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ  (9)  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 1 Timothy 1:15  Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst.     “ . . . I consider them rubbish,” wrote Paul about his every moral achievement, “that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own . . . but that which is through faith in Christ . . .” (Philippians 3: 8-9). Paul did not want any righteousness that could be called his own.   With more reason than almost anyone on the planet, Paul used to pride himself on his moral achievements. Then he encountered the terrifying holiness of Jesus and the unattainable beauty of his goodness. Suddenly, in the brilliance of Jesus’ purity, his own attempts at righteousness looked repulsive. Then he discovered that he could be credited with everything that Jesus has done, simply by asking for it in faith. No wonder Paul wanted credited to his account not the slightest good that he had ever done. To try to be credited with both Jesus’ righteousness and one’s own would be like being given sparklingly pure water and mixing it with one’s own filth.   What separates people spiritually is not how much they have sinned but how much they abandon faith in themselves and cling to Jesus as their Savior. We dare not dissipate our faith by trying to hedge our bets. All our faith must be in Jesus alone. We must avoid putting even a microscopic speck of faith in our own devotion or in the presumption that there are others even more sinful. Our certain but sole hope of gaining God’s approval is that on the cross Jesus swapped places with us.     Why Your Guilt Attack Might Be Purely Psychological   It would be irresponsible of me to think I could be of any help merely by explaining that as a Christian you have no rational reason for feeling guilty. My efforts could be as pathetic as finding someone shaking in fear of a mouse and thinking myself a hero for informing her that the mouse cannot hurt her. I would merely have insulted her intelligence by telling her what she already regards as obvious. I would leave her not only be still trembling, but justifiably angry at me.   If a person is petrified of what she knows is a harmless creature, it would be cruel and ignorant to say, “Where’s your faith? Why can’t you trust God to protect you?” She knows she is safe. It’s not a question of faith. It’s not a spiritual issue at all. It’s a psychological condition.   For most of us, there is a psychological component to our guilt feelings and for quite a few of us, our guilt feelings are an overwhelmingly intense psychological phenomenon that has almost nothing to do with our faith or spiritual understanding.   If a person is distressed because he is trapped in a burning building, he needs not preaching, but the practical help of a fireman. Likewise, if a person is distressed by psychologically-induced guilt feelings, he needs not Bible-bashing, but the practical help that a counselor or therapist might offer. And if someone trapped in a fire should feel no shame in calling for help, neither should anyone feel shame in calling for professional help for psychologically-induced guilt feelings. Such a person is by no means a nutcase. We humans are such complex beings that I doubt there is a person on the planet who for psychological reasons has not at some time suffered feelings that do not line up with reality. Who of us, for example, has never experienced at least one minor phobia – feeling fear or anxiety about something that deep down we know is really no need for concern?   Some people (hypochondriacs) are convinced they are sick when they are not. Anorexics are sure they are fat when they are not. Many people feel unloved when they are not. Some wrongly feel lazy or are so convinced that they can only succeed by overwork that they become workaholics. Still others feel stupid or inadequate or poor or insecure or the object of ridicule or doomed to failure when there is no rational basis for the awful feelings that harass them.   We could fill a library with accounts of irrational feelings that dog us all. In my case, I feel so ugly I’m sometimes ashamed to show my face in public. Whether my distress is rationally justified, I’ll let you decide, but I’m in no doubt about the extent to which some people have multiplied my inner pain by claiming that as a Christian I shouldn’t be attacked by such feelings. We’ve all met Christians endowed with a special gift for finding people suffering in ways they have been graciously spared and, instead of being thankful for their blissful ignorance, they beat up their unfortunate victims by accusing them of lacking faith. If people discover you are hounded by guilt over things Christ has forgiven, there will be those who blast you for your “lack of faith,” when the mere fact that you are still clinging on could mean that you have a hundred times more faith than them.   It’s not lack of faith that causes a person to fear heights. It’s a psychological condition akin to ones that afflict us all, and it needs to be treated as such. The same could well be true of your guilt feelings; in which case, the intelligent response would be to seek out someone skilled in providing psychological help.   It is also true that psychological afflictions can be exploited by our spiritual opponents. Their involvement could become so intense that direct spiritual counter-attack is required. Perhaps someone experienced in this ministry could help by specifically addressing the demons harassing you. One of the links below explains more about the demonic, but you also need to keep reading these pages.     The Vital Step   What you want is not talk but practical help in enjoying freedom from guilt. This is what makes the next page vital. Both the spiritual and psychological components of your guilt will benefit from reading it.   There’s More: Soothing a Troubled Conscience Warning: These Pages Won’t Help Everyone Some people terrified about being unforgivable just need Bible-based reassurance or an explanation of a disturbing Scripture. If vast amounts of rational support and biblical exposition are the answer, keep following the links. Many Christians, however, presume this is what they need but it turns out that no amount of biblical proof or sound, theological argument or even spectacular spiritual experience can put their minds to rest. If you have already sought much help but worries keep resurfacing, you most likely need a totally different approach. You should skip these pages (you can return later if you wish) and go straight to Scrupulosity .