Early one morning I was answering an email from a friend. This friend had written me to share with me that he was having some thoughts in his mind, thoughts that went against what he was standing in faith for, thoughts that went against the word of God. These had been secret thoughts he had been battling within himself.
As he shared his thoughts with me, I read his email a few times and then I took this issue to the Lord.
Once my friend received my response, he emailed me back and was distressed because I didn’t blast him for these thoughts – he said I needed to be tough with him and firm. It makes me smile even thinking about it – but God had a different plan.
Now to be honest, my first instinct was to blast him with the word and show him the error of his ways and get him back on track. But God had a different plan. As I took it to the Lord, God showed me that this man’s heart was not wicked or in sin – this man was speaking from a place of frustration. God told me to tell him that I understood and to just show him love, compassion and no condemnation. That’s what I did and my friend was puzzled.
You see, God looks on the heart. God knows when we are frustrated and speaking out of that frustration and God knows when the heart is wicked and needs cleansing. If my friend had been speaking and thinking wickedness it would have been one thing – but he was just frustrated. So, I asked him ‘what would you do if your child came to you and said ‘Dad, I am having these bad thoughts, I have prayed about them but they just keep coming.’ I asked him if he would blast her or lovingly lead her through it. A Daddy would lovingly lead and not condemn.
It reminds me of the woman who was caught in adultery, the people were trying to get Jesus to condemn her, but Jesus said ‘he who has no sin, throw the first stone.’ Slowly, everyone walked away. Jesus asked the woman who was there, ‘where are those who condemn you?’ She said they were none left, Jesus said ‘neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.’
Most of us, when we miss the mark, it is not out of an evil heart but out of frustration or something along those lines. So, do we condemn or love through. Frankly, most of the church will quickly condemn – I used to do that – but I have found from experience that you can find yourself in a position where you could be condemned by how it looks – but through it all, your heart is right and you are following God with all you have – for that, I have learned to love.
Proverbs 10:12 – “But love covers all wrongs.”
Proverbs 17:8 – “He who covers an offense promotes love.”
1 Peter 4:8 – “Love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.”
God is love. If we are created in His image, should we not be love also. My friend said that he had kicked himself over these thoughts – what possible good could it have done for me to kick him too?
Often, the enemy will use these kinds of thoughts to cause you to condemn yourself and the Bible says if you condemn yourself that you won’t have any confidence in God. If you lose your confidence in God, you will get into doubt and it will hinder your prayers.
Do you see his tactic? As long as you keep those thoughts hidden and think on them, they have power and they will hinder your prayers – not because of God, but because you condemn yourself. But once those thoughts are exposed, they lose their power and you deal with them openly – you see, the enemy tries to keep everything in the dark, we bring it into the light, expose it and move on. It frees us!
The Bible says ‘confess your sins one to another that you may be healed.’ When we share our hidden secrets with someone we trust – we are healed. Let me address two things here; number one, only share your secrets with someone you can trust with your heart. Number two, if someone shares a secret with you, take it to God and ask Him to show you their heart in it, don’t condemn and never, never repeat it to another person.
Again I say, God is love. He covers offense, He covers sin, and He promotes love. We have this picture of God, sitting up in heaven waiting to hit us on the head every time we mess up or worse, waiting to put sickness or lack on us when we mess up. Is that how you want your children to see you? Actually, if we were to do that to our children, it would be called abuse.
I have this picture in my head of God too, when I mess up and I will, I run to Him, not from Him, and I allow my sins and myself to be exposed in His light and He covers me. He loves me through it all and He cleanses me of all unrighteousness. Ahhh, what a loving God I serve, what a merciful God I belong to. And you do too.
Remember, he who is without sin – if that it is you, then go ahead and throw the first stone. However, if you are not without sin, walk away and refuse to condemn, don’t even condemn yourself, for neither does Jesus condemn. Walk free today – walk away from sin consciousness and walk straight into the love of God, allow Him to cover you today.
