| Have you ever felt condemned because of the bad
thoughts you have had? You could be in the middle of a prayer meeting
when suddenly a dirty thought enters your mind. Actually, it is the
devil who puts such thoughts in your mind. Then, he steps back, looks at
you and knocks you on your head, saying, “How can you call yourself a
Christian and still think such thoughts?” |
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| I used to be in
bondage over the bad thoughts I had because I felt that I had to confess
every one of them and seek God’s forgiveness. But that is not what
God’s Word exhorts us to do. You see, God wants us to bring “every
thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”.
Now, whose obedience are we to focus on? Christ’s obedience and not our
own obedience! |
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| But what is “the obedience of Christ”? It is His
obedience at the cross, where “by one Man’s obedience many will be made
righteous”. (Romans 5:19) Jesus shed His blood for us at the cross.
This means that when our thoughts condemn us, we are to focus our
thoughts on Jesus’ obedience at the cross. |
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| My friend, the
devil can only make inroads into our minds when he gets us to focus on our
obedience instead of Christ’s obedience. His strategy
is to point us to our obedience or the lack of it to determine our
standing before God. But just as our position as sinners is not based on
what we do, but what the first Adam did, in the same
way, we are forever righteous today not because of what we do, but
because of what Christ, the last Adam, did on the cross. |
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| So the next time
your thoughts seem to condemn you, say, “I am righteous whether I have
good or bad thoughts. My righteousness has nothing to do with my
obedience. Jesus’ obedience at the cross made me righteous.” Then,go
ahead and pray, knowing that you have access to God and His favor, and
that He hears the prayer of the righteous. (Proverbs 15:29) |
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