Amanda BethSharing the Truths Behind the TRUTH

Jan 30th Monday’s Blog: Ignite The Fire In Your Spirit – God’s Goodness

But if I say, “I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.

—Jeremiah 20:9

We continue our series on igniting the fire in our spirits. Follow this link if you missed the last two messages in this series.

I was talking to a friend last week. He had recently returned from visiting a former colleague of his. While he was at dinner with her, she asked him to share how he came to know the Lord. She was raised in a Christian home, but she said his testimony was different than she had been taught.

All she heard growing up in the church was that we are sinners, but she never heard about the goodness of God. My friend said she listened intently as he talked about God’s love for us, and shared all the good things God has given us. He said now that she knows the Truth, God can work in her heart and she’ll have no choice but to fall in love with God.

When Christ preached, He didn’t beat people down for their sins. He appealed to them in love. He didn’t condone sin. But He didn’t condemn them for it. He had mercy on them and forgave them for their sins.

When God called me to start this website, I asked what He wanted me to tell people in my first post. I heard over and over in my spirit, “Tell them I love them.”

God didn’t say, “Tell them what horrible sinners they are.” And God didn’t lead me to only share His commands. He led me to share the reasons and benefits behind His commands, so people would know God is for them, not against them.

Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I appeal to you on the basis of love…

—Philemon 1:8-9

Satan uses guilt and condemnation to make people think God is disappointed in them.

Revelation 12:10 says, “…for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.”

If Satan constantly accused us before God when he was in heaven, then he’s surely going to accuse us while he’s here on earth.

I wrote a blog a few weeks ago about condemnation. My New Year’s resolution this year was to get rid of all condemnation. It’s only been a few weeks since I made my resolution, but I have noticed a dramatic change in my life. Being free from guilt has made room in my heart for more joy in serving God. My fire is burning more now than ever for the Lord.

By paying close attention to condemnation, I notice how many times I hold on to guilt. It’s so subtle that I didn’t realize it until I started looking for it. I notice it’s mostly the small things that I condemn myself for. For example, when I forget to do something for someone, I get upset with myself and hold on to it for a few hours, or sometimes days, instead of giving it to God and forgiving myself right away.

I also notice I see the Bible in a different light when I read it without any condemnation. When I read the Bible, sometimes I’m tempted to feel overwhelmed, because I need help in so many areas. But when I read it without any condemnation, I see each command as a promise from God, instead of a burden.

When a verse says that we shall do this and we shall not do that, instead of feeling overwhelmed, we should praise God that those are His promises for us. He promises to help us obey those commands, which are meant for our benefit.

Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

—John 14:15, KJV

In the past, that verse used to frustrate me. I used to think it meant: If I love Jesus, then I better keep His commandments.

Who can possibly keep all His commandments? No one. Jesus was the only one who could.

I felt God show me that the verse means: If you love Jesus, then you will BE ABLE to keep His commandments.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

—John 15:5

Jesus prayed that God would sanctify His disciples through His Word, which is Truth (John 17:17).

When we read the Bible in faith, the power of His Word waters and produces His fruit in us. When we read the Bible or hear a message preached from the Bible, we will feel uncomfortable at times. That uncomfortable feeling is conviction. Conviction is God making us aware of sin in our lives, so we can cooperate with Him to get rid of those things that are hindering His fruit from developing in us. God’s conviction is not meant to condemn us. It’s meant to help us.

Satan wants to make us think God is condemning us so we feel guilty when we read the Bible. He does this to keep us away from God’s Word. We must stand our ground and not allow ourselves to be condemned, not even for a moment. When we fall into sin, we should confess it to God and repent—turn away from the sin and turn to God. But we shouldn’t condemn ourselves for it. When we read the Bible and God convicts us of sin, we should thank Jesus that He already paid the price for that sin, and thank God that He is helping us overcome it.

But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

—Romans 6:22-23, NKJV

Heavenly Father,

We praise You for forgiving us our sins by sending Jesus to save us. Help us not to condemn ourselves, because we know that You don’t condemn us. Show us Your goodness as we study Your Word each day. Shower us with Your love, so we will never be hungry for anything other than You.

In Jesus’ Precious Name, Amen!

Questions for my book:

When you sin, do you give it to God and forgive yourself right away? Or do you punish yourself for a few hours, days, weeks, months, or even years?

When you read the Bible do you feel condemnation or conviction?

I would love to have you share your comments below. I will be using some of them in my next book: Escaping Boredom In Christianity. Please understand I reserve the right to use any comments on this site in my book. But I will not share any personal information in the book (i.e. names, email addresses, websites, etc.).

Thanks for your comments! Be sure to come back next Monday as the series continues.

*If you have never accepted Christ as your Savior, please click on the “SALVATION” tab at the top of the website. Don’t wait another day!

*All Bible verses are taken from the NIV, unless otherwise noted.

*Subscribe below to receive email reminders of new posts.