There is a wonderful Bible verse celebrating our freedom from all condemnation.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:1

Many people carry feelings of guilt, shame and condemnation and have to be set free from those weights. This lovely truth from the Apostle Paul has been a help to multitudes, ridding condemnation from their lives.

One reason ‘condemnation’ is such a problem, including for many Christians is that the devil is an accuser. 

“I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, strength and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” Revelation 12:10

Note that the devil is quite persistent at accusing us, doing it “day and night”. So it’s no wonder people come under condemnation, guilt, shame and the like.

The enemy loves to use people around us to accuse us, including parents, siblings and friends. Sadly upsets and hurtful words are common among close connections. We may think those things are of little effect, but they are powerful.

Hurtful words are such a common thing that from ancient times we have had responses to them, such as the ancient rhyme, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

The truth is that words can be deeply hurtful and even bring curse on people.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21

“Their tongue is an arrow that is fired. It speaks deceit.” Jeremiah 9:8

Sadly it is not uncommon for people to be raised in families where they are cursed by words from parents and relatives. People speak out what is in their heart, so when they are condemned, insecure, rejected and so on, they speak words of rejection, accusation, hurt and shame, without even thinking about it.

“Out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” Luke 6:45

“O generation of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Matthew 12:34

I recall the example given by friends many years ago of a father with accusation issues. He bumped a bottle of milk while reaching for something at the dinner table. Rather than accept his own fault, he demanded, “Who put that there?” He made his children feel guilty for his own error. He was an ‘accuser’. Thus he cultivated ‘condemnation’ in his children.

The classic example is the addicted person who desperately wants a drink, or whatever they lust for. They accuse or blame someone around them for their actions, such as their spouse. “You’ve upset me now, so I’m going to go and have a drink.” Or, “I’ve tried to make it work with you, but you’re driving me to the arms of that other person.”

The accusation, “You are driving me to drink!” or “You gave me no choice!” are false accusations, dumping onto someone else blame for evil in the perpetrator.

These accusers may erupt in anger, blaming others for causing upset, then use that as excuse to serve their own lusts. Meanwhile they leave behind people who are hurting and accused, feeling responsible and condemned, when they were not responsible for the wrong choices of others, nor do they deserve to be accused or condemned.

Those raised with an alcoholic, or other addicted people probably have multiple examples of what I am talking about. But these things can occur in religious homes as well.

Often a demanding parent will blame children for their own disquiet and discomfort. Every time they are not coping, or are disappointed or angry, they end up blaming one of the children.

For example, a father or mother might be a bit worked up about something, maybe raising their voice, complaining, arguing or swearing. When a child speaks up, such as to say, “Don’t be upset”, the parent can use that as a trigger to dump even more upset feelings, accusing the child of having upset them. That is not what happened, but in the heat of the exchange the child can be left feeling responsible, blamed, accused and condemned, when they only tried to help.

Children raised in this kind of environment can go through life with a heavy sense of responsibility for everyone else’s issues. Rather than being able to leave others to their own issues, they feel as if it is up to them to try to fix people, or create circumstances where problems won’t occur again.

That’s a terrible burden to live with, because God and Christ save us, not us saving ourselves or others. We don’t have the capacity to do it. So the sense of condemnation can be deepened every time we fail to see a situation work out for the best.

You can imagine the devil’s delight when people go through life buried in that kind of condemnation and unrealistic expectation.

So, let me remind you of the wonderful truth that “There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus paid for all our sins, failures, weakness, hopelessness, foolishness, defeat and shame. We are both forgiven and cleansed, so we stand clean before God.

“If we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and also to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1John 1:9

We are answerable to God, not to those who keep accusing us or putting things on us. We have to please God, not them. We can give to God all the accusations, feelings of responsibility, and the like that have been dumped on us, and then wait on God to convict and guide us. We don’t have to dance to the tune of others who want to control and blame us. We live for the glory of God, in glorious freedom that belongs to the children of God.

“Creation itself will also be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” Romans 8:21

Friends I call you to the salvation offered by God, through faith in Christ, being forgiven of your sins and living for God’s glory, in a life where there is No Condemnation.

Last night I helped someone recover wonderful truths out of God’s Word that had been stolen from them through their life. Let me share with you what happened and see if this relates to you as well.

God, in His love for us, has given us His Word, full of wonderful truths that set us free, since it is the truth that sets us free.

“You will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” John 8:32

However the devil, who is a liar, wants to ‘steal, kill and destroy’ those things that are precious gifts from God to you. One way the enemy does that is by damaging or trashing those things that are God’s gifts to you.

The analogy I thought of is of you receiving a new car. Yet, before you can touch the car, you have to watch someone race it madly, crashing it into things, splashing mud, trashing the interior, damaging the motor and leaving you with a wreck that blows smoke, has flat tyres, looks terrible and smells worse.

When you are given the keys you don’t even want to open the door. Something you should delight in, is an offence to you. If someone suggests you need to spend more time driving your car, the thought repulses you. You don’t even want to think of the car, let alone get into it.

My friend’s issue is that they had been given a damaged idea of forgiveness. They were told that forgiveness is a bible truth they have to apply, and they were ordered to forgive an offender who kept on offending. If they ever tried to deal effectively with the offences being committed they were beaten over the head (so to speak) with the demand that they must ‘forgive’ and thus give up all right to bring up the subject.

This was only one of a number of pains the person was put through in younger life. Now, many years later, they react and struggle with the idea of ‘forgiveness’ because the notion of forgiving someone had been abused, trashed, misused and applied in the most inappropriate way so many times over many years.

The idea of ‘forgiveness’, which is a wonderful truth to set us free, a lovely gift to us from God, is something the person felt like despising and rejecting. It was like the car I described, as a gift that had been so badly abused it was an offence, not a precious thing to be appreciated.

It may be that a number of precious Bible truths, which are God’s personal gifts to you, have been wrongly applied on you over the years, until you have come to despise or distrust those things. That’s exactly how the devil wants it to be for you. He doesn’t want you receiving, enjoying and applying Bible truths that will set you free. So he sets you up, to distract you from their true value, through religious people with doctrines 

that deny God’s true intent, or religious people who wrongly apply those things or through 

New Age reinterpretation, or through well meaning people who apply half truth instead of  the whole counsel of scripture.

When we think the thoughts of God, and have the mind of Christ, we can see Bible truth clearly and apply it powerfully to our lives. But if we are stuck with human thought and interpretation, or the devil’s twisted abuse of Bible truth, we are denied the wonderful gifts God freely offers us in His Word.

“My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8,9

“Who has known the mind of the Lord, to be able to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” 1Corinthians 2:16

My friend had suffered under religious people who demanded compliance to Bible instruction, without caring for the wrongs committed or the pain of those suffering. Things like forgiveness, accountability, repentance and the like were wrongly applied, so those committing evil could be let off. Sadly it was the helpless, including women and children, who suffered.

As I prayed with my friend I led them to give to God all the wrong and distorted ideas they had come to hold about these Bible truths. Then to ask God to remove the wrong concepts and to restore the original gifts of truth for them. That would be like asking for the trashed and damaged car to be repaired and restored to new condition, so it was again a wonderful gift to delight in.

Once the car is restored to a pretty, perfect car, carrying all the delight of a gift and suiting the purposes of the receiver perfectly, then it would no longer be something to be ashamed of or avoid. It would not longer cause pain at the very thought of the thing.

So, for you, let me assure you that everything God offers you in His Word is a Treasured Truth. If you don’t think it is, then you have likely had that truth stolen from you or damaged by the enemy.

Such things as humility, praying, repentance, forgiveness, relying on God, confessing sins, praise, Bible reading, giving, fasting, faith, filling with the Holy Spirit, fruit of the Spirit, armour of God, Gifts of the Spirit, preaching, attending church, fellowship, care and love for one another, are all lovely gifts that release God’s grace.

But the enemy, through religious ideas, controlling people, new age reinterpretations, occult practices, selfishness, deception, abuse and many other things, has caused people to despise these things as if they are toxic.

If that’s you, then let me assure you God’s gifts are wonderful. And let me encourage you to recognise that you have been damaged and cheated along the way, to keep you from the precious things God has for you.

Bring your broken ideas and your pains to God and ask God to restore to you a true understanding of these wonderful truths. And, as a servant of God who has come to see the lovely grace in God’s Word, may you have these treasures restored and be free to go about Restoring Treasured Truths.

Most people live with a sense that things could be better. People study, work hard, devote themselves to various endeavours and give up years of their life for something they are chasing.

I recall Kevin Johnson’s 1973 pop song, Rock and Roll I Gave You All The Best Years of My Life. He described himself as a young guitarist chasing fame, but never making it, until he finally sold his old guitar as his girlfriend ‘tried to help me understand, I’d never be a star’.

Many people have given up years of their life, maybe the best years of their life, pursuing the better thing yet to come. How many would-be athletes have given up years of their life to intensive training, without ever making it? Or students devoted their life and time to study, without getting the marks they wanted?

Some people go from job to job, or relationship to relationship, or church to church, looking for that better thing they seek.

What is the ultimate outcome of your life and situation? What are you still looking for?

Many years ago, in Australia, there was a tourism promotion showing a man sitting in a beautiful, remote location, with the slogan, “It doesn’t get any better than this.” How tragic. If the best you can hope for is relaxing in some exotic location, then your life has a very limited scope.

Let me stir your heart with two key thoughts. Firstly, you are meant for much more wonderful things than you currently have, and that you currently wish for. God has plans for you that are more wonderful than you have imagined.

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has your heart imagined, the things God has already prepared for those who love him.” 1Corinthians 2:9

God does have Better Things for you. Those Better Things are far beyond the best things you might imagine. They are also very wide in dimension. The guitarist chasing fame and the holiday maker taking their ease are both looking for what is best for self. God reveals that our best involves living for God and others, not for self-fulfilment or self-satisfaction.

“Jesus declared, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, Love your neighbour as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39

“Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35

God plans for you to have fruitfulness, where you achieve things for God’s Kingdom, things God will celebrate forever.

“You have not chosen Me but I chose and ordained you to go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” John 15:16

While an earthly entertainer can have the temporary applause of a crowd, you have the right to enter God’s throne room and bring praise to the Living God of all eternity.

“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” Hebrews 13:15

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful to him, and bless his name.” Psalm 100:4

While people enjoy a glorious view, gentle breeze and warm sun, you can enjoy the radiance of God’s glory, shining within you.

“For God, who commanded light to shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2Corinthians 4:6

While people look for the warmth and sweetness of human affection, you can enjoy God’s most wonderful love and affection poured into your heart.

“The love of God is splashed about in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us” Romans 5:5

So the Better that is Yet To Come in your life is far beyond the sweetest things of earth. It is rich in spiritual depth and wonder, far more powerful and healing than the nicest things our natural life offers.

And wonderfully, God continues to unfold those Better Things Yet To Come by the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We don’t have to stay the same, with the same limitations, fears, agitations, insecurities, low expectations, bad track record, broken hopes and so on. God ‘saves’ us, so He rescues and heals, restores and transforms us, and that work is an ongoing work, transforming us from one degree of glory to a better one.

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled faces beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory (with intensifying glory).” 2Corinthians 3:17,18

You have not missed your best years. You have not seen the best your life offers. You are not now stuck where ever you feel you’ve been closed in. God is ready to open to you the fulness of life, and to go beyond your wildest and sweetest hopes for this life.

“The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I am come so they might have life, and have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

Be encouraged. Open yourself to God. Put your faith in Christ and allow God to work His wondrous works in you. And as you yield to Him, expect the Better Yet To Come.

As I have helped people who struggle with Anxiety I recognise a “What If?” problem they face repeatedly. They become anxious about what could go wrong.

Their mind serves them up a range of unhappy possibilities which make them anxious. 

A friend told me of a recent anxiety attack when they had to meet someone who had been travelling. A few hours before the scheduled meeting they were assaulted with a constant stream of anxious thoughts. They worried about getting there on time, and what would happen if they had a flat tyre of other car issue on the way. They worried about the traffic, finding the people at the correct place and so on.

As it turned out there were no issues or problems at all, but my friend was worn out anyway, from worry.

I’m reminded of my wife’s late parents who attended the Wimbledon Tennis Championships many years ago and arranged to meet at a particular large sign some time later. My father-in-law arrived at the sign and stood among the many others who filled the place, regularly scanning to find his wife when she arrived. Close to two hours passed and he had not become anxious. He just waited in the mingling crowd. Finally he decided to scout around and discovered his wife on the opposite side of the same sign, patiently waiting for him to arrive. They had both been there for the same time, but on different sides of the sign. Neither was anxious or distressed, but each patiently waited for the other.

So it is perfectly possible to live without our head full of “What If?” questions.

What if there’s been an accident? What if I never find them again? What if they’ve been taken to Antarctica by international terrorists? What if they’ve been invited into some privilege I’m missing out on?

“What If?” scenarios can run rampant in our mind, invoking our fears, teasing our feelings of rejection, arousing our jealousies, shaming us, stirring our insecurities and so on.

Years ago I coined the word ‘Catastrophising’ to describe the crazy catastrophes people come up with when they are struck by anxiety. They could imagine any one of a million catastrophes that alarmed them and fed their anxious state, all without the slightest foundation.

Anxiety tends to feed on our weak spots. If you are given to fear then you will be anxious about fearful things. If you are given to jealousy and feelings of rejection you will be anxious about being put down, left out or disadvantaged. If you are given to feelings of shame and inferiority you will be anxious about being publicly humiliated or shown up.

So anxiety is a litmus test to reveal where you need God’s grace to work in your life.

I met someone recently who struggled with performance anxiety. They may have had something like a saviour complex, thinking the weight of the outcome rested solely on them. They felt they had to do as well as yesterday, if not better. They had to come up with the best ideas and have the best strategies for the best outcomes. They would be unable to sleep, anxiously thinking things over.

If you have any such anxiety issue, keeping you awake, disturbing your stomach, driving you to perform or to be excessive in protective behaviours, or trying to look good, or whatever, recognise that as a symptom. It reveals an area where the enemy has a firm grip on your life and where Jesus has not yet set you free.

There is complete freedom in Christ, so don’t stay in an anxious state and don’t allow the enemy to have a grip on your life to take away your peace and joy.

Look at the true prospects for your future, rather than the catastrophes you can imagine. 

“All things work together for good to those who love God, who are called according to His purposes”. Romans 8:38

“God has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

“The angel of the Lord camps around those who fear God, and delivers them.” Psalm 34:7

“The path of the just is like the shining light, that shines brighter and brighter unto the perfect day.” Proverbs 4:18 

“I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans of peace and not evil. To do you good and give you a wonderful outcome.” Jeremiah 29:11

And rather than considering the terrible things that could happen, stop and praise God for the wonderful things that have already happened and are happening in you right now.

You are washed in the blood of Jesus, forgiven of your sins, adopted as God’s child, born again and made completely new, with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit with you, cared for and protected by God’s angels, heading for heaven, with authority over the devil, freed from sin, given great and precious promises and able to step right into God’s throne room and ask for God’s grace any time you want.

Your life is not a catastrophe, but a miracle unfolding moment by moment. You are not in danger, but the enemy should be afraid of you and your authority in God. You are not a failure or something rejected, but a precious child of God who is given God’s full attention and invited into God’s presence whenever you want to go there.

And God has everything under control, so you are relieved of duty. You can stand down. You don’t have to save yourself, the situation or anyone else. Take a break and rest in the Lord, letting God be in control and bring about the very best outcomes as you put your faith in Him.

And as you learn to do these things may you live the rest of your life free from The “What If?” Problem.

What is the right way to respond to an issue in our life? There are various points of view among Christians, where some see all issues as just a natural experience of life, while others tend to see everything as a spiritual issue.

There are Christians who see medical intervention as God’s gift, and others who regard praying to God as more important than medical opinion. Some people medicate their problems, while others see the need to fast and pray.

So how should you respond?

Let’s take the issue of Depression as one to apply this question to. If you or a loved one are suffering from Depression, how should you understand that and deal with it?

We know that the way we feel can be anchored in our health and wellbeing. If we are tired and undernourished we are much more prone to feel irritable, stressed, overwhelmed, sick and depressed. We all know how much better we can feel after a hearty meal, hot drink, good night’s sleep or the like. Keeping up the body’s supply of Magnesium is promoted as a simple, natural boost when it comes to dealing with depression.

The elderly father of a friend recently acted most irrationally, and it turned out that he was seriously dehydrated. Once his body recovered, so too did his mental faculties. There was no need for medication or any super-spiritual response, just a jug of water.

Our health and wellbeing are also greatly influenced by the way we feel emotionally. So being encouraged and enjoying success in what we do are experiences that build us up, while being abandoned and defeated are things that will bring us down. Being loved and encouraged are things that would generally help a person feel more positive in life.

It is not unreasonable, when feeling depressed, to think about our health and wellbeing, including the support and care of loved ones.

We also understand that internal imbalances, such as hormonal changes, can impact our feelings, such as depression. Post-Natal Depression relates to hormonal changes in a woman after giving birth. Where such imbalances have been detected and remedied people have come free from depressed feelings.

More recently medical science has seen that imbalances in the organisms living in our gut, the gut biota, greatly affect our physical health and mental state. I heard a medical practitioner explain how one of his patients added to his gut the biota from a healthy friend and that transformed the man’s health and mental attitude.

At the spiritual level we know that the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy, and that his main tools focus on lies that impact our thinking.

“The thief comes only to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

“The weapons of our warfare are not natural, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds, Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” 2Corinthians 10:4

So it is only reasonable to assume that many people are depressed, anxious or otherwise brought low because our enemy has been doing what he likes to do. This then makes their problem a spiritual problem. If they stay under the power of lies and ideas that ‘exalt themselves against the knowledge of God’ then they will continue to suffer various things.

To deal with spiritual issues we need to accept and stand on God’s truth, against the devil’s lying thoughts. We also need to be right with God, through humility, repentance and forgiveness. And we need to bring our problems to God, in faith.

Those who are victims of the enemy’s attacks would likely find that their problem does not respond to healthy living and medical intervention. Since the problem has a spiritual source it is to be dealt with by God’s supernatural processes.

If the enemy is having his way in your life then consider that he likely has some legal right to do so. That may be from your own failings in the past, or through you harbouring fears, guilt, shame or the like, of even through failings in your ancestors that have brought a generational impact on your family.

I refer to these situations as open doors that allow the enemy to get into your life and bring bad effects. Find out what those doors are and close them, and you will shut out much of the enemy’s trouble making in your life.

The enemy also assaults us at times with a barrage of thoughts or feelings that are meant to bring us down. In these situations we need to resist the devil by claiming truth from God’s Word, as Jesus did when He was tempted by the devil.

With that simple summary to refer to, you can see that there may well be great benefit to people from the kindly, loving assistance of those who help them rest, and get nourished and encouraged.

Christians are commanded to love one another and so care and support are resources that should be abundantly available among Christians.

Medical assistance has proven helpful in many situations, while it seems that doctors are often stuck trying one thing after another in hope they can help their patient.

Spiritual solutions have the benefit of removing unseen spiritual attacks that defy other treatments. They also strengthen us in faith and in our walk with God and set us up for greater freedom in the long term.

However you choose to address your own issues or to help others, remember that faith is a key response God requires from all of us. If we do not respond in faith we are actually sinning.

“Whatever is not from faith is sin.” Romans 14:23

So friends, don’t despise those who try to encourage your faith. However you respond to anything you confront in life, God is watching your heart and looking to see you put your trust in Him, whether you just get a good night’s sleep, see a medical specialist, or ask for prayer.

May your first choice always be to trust God and step out in faith, whenever you are Responding to Issues.