Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Messiah Yeshua. (Romans 8:8, TLV)
Condemnation is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as such: “the expression of very strong disapproval; censure-disapprobation." It is linked to feeling or having a NEGATIVE OPINION (Cambridge). Did you ever wake up one morning and find your thoughts and perceptions about yourself are SUPER CONDEMNING?
I woke up the other day feeling like this. I was unmotivated because of these negative voices in my head which were shouting: “What I say or do does not matter!” I felt like I did not want to take any further action with regard to my dreams and my calling. Secular psychology would analyze this behavior, right? I have spent my life analyzing and journaling alongside great therapists. I would ask myself, why don’t I feel I don’t matter? Who made me feel this way and is this person a trustworthy source? Can someone really MAKE me feel a certain way or is this my own stinking thinking? These are great questions! Clearly, the voices were NOT from heaven!
There’s nothing like a great therapist. But some negative thoughts are from the pit of hell and need an immediate SHUT DOWN! Like a computer virus or bullet flying in the air, they just need to be STOPPED and REMOVED. This time, I was trained to discern the source and was ready to become a conquerer!
So, I thought, “what if today, I DECIDE NOT TO ANALYZE but rather CAST IT DOWN by the power of GOD LIVING WITHIN ME?” In my mind, right now, I am the princess at the castle and the enemy is approaching with daggers. The daggers can kill or cause suffering or worse…the daggers can paralyze the living. What if right now, I say to that dagger, “I CAST YOU DOWN by the authority of Yeshua who lives in me …Your negativity and disapproval are not welcome in my world!" AND SO I DID! I WAS FREE AGAIN!
“For although we live in the natural realm, we don’t wage a military campaign employing human weapons, using manipulation to achieve our aims. Instead, our spiritual weapons are energized with divine power to effectively dismantle the defenses behind which people hide.
5We can demolish every deceptive fantasy (thought) that opposes God and break through every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God. We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist that it bow in obedience to the Anointed One.”
(2 Corinthians 12:3-4 The Passion Translation)
Disapproval comes from Satan, not God. God corrects his children TENDERLY and LOVINGLY – the way I correct my sweet daughter Bella when she’s wrong. When a loving person or God corrects you, you feel conviction, not condemnation- it’s a feeling you did something out of line but that you are still dearly loved.
God disapproves of the ACTION, not the PERSON…not who you ARE but what you’ve DONE that can be improved w His power. My precious little girl who is now 15 already! Bella has what we in Judaism call a LEV TOV (good heart) and so if I correct her, I correct her actions while not stomping on who she is, never questioning her existence.
The enemy of our soul questions who we are! He is the condemner.
IT IS TIME WE KNOW THE DIFFERENCE so we can cast out satan's GARBAGE WORDS!
He doubts us and tells us we don’t matter. My loving God would not do that and we also need to remember to not do this to our children. If we see them doing an activity that is out of line or just doesn’t seem to matter or bring much fruit, we are careful about how we respond. As loving parents, we know that even the little things our children and loved ones do to bless others matter! And the things they do which don’t seem to matter as much can be rewarding to them.
Heck! Maybe not everything we do HAS TO MATTER to anyone!
Maybe we can all just be kind and use our art and our gifts to bring love and light into this world. Maybe not everything we do HAS TO MATTER SO MUCH. Maybe only LOVE matters and the art, the music, and the acts of kindness just make this world a little sweeter.
The Bible says in Mark 12:29 (TLV Version)
“Yeshua answered, “The first is, ‘Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. And you shall love Adonai your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The 12-step program says it this way “Keep it simple, silly!”
and
“Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” (Step 11)
My Jewish heart says: Don’t overcomplicate things. Just love God, and love people. Use your gifts to bring light and love. Don’t worry about whether it matters because your motivation is loving God and Loving People.
Rather than condemn yourself, cast those thoughts down and say to yourself, In God's Eyes, I MATTER."