This weekend I preached from Mark 16:1-8, about the empty tomb, and the state of mind of the first witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus, women who were so "shocked ...trembling ...bewildered...frightened" that they couldn't tell anyone, at first, what they had seen. I compared that to how unstoppable all the disciples of Jesus were, after they had seen the risen Lord and were absolutely sure of his resurrection and filled with the Holy Spirit. The early church was unstoppable because the people were full of their Savior, and empty of anything else. Then I challenged everyone to ask God to help them surrender whatever was making them feel empty, or not letting them be emptied of their burdens. But how do you surrender all that? Here are a few tools.
1. Confess it to someone else and ask him or her to pray with you. James 5:16 tells us "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." Sin and doubt only have power over you if you keep them secret. When a loving brother or sister in Christ is praying with you, and encouraging you in times of weakness, the power of the old habit will be broken. (Simply asking someone to "pray for me" isn't going to get very far, though, because that's still not admitting that you're not perfect, is it? You'll probably have to get pretty specific.)
2. Ask God for clarity on why this doubt, sin, worry, unforgiveness -- or whatever -- has persisted. (Your prayer partner may be of help here.) Sometimes we find a false validation of our existence by holding on to anger at someone who has hurt us in the past. Sometimes we don't want to let go of control because we don't see how much God has provided for us, so we don't trust him to continue to work out the problems in our lives (you know, those problems you can't resolve anyway...). Clarity helps us let go.
3. Forgive other people, and yourself. Sometimes I "kick myself around the block" because of something I said or did forty years ago -- and God forgave it, in Christ, long ago! I can't go back and make it right, and I now have a loving relationship with the other person, so what's the point? And God has forgiven the other person, so as Paul writes, "Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others" (Col. 3:13). Forgiving is a daily, sometimes a moment-by-moment choice, to release the other person to God, who alone can heal and help them; and it frees us to live in God's love.
4. Accept God's forgiveness and peace. This is a form of surrender too. It includes all the above, plus a deliberate decision to believe that what God has said and done for us is absolutely true, which means all our ideas to the contrary are false. It can help to keep a list of scriptures that remind you who you truly are in Christ, such as John 1:12, 2 Cor 5:17-19, Eph. 2:10, Eph. 4:24, Col. 1:22, Col. 3:3, 1 Thess. 1:4, 1 Pet. 2:9-10, 1 John 5:18 etc.
If you're struggling with doubt, fear or any other sin, try using these tools -- with all your might -- for 30 days and see what difference God's power makes. And let me know how it goes. I'll be praying for you!
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