In an earlier chapter I made the charge that Satan, the great deceiver, will tempt us to do something that is out of line with God's command to love one another, then make us forget that we did the deed, leaving only the consequence of the deed staring us in the face. It is then we show surprise and shock at what the world is doing to us. We make the common error, then, that someone else is the cause of all our misfortune and we perpetuate the error by trying to get even with them or somehow make them pay for their sin. Truly, when this happens, Satan has caused another memory lapse in us. Jesus already paid for our sins so we don't need to focus on either other people's sins or our own.

As Christ, through us, frees other people from their sins, via the process of our forgiveness, we will eventually be free of the residual sins ourselves. I didn't say immediately; I didn't even say next Tuesday, I said, “eventually.” Residual sins block Christ's light shining in us. It is important to remember that Christ's light shining through us draws all men unto Him. As our hearts obtain their purity, slowly but surely, more and more people will treat us with respect because this is the way we've been treating others. Instead of bringing out the worst in others (by our defiled hearts) we will bring out the best in others (by our purified and Christ-like hearts). The gauge of how pure our hearts are is to measure how we feel people are generally treating us. If we feel we are seeing too many rude drivers or inconsiderate waitresses and we find the hair on the nape of our neck bristling with anger, then our hearts are still being brought into their potentially purified state by the Holy Spirit. He isn't finished with us yet. Remember, the purpose of forgiveness is not to heal others. It is so that we will be healed from the pain that seems to be coming from others. When forgiveness becomes the only response to evil, we will be readily utilizable by Him and be in full service to God. We will cease judging because judging pushes people away from the Lord.

Eventually, when our hearts are pure, we will not detect people being rude or mean to us. This is important to understand. The key here is the word “detect.” They may still be acting inconsiderately and they may still be saying things that might make us cringe. Even so, our hearts will view them as calling for love rather than calling for us to attack them or think evil of them. Meanwhile, we have work to do. Our work consists of maintaining an attitude of forgiveness with each new incident that crops up in our lives. Each new incident in which we have the chance to forgive, chips away at our hardened heart, until at first merely a trickle of light breaks through. Then, gradually, we allow more and more light to shine through our ever softening hearts until, at last, the world shines with the light emanating from the Good Shepherd, through our softened and pliable hearts.

If you think this is impossible, please realize God would not ask us to do something we can't do and our Lord asks us in Matthew 5:48 to “Therefore be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect” (MKJV). What do we do if some are treating us as if we are the scum of the earth? Should we defend ourselves by building a wall between them and us? By our reaction they will know how strong our faith is in Christ. Do we want to show them Him or would it be better for them to see us defend ourselves? If we are not grounded in Christ Jesus, if we do not KNOW beyond a shadow of doubt that He loves us, He cares for us, He died for us and He sustains us through all persecution and mean-spiritedness, then we will believe the conclusions of those looking through a glass darkly and feel the need to defend ourselves. Their conclusions are false so we do not need to defend ourselves. Instead we need to have increased grounding in Christ Jesus so that we recognize what is true and what isn't. This increased grounding comes through prayer.

When we defend ourselves, we are making an incorrect and ultimately fruitless move. We are assuming that we are children of the world and that we must defend ourselves in order to have self esteem. Jesus, however, said to resist not evil. He did not have self-esteem in the usual sense. His esteem was based on a certainty of His oneness with God that goes far beyond what we can fathom here in this world. On His journey to the cross, He never whined or complained because He was grounded in the Father and knew His true worth. From the cross, as He was dying, He forgave His killers and all of us down through the ages, as well. If we are not grounded in Christ, can we make it a high priority to be that way? As long as we feel the need to defend our puny, worldly selves, we will be postponing our ability to be of use to God, while we reside here on this carnal planet. Can you step back from yourself for a moment and evaluate honestly whether or not you are defending your flesh-man? If you are, this flesh-man must die. This is the part that must die in order for Christ's nature to flourish within us. It is a painful death but a necessary one. We want to hang on to our self-worth in this world but the more we do, the more Christ must take a lesser role in our lives until, eventually, we shut Him out altogether. This is unthinkable to those who desire a closer walk with Jesus.

One of the most difficult things to do in this world is to accept the fact that we are seeing a reflection of ourselves whenever we are interacting with someone else. No matter what is transpiring, we are witnessing ourselves! If we are seeing negative behavior in someone, we may react to it as if it is negative behavior by someone else and miss the opportunity of healing God is giving us. When we judge by appearances, we are really fooled by Satan's scheme to keep our awareness of our infestation out of reach from any healing by God. God gave us good advice on avoiding Satan's scheme, however, when He told us not to judge by appearances. What is really happening when someone does something that traumatizes us, is that we have been ambushed by a Satan-influenced negative perception that reflects an area in our own lives that is unhealed. We are unable to recognize it for what it is, but since it IS that, healing that perception via forgiveness is the answer. There is no other answer. By offering forgiveness, we release those unhealed areas in ourselves into the care of the Holy Spirit for true healing. If we don't do that and attack or attempt to change the other person, we are merely dealing in symptomatic healing--or healing that is temporary. The problem will continue to fester deep within us and remain unresolved.

In truth, there is only one problem and it has already been solved by Jesus Christ when He went to the cross for us. The one problem is that we have separated from God, run away from Him, and, consequently, feel guilty and ashamed. Its solution is accepting what Jesus did for us and receiving Him into our hearts. As He resides within, our hearts are purified. In addition, we must be willing to pick up our crosses and follow Him, forgiving others, just as He did. We must be alert to the Holy Spirit at all times. We must never let down our guards or we'll feel Satan breathing down our necks. Let's keep our eyes on the prize of Jesus and let His strength make us invincible in Him. Never forget Who has already won the battle and Who resides in us!

If the battle is already won, is it really necessary that we step into the ring and put on a fresh pair of boxing gloves? Of course not! Instead let's opt to keep our eyes focused on the Lord, never removing our eyes from His, no matter what may occur. Then, no matter what life brings us, we have already claimed our victory through Jesus. It is not we who do anything BUT stay focused on Him in complete trust, never wavering and never doubting. We need to recognize that God DOES have everything under His control. Our job, then, is to pray for help to rest in this. It is hard to do because the world appears so strong in its ruthlessness. With our hope in Christ, we will find a peace filling our hearts and no matter what goes on around us, no matter what chaos we are in, there is a sense of rest so deep that it cannot be described in earthly terms.

We CAN rest in God. The world screams that this is not possible. But, has the world told us anything of eternal value? From within the battlefield it does not look as if we can rest in God. It looks instead as if terrible clashes are going on between the forces of good and evil. Sometimes it looks as if Satan has got Jesus in a headlock and is about to bring Him down for the count. Don't believe that. Did Jesus ever wring His hands or bite His nails with worry? Believe only the truth which is that God is not even the least bit concerned with our welfare. He isn't concerned with it because He has us secure and safe in His care, since we entrusted our souls to Him. Our job is to know this truth and rest in it.  

Can we summon up the courage to do this? As our walk with the Lord grows closer and closer, He will distribute more fruit of the Spirit through us. Among them are faithfulness and patience. These lead to endurance and tenacity, which are much needed in the disciple's walk. We must summon and summon, until we reach the goal of knowing the truth of our safety in Him. We must hold on to the hem of Jesus' garment until this constant bloodletting, from these constant battles, are healed. In addition, we must never let our eyes waver from the face of Christ which dwells in “the least of these,” for truly, how we think of others will be how we will feel God thinks of us. Our security, then, resides in our world perception. Is it one we've conjured up on our own, based on appearances and deception? Or is it one based on the truth, as stated in the Word? A world perception, based on appearances, leaves us feeling distraught and hopeless. When people dredge up tons of infestation in us, we then, mistakenly toss it back at them in the form of condemnation, instead of getting healed and delivered. This causes yet greater infestation, which we recycle endlessly until, weary and battle-fatigued, we finally come to the divine conclusion that there is only one thing to do: Submit it all to Jesus. As that decision is made, He allows His saving grace and mercy to be extended through us to those who were also lost and needed His hand. When this happens, what a moment of glory this is for all! God's presence will be visibly felt as His joy and light penetrate the fog that previously blinded everyone to the truth that, through and in Jesus Christ, we are all one with God. This is the process through which Jesus draws all men unto Him.

Our prayers, then, must be focused on Christ, whenever we are tempted to believe that these temporary battles appear lost. The strength given to us by Christ, as we pray believing in His might and power is unlimited and ultimately defeats the enemy until there is no sign that the enemy ever existed. It is as if the enemy was a shadow and Christ's light merely shined it away. It is as if the enemy was merely a cloud blocking the light from the sun and the lightest breath from the Son of God has shifted the clouds and allowed the light to penetrate into our minds and hearts where we rest victoriously in God's glory.

You tell me, please, what else is there to do here on this wild, partying planet? The party we have been attending is just about over, but it was never really very much fun, was it? Let's bid our satanic host goodbye as we take one last look at all the toys and games and temporary ways with which this world of his has been tempting us to “have fun.” The fun has never lasted, it falls into despair so quickly, it is almost as if no fun has occurred for us at all.

There are plenty of people who wander this earth, disgusted with religion and its “righteousness” which translates as judgment. We all need to forgive and forget and understand that judgment has clouded reality in this way, as well. The religious have been filled with judgment and this, too, is no fun and, frankly, is and always will be part of the carnal world's activities. We need to hand judgment over to God, not keep it for ourselves. Jesus smiles as we love those who seem “unlovable.” He smiles as we pull back from judgment, allowing God to heal us all in His unique and effective way. Doesn't it make you wonder what a heart, free of judgment, is really like? It is a thrilling thought and if it makes you the least bit curious, you should want to strive for this with everything within you can muster.

Our awesome God's manner of changing us is to layer miracle upon miracle, as we focus on His light, even as the darkness closes in. It is incredible to watch—much more incredible than even the most heart-stopping thriller in the theater. God's light is fun. It is the most fun we can ever have as we observe with increasing confidence, Satan's dark fog being dissipated away by the light of Christ Jesus. Jesus welcomes us back into His arms as we consciously make the decision to follow Him at all times and in all circumstances. He is constantly bringing out the fatted calf in celebration as He gives us gifts of dreams that give us encouragement and bolsters our decision to always follow Him, no matter what appearances would tell us.

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