Emancipate Yourself From Mental Slavery
Another week has gone by soooo quickly. Or is it me doing toooooo much? Well, that’s what my husband always tells me when I complain that time is flying by. As an Engineer he will have none of it. He reminds me that it is the same 24 hours in every day and they never go faster nor slower. LOL.
Anyhoo, it’s time to reset. This week, on August 1, we in the Caribbean are celebrating Emancipation from slavery. Happy Emancipation!!!
Now that we have addressed the removal of toxins from our physical body, I would like us to focus on our minds.
Ooooooooh this is where some real havoc is wreaked - stress, anxiety, fear, anger, malice, unforgiveness can hold us in some serious bondage.
Just as purging the physical body of toxins can help the body function at its best, detoxing of the mind can result in the transformation we need to see in our lives.
As the vendors and money changers took over the temple, what undesirables have captured your mind, preventing you from living an abundant life, maximizing your potential, and fulfilling your God-given purpose?
What thoughts, past sins or failures have taken your mind captive and threatens your motivation, peace, and joy? What beliefs, what fears, what insecurities, what self-destructive thoughts, what lies?
Picture with me an angry mob of men and women dragging a haggard looking woman into their midst. They are shouting angrily and she is terrified. They are each carrying a large stone and there is a pile of stones nearby so they can replenish their supply. They encircle her. She is on the ground bawling and bracing herself for what is to come. The mob gets ready to stone her while shouting out their accusations:
SLUT!!! MAN TIEF!!! ADULTERER!!! FILTHY!!! HARLOT!!! WUTLISS (WORTHLESS)!!! SINNER!!! WHORE!!! EVIL!!! TRAMP!!! DISGUSTING!!!
Their hands are raised to fling the stones and a man steps in front of the woman forcing them to pause mid-air. They shout at the man to get out of the way. “This woman has been caught in bed with another woman’s husband” they shout. “Get out of the way! Moses law says she is to be put to death by stoning!!!” they continue to shout.
Jesus answers them: “Whichever of you have never sinned, go ahead and throw the first stone.”
There is silence. You could hear a pin drop. One by one they “tek time” and slink away. Very soon Jesus and the woman on the ground are the only ones there. All the accusers have dropped the stones and left.
Jesus asks the woman: “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”, to which she answers: “No, Lord.”
Jesus gently says: “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” She was free to go. Emancipated.
We tend to listen to others and try to please everyone. This is impossible so we are constantly filled with guilt.
We, however, are our worst critics and accusers. We hold ourselves to very high standards and when we don’t meet them, as we really cannot, we are disappointed, and again feel guilt.
As Holley Gerth says: “Guilt is the modern-day version of trying to make sacrifices for sins. We mess up and tell ourselves we have to pay somehow. We sacrifice our joy, or worth, even our fellowship with God to show we are sorry. Then after we’ve done that for long enough, we feel as if we can move on because we have paid the price for what we’ve done.
The only one we need to please is our creator God.
As we can see from that true story above, found in the Bible in John 8:1-11, God is not the one who condemns us. We don’t have to make sacrifices for our sins anymore. Instead, we can receive what Jesus has done for us - “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”. (1 John 1:9)
There are many other examples of Jesus accepting and reaching out to women when they considered themselves unworthy and society considered them worthless and beyond hope. Read about the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:4-26); the woman with the perfume in the alabaster box (Luke 7:37-50); and the woman with the issue of blood (Luke 8:43-48).
Not only does God NOT condemn us, but He is also the only one who can forgive us, free us, and clean us up from our sins, having already paid the ransom for them himself. All that is required is our faith in Him and His finished work. See for yourself in the stories quoted above.
I know that many of us who have trusted God for our salvation still struggle with guilt. Why? Even though we are forgiven by God, we don’t forgive ourselves, and sometimes others don’t forgive us and won’t let us forget our failures. Many times we become so ashamed of ourselves that we feel it no longer matters what we do. So we give in even more to temptation or accept a lifestyle God never intended for us.
We are imperfect humans, so we will make mistakes. We will make poor choices. We will fail. We will fall short of our and others’ expectations.
God expects this so He continues to offer his grace and forgiveness each and every time. Having accepted His son Jesus, when he looks at us, He sees us as if we have never sinned. When we are truly sorry and turn away from our sinful ways, we are His ‘prodigal’ children - loved, cherished and favoured - regardless of our past, present or future mistakes and failures.
The trouble is, the accusations never stop and we still listen to the lies of the accusers. Just as the mob, ready to stone the woman, we continue to throw stones at ourselves, and the society and others continue to throw stones at us. Listening to and believing these accusations is like living under “Moses law” which required that the woman be stoned to death. Once we are penitent and choose to follow Jesus, He says to you and me each and every time: “I do not condemn you. Go and sin no more.”
When we fall short, the Holy Spirit is there to remind us of who we are and what we are called to do. So what God does is convict us not “guilt” us. Here’s the difference between guilt and conviction.
YOUR WEEKEND RESET TIP
Reset your mind and emancipate yourself from mental slavery by accepting God’s freedom through Jesus Christ. Each time you are faced with accusations, remember the difference between guilt and conviction and release your guilt to God.
If you need help to recharge and reset your life, feel free to reach out to me HERE for a FREE coaching session and to find out how I can support you in your quest to maximize your potential and fulfill your God-given purpose.