A Church That Doesn’t JudgeSample

Do you know what our biggest enemy is? The devil and his empire, of course, but if we examine the situation a little more carefully, we see that in practice it’s often our thoughts and convictions. The spiritual battle takes place in our thinking. Our thinking gives the interpretation of what is in our heart and forms a judgment about the situation we are in. With our thinking, we plan our actions. Our thinking is one of our most pivotal instruments to course-correct, and because of that, it isn’t odd at all that the enemy often attacks our thinking. And as we already said: how you judge yourself often dictates how you judge others.

In the past I have worked intensely on renewing my thinking. And I’ve discovered that it’s a very powerful way to grow emotionally and spiritually. I’d like to tell you a few things about that.

First of all, what God has prepared for us is a peace beyond all imagination, a power stronger than the circumstances. We find that peace if we consciously spend time with Him and share our heart with Him. And if we allow Him to change our heart. These days, experiencing a lack of peace isn’t a motivator for me to take immediate action, but a reason to seek the presence of the Lord and examine my thinking.

Second, everyone responds differently to a situation and has a different experience. It’s often not very meaningful -- or even possible -- to change a situation, but we can change our thinking and experience, especially with what we’ve learned the past few days. When we’re criticized, experience conflict, or have people treat us improperly, we have a choice. We can fight or flee. Or we can look into our own heart and think. I often ask myself, what about this is making me so restless or touches me so? And what does that mean for what I need in this situation?

Third, the Bible says that we all have lies in our thoughts, thoughts that oppose God which we should break off from. If you make a serious effort to research your own heart and thinking, you’ll find lies, and that’s often not pleasant. But know that those don’t catch God off-guard. Doesn’t He already know all that? In fact, He loves it when you bring these things to Him. “We take every thought captive and bring it to obedience to Christ”, says 2 Corinthians 10. How you do that? By confessing that you have a thought that’s a lie or that opposes the Lord. And by professing: "I take this thought prisoner and bring it to obedience to Christ."

Every morning I consciously subject my thoughts and feelings to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to fill my heart and mind with His love and peace. Perhaps something you could try?

You’ll notice that by working like this, you’ll go into situations far calmer and with more faith. And you’ll notice that you’ll be able to do exactly what you couldn’t before: you can influence the other person or the situation for the better with your calm and peace.