Group 2 – Section 2

(Note: Use this section with the next. Self-contempt prevents us from opening up and drinking from the Lord. Therefore, it is vital that you train your heart away from self-condemnation! If not, you won’t grow past it).

… (Your name), listen to what you are saying. Let yourself believe, love, and be thankful for the truth!

God is good. It is evil that is evil! God is your friend! (pause and think of Him that way!)

It says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mat 3:2). And repentance means to change how we think. Yet in context with other verses, our repentance has to change the patterns of thinking in our heart because it says, “They always go astray in their heart…” (Heb. 3:10); “…they were thinking in their heart…” (Luke 9:47). And, “…as he thinks within himself, so he is…” (Pro 23:7). Heart, God says to me to “…be zealous and repent.” (Rev. 3:19). So, it is God’s will for me to repent. I am training my heart to think about repentance as God desires.

Heart, it is right to feel sorrow for sin but it is NOT God’s will for me to repent by how bad I make myself feel! “…the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret” (2 Cor. 7:10). “Regret” means to feel disappointed or distressed about something. Heart, hear this! I must change! But God’s will for how I change is to do it WITHOUT “regret.” Using regret as a tool for change is against God’s will, and I should consider it sin. (pause to hear, believe, and love God being close!)

…trying to change by anger or self-hate only gives me a false sense of goodness before God.

“…the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” (James 1:20). Getting angry about my bad behavior does not achieve the righteousness that I desire. (pause to believe and love the truth!)

…trying to repent through anger and self-contempt makes me feel religious, but it does nothing to change my behavior! I repent of pride from how much pain I cause because of wanting to do better next time: “…the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement…are of no value against fleshly indulgence.” (Col. 2:23). “Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement…” (Col. 2:18).

…self-abasement and self-condemnation is “self-made religion” because it eases my sense of guilt for sin, just enough so that I don’t feel the need to trust the power of the cross of Christ. But no amount of feeling bad will ever make the payment or justify what I have done wrong. Self-inflicted pain doesn’t justify us before God because “…God is the one who justifies” (Rom. 8:33b)! (pause to believe and love the truth!)

“Self-abasement” or self-contempt may punish me into a temporary appearance of doing better, but it does nothing to change my long-term behavior. Heart hear this! Beating myself up won’t help me to stop doing the wrong things. I repent away from using “self-abasement” as a tool for trying to produce change! Repentance by anger and self-abasement is sin. (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!)

… (Your name) , listen to what you are saying. Let yourself believe, love, and be thankful for the truth! God is good. It is evil that is evil! God is your friend! (pause and think of Him that way!)

…I repent of trying to “help” myself and others by a “ministry of condemnation” (2 Cor. 3:9). Condemnation is attractive because it controls surface sins just enough to have the appearance of glory. Yes, “the ministry of condemnation has glory…” (2 Cor. 3:9), but all it produces is death in myself and others (2 Cor. 3:7).

…I repent of trying to improve by condemnation for poor performance. I repent of condemning others when they don’t perform. Condemnation feels religious but it only shuts me — and others, off from being able to experience God: “…woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people…” (Mat. 23:13). And, I repent of trying to control bad behavior in myself and others by a “ministry of condemnation.” Condemnation prevents us from drawing near and closes us off from receiving the Kingdom!

…if I demand repentance by self-condemnation, I am trying to change in a way that is according to the law and the “works of the flesh.” The freedom I desire comes from getting my heart to believe the truth… “and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses” (Acts 13:39). (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth) …I CAN stop putting my faith in self-inflicted punishment. No matter how bad I make myself feel, I won’t ever pay the price for my sin—I love that I can trust the power of the cross of Christ. Jesus paid with His blood so I wouldn’t have to. (pause to hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)

…Heart, rejoice that the power of the cross is stronger than my sin. Anger and condemnation won’t help me; I will trust God. Heart, it is right and good for me to trust that the Lord Jesus is my righteousness; I am confident that “…the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” (James 1:20). (pause to let yourself feel confident and secure because of the truth!)

…Heart, rejoice that it does not pay the price for my human weakness for me to live with inner pain and spiritual dullness! I will trust the power of the blood of Christ to cover my human imperfections. The condemnation and pain that Jesus suffered are enough for me. I love You, Lord. (pause to hear, believe, and love the truth!)