As humans, we find it so easy to find fault with other people. We are always, in our own presumptive minds, and thinking ourselves so wise, able to see what THEY need to change, but ourselves….well, not so much. You may not be guilty of this, but I certainly am.

After my “come to Jesus” moment,  I remember a time of being so overwhelmed with my own sinfulness, that I came to realize something. When I am looking at other people’s sins all the time, I never see my own! But when God shows me MY sin, I am consumed…I am undone. I can no longer see my neighbor’s sins. Somehow they just fade away….they are no longer important as I mourn for my own ugliness before God.

As long as we are focused on what is wrong with the other guy, we cannot see ourselves, nor can we change. I have witnessed those who cry and cry over their sin, get up and do it again…then blame it on their wife. This person cannot get well because he cannot ever see himself and what is wrong with him. And so, the sin of Adam as he blamed the helpmeet that God had given him perpetuates.

It recently occurred to me that sin consciousness is displayed not only in my own life if I dwell on what is wrong with me, rather than what God says about me, but it also manifests in being critical of others about their faults. It is still sin consciousness, but just about others’ sins! It’s still wrong!

We do an injustice to Jesus and His all-cleansing sacrifice if we do not come to a place of FAITH in what He did for us. He lifted us out of sin, erased it forever and cleansed us from it, so that we could become new creations and walk in newness of life. We do injustice to Him when we continue to condemn ourselves and others, thereby keeping ourselves in the domain of darkness and refusing the joy He died to give us. The bible says saved people have the mind of Christ, (I Cor. 2:16) but often we don’t display this.

In my own life, when I still struggled with sin habits, I found that if I meditated and prayed scriptures out loud about the goodness of God, the righteousness He had given to me and the benefits of salvation, that in time, those habits and sins that so easily beset me, began to fall away. They didn’t fall off while I concentrated on them, and condemned myself every week at church. They fell off when I spoke the word of God about who I now was because of His great love and sacrifice. It changed my thinking. THAT, my friends is victory! He lifted us up out of lies and condemnation. We don’t have to stay there!

Sometimes, when my heart has struggled with a bad attitude about someone, I simply said, God, I know your desire is that I love this person, so I CHOOSE to do that. And my heart would change. The Holy Spirit did that when I surrendered to His desires. I am really not able to change my heart or my feelings on my own. The Holy Spirit lives in me and when I make that decision, when I admit I am wrong or I need to change, He does the rest! But if we refuse to renounce the attitude or make excuses, like saying “I can’t help feeling like this,” we are trapped there. We cannot change.

The good news is, with God, you never really fail the tests of life. You just get to keep taking them over again until you pass! And I’m praying you all will pass!!! As we actually take on and display the image of God, our lives just get better and better! We have more peace, more joy, more contentment, no matter what is going on our lives. It is truly Heaven on earth!

Pray this with me: Dear Jesus, I want to experience everything you died to give me. Give me eyes to see You in all things in life. I will study Your word to get to know who You are. Thank You for Your great love for me.