Destined To Reign - Part 6 - The Root of All Problems In Life

Dear friends,

If you were growing a plant, and the plant was getting weak and sickly, it would be foolish to attempt to nourish and restore the plant by dealing with the superficial elements such as its leaves. To resolve the problem, you have to go after its root. In the same way, when we are dealing with any problem in life, we want to get to its root. Chronic sicknesses, mental depression, perpetual anxiety, financial lack, or marital disharmony are like the withering leaves of the sick plant. You can cut away one leaf, but it's just a matter of time before another leaf becomes sickly. When you are able to identify and deal with the root, the leaves and the fruits, or the outward manifestations, will take care of themselves. In other words, if the root is healthy, the rest of the plant will naturally be healthy too.

Searching for the roots.

The world has found out (from many studies in psychology and human behaviour) that many sicknesses and diseases are linked to a root called "stress". The world has also identified "fear" as the root cause of "stress". They found that in many cases, "stress" is preceeded by "fear". Fear can manifest itself in form of panic attack or a perpetual state of anxiety. But while fear sound like a critical root that needs to be addressed, it is still not the deepest root. Are you interested to find out whatthe root is? The deepst root of all problems in life is "condemnation".

It all began in the Garden of Eden when the first man, Adam, partook of "the tree of of the knowledge of good and evil". From that point onward, man developed a conscience. Your conscience is that which is within you that knows good and evil. Your conscience understands justice. It understands that when there is sin, sin must be punished. This has also led man to punish himself for his sins. There are both believers and unbelievers who are defeated by guilt and condemnation. But the difference is that a believer, who has Jesus Christ and the power of His finished work at the cross, can reject any accusation, guilt, and condemnation thrown at him by the devil and by man's or his own heart. Our hearts have been sprinkled clean with the blood of Jesus from an evil conscience. Hebrews 10:19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. An evil conscience is one that perpetually conscious of sin and failure, and typically expects punishment. It is a conscience that is under condemnation. However, by the grace of God, we an have a good conscience that is sprinkled with the blood of Jesus, and instead of sin-conscious, we can be forgiven-conscious. We can always be conscious of our righteousness in Christ Jesus, even when we fail.

The Accuser of the Brethren

Condemnation is the deepest root because it demands a payment for all your failures and sins. While experts may be able to identify guilt and condemnation as the sources of problems in life, they have no solution to destroy them. Man cannot overcome it through self-effort, and only Jesus can make the payment. The experts of the world cannot see that people are actually faced with a spiritual problem, as the devil insidiously uses condemnation to afflict people. In Hebrew, the devil's name is ha-satan which literally means "the accuser". He is a prosecutor at law and an expert in condemning you, always pointing out your faults and shortcomings. That is why the Bible calls him "the accuser of our brethren" (Revelation 12: 10) . Even when you do something right, the accuser will say, "It's not good enough". His crowning achievement would be to bring about accusations in your life and leave them undetected. Many believers under condemnation would even think that it is the Holy Spirit convicting them of their sins and pointing out their faults. The devil's accusations are concealed in a fog of deception, so that you would be the last person to think that you are under condemnation.

The accuser is an astute legal prosecutor who will not hesitate to use the Ten Comandments to condemn you. That's why the Word of God declares that the Ten Commandments are not just "the ministry of death", but they are also "the ministry of condemnation" (2 Corinthians 3: 7-9) . Remember that there is nothing unholy about the Ten Commandments. They are holy, just and good, but they have no power to make you holy, just and good. The law always ministers condemnation. If you are under law, every time you fail and fall short, you will be condemned. Grace, on the other hand, always ministers righteousness. When you are under grace, even when you fail and fall short of God's standards, God still sees you as righteous because of Jesus Christ.

The Secret to Overcoming Condemnation

So what is the solution of the accuser's barrage of condemnation? Apostle Paul was faced with the same struggles that you and I are faced with today. His lament is recorded in the following verses: Romans 7: 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? But Paul does not stop there. He goes on to show us in the first verse of Romans 8 how we can counter the accusers's attack: Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. What a powerful statement. There is NO CONDEMNATION to those who are IN CHRIST JESUS! There are no conditions and no prerequisites. It's all about Jesus' finished work and none of man's effort.

If you are in Christ Jesus, you should enjoy the freedom from any condemnation. Walk out your salvation and live victoriously.

Amen!

Dedo Suwanda