“For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things.

1 John 3:20 KJV

Do you ever feel that your walk with the Lord Jesus,  just does not measure up?  That you are not good enough?  That no matter what you do, you just don’t do enough? Do you ever feel like just giving up?  Every follower of Christ has been assaulted by these feelings and these thoughts at one time or another.  These thoughts and feelings describe what the Word God calls the condemnation of the heart. 

These thoughts and feelings originate from two sources.  First, they originate from the Adversary who seeks to heap guilt and condemnation upon us by attacking us with these thoughts and feelings. Secondly, they originate with us when we get caught up in focusing on ourselves instead of focusing on Christ. 

When we focus on ourselves it is easy to see our shortcomings.  Then we find ourselves comparing ourselves to someone else who “appears” to be more spiritual than we are and we begin to agree with those thoughts and feelings by affirming them. But the reality is that none of us measure up, are good enough, or can ever do enough to fully satisfy the requirements for being fully accepted by a Holy God! We must accept and believe (by faith) that Christ’s finished work is completely sufficient to satisfy the wrath of God (John 3:36).  And that His Blood is completely sufficient and able to cleanse us of all our sins and make us righteous and fully acceptable in His sight (1 John 1: 9).  All of which is based upon what Christ has already done, not on what we think we can or should do. If God says it is sufficient then surely we can believe that it is! 

With that firm understanding, we can then realize that God is indeed greater than our heart!  When we choose to take our attention off of ourselves and focus on Him and what He has accomplished for us,  we will then find victory over those thoughts that would assault our hearts and minds.  (Rom. 8:1, Phil.4:8).

Rev. James W. Black