Today we continue discussing how to deal with the fallout when our Christian leaders turn out to be unfaithful, sometimes following decades of cover ups. Here's a map of this series, to help you orient yourself:
1. Is Christian faithfulness impossible?
2. I'm so disheartened. What can I do?
3. I'm so heartbroken. How do I deal with this?
4. I'm so furious I can't think straight. How do I tackle this?
5. I can't stop thinking about this epidemic of faithlessness. My thoughts feel obsessive. What can I do?
6. How do I protect myself from sinning like them?
7. How can I help myself heal?
8. How can I deal with my other questions?
Let’s look at the next question…
5. I can't stop thinking about this epidemic of faithlessness. My thoughts feel obsessive. What can I do?
Let me start by saying that in addressing this question, I'm not talking about OCD. Like depression, OCD may include a spiritual component, but it also has strong causes rooted in physical health and mental health. The best treatment regimens address each of these dimensions. So I'm not talking about OCD. I'm talking about the obsessive thoughts we all struggle with at one time or another, especially when we've been wronged.
Obsessive thoughts are emotionally and spiritually problematic because our memories are stored in specific physical structures in our minds, and replaying memories is essentially memorizing the trauma just as we might memorize information for a test. [1]
The picture becomes even more dire when we examine this obsessiveness from a spiritual angle because we become like the people we think about most.
That's why the Bible exhorts:
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
(Philippians 3:8)
We are to concentrate on things that are excellent and worthy of praise because we want to be people of excellence, worthy of praise. Jesus is the most pure, honourable, lovely, and excellent Person we can possibly focus on, and when we do this, amazing things begin to happen.
But if we ignore this advice? If we continue to engage in obsessing about ungodly people and their ungodly ways? The Bible has a warning for us:
For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.
(Romans 8:5–6)
I used to think that these verses were warning about engaging in sinful fantasies—imagining ourselves engaging in sin, even if we don't physically carry it out.
Recently, however, I've realized:
They could equally be applied to setting our minds on the sins of other people.
If we obsessively engage in this, the Bible warns us, our mindset will lead us towards death.
Our obsessions can create emotional and spiritual prisons for us; when we let them run away unchecked, the prison walls become thicker, the spaces between the bars shrink, and soon we're locked in impregnable fortresses. Obsession can take many forms; one is adopting a mindset of criticism towards other people. (More about this later, after this series is complete.)
It’s all a matter of focus. We need to be careful of what we're hungering and thirsting for. Remember: if we're unwilling to wait for God's justice, if we engage in vicarious vengeance through fantasizing about the judgement of these fallen leaders, we replace hungering and thirsting for righteousness with an intense thirst for vengeance. [2]
So what can we do? How can we break cycles of obsession?
- 1. Take thoughts captive
We don't have to be at the mercy of our thoughts. The Bible tells us that we can exert control over them by submitting them to Jesus' authority. [3] We do this by rejecting the unwanted thought, by running to Jesus in prayer every time it recurs, and by quoting Scripture aloud. Our minds are a battlefield because they are the control centres of our lives. They are one of the key places where spiritual warfare takes place.
Satan would have us believe that the battle over our thoughts is unwinnable, but this is merely hell's propaganda. If Satan can defeat us before we try, before we taste even a hint of success, his lies only get stronger.
This doesn't change the fact that they are still lies.
Jesus said, "There is no truth in [Satan]. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." [4] The devil may "prowl... around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" [5], but this is not the end of the story. Satan is only a created being. There is no wrestling match between him and God (another lie Satan is fond of, because it makes him out to be more powerful that he is).
We are weaker than Satan and often experience the wrestling match between good and evil, but the wise are wary of projecting this struggle onto almighty God. Jesus has defeated Satan for all time. And, Jesus has imparted His victory to us, if only we allow Him access into our personal battlefields.
- 2. Put on the armour
God has not left us helpless. He has given us spiritual armour to protect us, so that we will "be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil." [6]
The armour includes the belt of truth (we talked about this a little in part three), the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. [7] However:
armour is only useful at protecting us if we put it on.
It's important that we take the time to learn what each piece does, and allow Jesus to teach us about the armour He's entrusted to us. We can do this by praying as we put on each piece, in our own words embracing the provision that God has made for us. (For instance, when I put on the breastplate of righteousness, I usually start by confessing my sins, and then asking Christ to cleanse me of those stains and impart His righteousness to me.) In time, God teaches us more fully what each piece means and how it can be used.
- 3. Memorize—and quote!—Scripture
Satan loves to attack God's people through God's people. [8] One key way he does this is through the obsessive thoughts that often follow discouraging, heartbreaking, and anger-inducing situations involving fellow Christians.
We do well to remember that God has given us "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." [9] This is our solel offensive weapon.
How do we use the sword of the Spirit? Not against people, but against Satan. [10] We do this through memorizing and quoting Scripture aloud.
I don't know if you've noticed, but in this particular blog series, I've been using Scripture more than usual. [11] This hasn't been me trying to fill some sort of quota and therefore inflating the number of Bible verses I've used. No, I've instinctively leaned more heavily on the Scriptures because I know that our leaders falling into sin is about more than the failures of a set of human beings. This is about the forces of hell laying siege to our churches and our spiritual selves. We are under attack in an unseen realm.
The good news is that when we put on the full armour of God (not just a piece or two), we "will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm." [12]
Take courage, Precious One. That shield of faith is "able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." [13] That sword of the Spirit also comes with a promise. God said:
My word which goes forth from My mouth...will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
(Isaiah 55:11)
The sword of the Spirit is a sword that never misses. Satan cannot feint away from it. The word of God always hits its mark in this spiritual war.
So take up your shield, take up your sword, take up truth, righteousness, the preparation of the gospel of peace, and your own salvation and wear them in confidence and dignity.
Remember: "The LORD is a warrior." [14] We do not fight alone. Instead, He instructs us the same way He instructed the Israelites at the edge of the Red Sea when the Egyptians were barrelling down on them: "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today." [15]
And never forget: these are only the final skirmishes. The battle is already won. We already have the victory, through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus our Lord!
Next time, we’ll talk about what we can do to avoid falling into our own cycles of sinning and covering up. Slipping into faithless living is not inevitable!
NOTES
Unless otherwise noted, all scriptures are taken from the NASB version.
[1] Norman Doidge, The Brain That Changes Itself, (New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2007), 355–356 of 662 in e-book.
[2] See part 4 of this series.
[3] See 2 Corinthians 10:5.
[4] John 8:44.
[5] 1 Peter 5:8.
[6] Ephesians 6:11.
[7] See Ephesians 6:14–17.
[8] In so doing, he potentially renders two (or more) people ineffective for the price of one awful situation.
[9] Ephesians 6:17.
[10] See Ephesians 6:12.
[11] Each post has contained a minimum of 10 direct Scripture quotations (I've counted).
[12] Ephesians 6:13.
[13] Ephesians 6:16, emphasis mine.
[14] Exodus 15:3.
[15] Exodus 14:13, ESV.
