Silence The Condemning Heart
“Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” 1 John 3:21-22 NKJV
Please notice that this verse does not say that God is condemning us. When condemnation comes it is our own heart that condemns us. The implication is that when we are not obeying God in our lives, that is when our own heart condemns us and that is when it is hard for us to receive the great things He has prepared for us.
When you are disobedient to the things of God, it leads your own heart to condemn you. This verse is explaining to us why that has such harmful results upon our lives. When my heart condemns me and I go to the Lord in prayer, I am filled with doubt and fear instead of faith and boldness. The result of my going to Him is prayer with a lack of faith and not boldness in Him is going to be a disappointment for me. This is not God punishing me for my disobedience, this is my disobedience condemning my own heart and getting in the way of my faith to believe and receive of the victories Jesus has for me.
On the other hand, when I am living a life of obedience, that obedience gives me spiritual boldness to come before the throne in faith. In obedience confidence rises, you trust God and can come to a place of rest in Him, a rest that you cannot find when your heart is condemning you.
Because you are righteousness in Jesus Christ, the spirit in you is pure forever, even when your flesh fails. But that failure does not touch the spirit part of you which is tied through the Holy Spirit directly to Christ, so you can always come boldly to him. Your heart and soul may condemn you but Jesus and the Holy Spirit do not! If we understand this principle, that we are always righteous in Jesus, we can go to Him in boldness always.
Obedience silences the condemnation that comes from your heart. Silence the condemning heart.
J Todd Hostetler