I remember a time that I would go into a rant whenever I would hear people cut down Christians and Christian Beliefs. I get that there are some out there that try to twist the truth. But if you know the truth, you can't be deceived, rather you will be set free.
Jesus said, I come to make all things new.
I guess if that is what you call brainwashing, I'm for it. We spend so much of life looking at the mistakes we make, our poor choices, our results and effects of the lives we've lived that we forget we have a choice to change.
IT CAN BE TOUGH.
We've spent a lot of life walking without Christ. We've become creatures of habit. Adam and Eve's outside the Garden instead of Jesus living in us. We are used to doing what we've always done. After all, that is how our parents did it, and their parents, and it is, you know, embedded in our genes. We are simply like this.
Have you ever purchased an old piece of furniture at a flea market or rummage sale, and it has like 5 coats of paint, varnish, and chunks missing. Have you ever had to restore it? Or maybe you've watched that "American Restoration" on the History Channel. Rick's team has to do a lot of work to restore those pieces. It takes work, and a lot of it. You can't just say, I want you to look like you did when you were originally created can you? You have to strip paint, several times, sand it, fill in cracks, You have to strip it bare. ONLY THEN can you put a new finish on it, and then you have to protect it with clear coat.
It's a lot like us. We typically have a lot of "junk" on us that may need to be removed before we can get back to our originally recreated self. We might have to have people brainwash us into believing that we are "worth it". We are "good enough". We are "loved". We are "smart". We can make our "marriages" work.
We also have to have someone we trust to be accountable to us. In other words, who is that one person that can tell you to your face that you are not going to give up, or that you are making excuses, or that you aren't walking it out in God's ways? Who is that person, that you can trust, that has your best interest? I'm positive you have loads of friends that will say, "oh go ahead, one time won't hurt." or "just do whatever you want, I'll stand behind you". But do you have that friend that will say, listen, you are not going to eat that piece of chocolate, because you will have dominion over your temptations! Yep, you might get mad, but the truth will set you free. And it may be tough.
“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Luke 16:31
Lord Jesus, thank you for being our accountability partner. Your Truth does set us free. Thank you for walking through the tough times with us, and thank you for allowing us to be overcomers. Bless these people reading and give them a renewed mind in You. Amen