I was watching a podcast of several ministers discussing issues back and forth with each other. I found myself not agreeing with some of their perspectives, and in my heart, I was subtly becoming critical. I wasn’t really aware that I was doing that until Jesus revealed it to me. I think I didn’t catch the little foxes of criticalness early on because it is such a familiar sin. It is so easy to slide into copping an attitude toward someone. Thankfully, Jesus broke into my thought life and literally spoke into me, “You are being critical.” He then said, “I don’t do that.” As I’ve said before, anytime Jesus speaks a corrective word to us He is actually inviting us to join Him in His way of thinking. Conviction is an invitation to surrender and participate in the life He lives. Of course, Jesus was giving me the opportunity to repent, and when I did come into agreement with “His way” the glorious joy of liberty rose up in me. Instead of being critical, in union with Christ, I began to celebrate all the positive things about these ministers’ lives and hearts and walk with Jesus. The blinders of criticalness had to be removed from me so that I could see them with the eyes of Christ and hear them with His ears. I became so grateful for these ministers and their spiritual vision. Repentance and faith are joined at the hip and open the door to the wardrobe that leads us into new horizons in Narnia. I believe the breakthrough I experienced which moved me into a new realm of glory, brought me into a growing permanence of seeing through the lens of the love of Christ. When I think back on that experience I realize that those moments when I was entertaining critical thoughts were yucky moments. There was no joy or fun in it at all, but being compelled (controlled) by the life and love of Christ is a joy unspeakable, full of glory.
