Everyone has a filter for thinking. Everyone views the world in a certain way. In the present election, there has been some talk about being cautious not to let your religious values affect your decision making. For some, this is considered a bad thing. This is not a logically possible point of view. We all have values that are based on something. So, whether it is biblical values or values based on Mao’s Little Red Book or values based on Star Trek, there is a filter.

This is not a consistent point of view, either. Some candidates say they can’t let their religious values affect their decisions on issues such as abortion. The thinking goes if you follow the biblical model of “life beginning at conception,” then abortion is taking a human life. But, the candidates say they don’t want to impose their beliefs on others and so they support abortion.

Here is the inconsistency, plain and simple. The Bible says we are to love our neighbor, which includes caring for those who are poor and in need. Well, the same candidates who say they don’t let their religious point of view affect their position on issues, rightfully support legislation to help the poor and those in need. This is clearly using their religious views to influence their decisions when addressing poverty. I see……

Due to this being election time, there has been some talk of whether it is appropriate for a politician to use his/her faith as a filter for decisions he/she makes. That is an interesting question when you think on it deeply.

How do you make a decision in the first place? Here are some options.

1. You take prior information that you have processed, you seek out the wisdom of those with expertise in the area of concern, and you compare all of this with possible actions you could take. After careful consideration, you decide.

2. You decide quickly using your “gut” instinct

3. You think about what would be to your best personal advantage, and you decide on that

4. You find out what most people would think and you go with that

Only the first option seems right and reasonable. So, prior information and the wisdom of others is your filter. Then the questions become what and who? What prior information and whose expertise?

Everyone has a worldview they use as a filter. If your worldview is “keep religion out of the decision” then you can’t decide. Everyone has a “religion”; a filter through which they view the world.

If you are of the “no god” variety you are simply filtering through the “no god” faith. Most “no god” folks have faith in some form of Darwinian evolution. Their decisions are then of the classic “survival of the fittest” variety, and they would logically use number three from above to make a decision and we know that would be wrong for public policy.

So, the only option for sound decision making is to use a worldview of some sort and arrive at a decision. “Religion” in political decision making is then absolutely essential. It is just a matter of competing worldviews. Which worldview is most reasonable? Put your ideas on the table and let’s decide.

Confessing your sin to God and others doesn’t feel good. It is not a pleasurable experience to admit you have a problem. But, as I said yesterday, it is a welcome experience. It is a way to travel light. When we hold on to our sins, one of two unhealthy things happens. Either we get overwhelmed by our guilt or we push our guilt into our subconscious. Then sickness is usually right around the corner.

Yes, sickness. It is a well accepted theory that our immune system has connections to our stress level. Overwhelming guilt or internalized denial of guilt will bring extended periods of stress, which will cause the immune system to be overworked. Likely illness follows.

Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven,” when healing people. Indeed.

Why is it so important to realize we are our own worst enemy? Without this personal inventory, we repeat the same unhealthy behavior over and over again. Then our creativity kicks in and we find a million reasons why our unhealthiness is just not so.

When we see this denial-type behavior in little kids we think it is cute. “I don’t know who colored on the wall, mommy.” Well, what we are really witnessing is a toddler preparing for a life of pain. A life of not taking responsibility.

I remember the Simpson episode where Bart becomes a celebrity by repeating the phrase, “I didn’t do it?” Hilarious, but fairly common for many of us.

“I didn’t do it” has become the motto of humankind. But there is hope. When you are in relationship with Jesus, he can change you into the type of person who willingly admits wrongdoing. For the one who follows Jesus, confessing sin becomes a welcome and critical element of life. Graciously and generously opening oneself up for forgiveness is an act of encouragement. One knows that better days of expanded life are ahead for one who is honest before God.

I have talked about brain development (9/6/04) before. The brain doesn’t complete all of its connections in the judgment center (prefrontal cortex) until about 25 years old. Prior to this time, it would be physiologically normal for a person to not always make the wisest decisions, even if they wanted to. If you are a parent of a teenager, you know this to be the case. But, as an adult of over 25 years, you can still make choices that are not thought through carefully.

However, now there is a difference. Unless you have an abnormality or chemical imbalance in your brain, you are totally responsible for your attitudes and actions. You are physiologically quite able to think clearly and act accordingly. This seems so obvious, but it is not generally known to be true.

Too often, as an adult, I am told I am not responsible. Some politicians make promises that they will take care of me. Attorneys on the radio tell me it’s not my fault and they will help me convince a judge this is so. Even some churches get in the act. They tell me I am a victim of life’s circumstances and if I connect with them I will be healed. Well, almost.

I will be healed if I connect to the healer, Jesus. But the road to healing is to realize the source of almost all of my problems in life is staring at me in a mirror. Yes, it is I, Lord. I am not responsible for what is done to me. I am responsible for how I respond. So, the journey to healing and wholeness begins with being honest before God. Like standing before that great cosmic AA meeting.

“I am Dana, and I am a sinner.”

One of the difficulties of escaping from character disorder is most society is based upon it. It is the public way of life. It is the private way of life.

If something goes wrong in my life here are my options:

Public

It’s your fault

It’s the government’s fault

Private

It’s my spouse’s fault

It’s my parent’s fault

This even applies to whole nations. 20th century Christian thinker and political advisor Reinhold Neibuhr made this point when he applied this “rule” in international relations.

‘The other side is more right than you think they are and you are more wrong than you think you are. The trick is to find the truth in between.’

The next time we are quick to point “out there” to show where the challenges of life come from, perhaps some personal inventory is where to start.

We are invited by God to know the difference between real guilt and false guilt. Real guilt is simply triggered by our God-given conscience. No one makes you “feel” guilty; it is your conscience that convicts you. Real guilt is a gift from God that results in acknowledging your sin.

The challenge to real guilt comes from people with character disorder who have a difficult time experiencing real guilt. They are always placing blame for everything outside of themselves. So, how do they ever feel they are guilty? Like everyone, they need the supernatural intervention of the Holy Spirit to show them their sin.

False guilt occurs when a person allows their neuroses to take over. Then they take the blame for everything. A classic scenario is the battered wife who agonizes about what she has done wrong to provoke her husband’s anger. False guilt makes it impossible to live the abundant life of Jesus because strongly neurotic people never sense the power of Christ working through them. They have a hard time believing he can do this. Again, supernatural intervention is necessary to bring about a sense of forgiveness and worth.

When you are following Jesus, you don’t compare yourself to others. You can’t. Only God has enough understanding of you and me (Psalm 139:1), and he isn’t judging us on who we are, but whose we are. If we are connected to Jesus, we are judged pure by God. Not because of what we have done, but because of what he has done.

There is a challenge to this teaching. We are humans and we have certain ways of facing life. Years ago, author Scott Peck wrote an influential book, The Road Less Traveled. In it he talks about two types of people.

Neurotic- tend to place responsibility for problems in life on themselves.

Character Disorder- tend to place the responsibility for problems outside of themselves.

Peck says we have a bit of both characteristics within us, but one way of thinking is dominant. A neurotic is constantly beating up on himself/herself about their unworthiness. Someone with character disorder is always pointing a finger at someone or something else for their problems. They are never personally wrong. Do you see how this can be a challenge living out our relationship with Jesus? Neurotics have a difficult time realizing forgiveness and character disorder folks don’t think they need it. More tomorrow.

Let’s continue to look at “perfection,” or “completeness.” Can we achieve it? This side of heaven I would argue we won’t, but logically I can’t say we can’t. Can I give my life over to Jesus so much that I will simply think like he thinks and act like he would act if he were me in that situation? This is the message Jesus gives. “Through me all things are possible.”

The life of a disciple is a process of maturing. If you are truly a disciple of Jesus, then the older you are, the more Christlike you will become. This is the claim made by Paul when he says “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” So, when you don’t see someone growing in Christlike maturity, it is reasonable to assume they are not learning from Jesus.

Dallas Willard says, “We can become the kind of people who can do whatever we want.” This is a striking statement. When our will is more and more in tune with God’s will, this will, indeed, be the case. A fully devoted follower of Christ.

Can a Christian move towards perfection? In other words, wholly sell out to God? Apparently the apostle Paul thinks so.

…offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life.



Act as if it were true.

I think it was famous Green Bay Packers football coach, Vince Lombardi who said something along these lines. He would not allow his players to celebrate when they scored a touchdown, especially the person who scored. You were to quietly return the ball to the ref. Lombardi said this about reaching the end zone,

“Act as if you have been there before.”

For a disciple of Jesus, it is possible to do what you are not able to do on your own power. When you trust in Jesus he becomes your possibility not you. It is no longer, “What is your potential?” It is, “What is His potential?”

Act as if Jesus really is working in your life. Take risks reaching out to others. In a real sense you are perfectly capable of becoming perfectly capable.