Sin: One Disease But Many Symptoms

Heart-level agreement with God is what He wants:

Psalm 51:5-7 NKJV — Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Practically, this means changing my behavior cannot make me clean in God's eyes. God making me clean will change my behavior, though.

Because arrogance has taken root in mankind's thinking, when we hear what God wants, we actually approach the execution of God's requirements backwards!

Romans 7:15 NKJV — For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.

Knowing what God wants provokes man's arrogant flesh to try to be God, Instead of humbling myself and seeing I NEED God. This is the natural reaction to the awareness of the life God wants to give me, until it isn't.

The gospel, or good news, is that I can change! Jesus paid the price for me to be reconnected to God and let Him lead me again. This leadership changes my heart.

This is how: not by modifying behavior to try to control my life, those around me, or the world better. No! By going all the way to the base layer of my heart: how I think, the emotions I feel, and what I want to do about it.

Under all my choices, actions, words, etc... under it all... lies my fears, shame, pride, doubt, impatience, jealousies, misunderstandings, etc. All of this negative thinking and feeling came from separation from God. Reconnection is the cure.

My flesh... All this natural inclination... Wars against my spirit. My arrogant self knows this at a deep level and wants to cover up what's really happening. In my natural state, I would rather people think I was a good person than actually be a healthy person. God can heal my broken heart.

God requires I uncover it to Him so he can heal it. It's a wound that needs attention, not a character flaw that needs covering. Everyone is like this until they let God give the wound attention.

The Bible makes clear: there are many symptoms but just one disease. Lying, murder/abortion, theft, sexual sin, manipulation, etc... these are all symptoms of fear, shame, selfishness, pride, greed, etc.

I can pray for abortion (a symptom) to end all day long, but until I deal with my own selfishness and fear, the underlying cause of abortion, is being harbored in my own soul. You cannot cast out what you keep!

All of the fear, shame, pride, anxiety, misunderstanding, and the like, that drive negative behavior are rooted in a lack of God's leadership... Not a lack of his leadership over my actions, of my thoughts and emotions! Adam and Eve are proof positive that God refuses to control human actions. He is willing to inform my thoughts and emotions if I will let Him.

If I let God heal the disease, the symptoms all go away. But, in my desire to control, I generally try to tackle the symptoms but never deal with the real disease... Because on my own, I can't! My being naturally hates the idea of not being in control. This is something I have to own in order to give God control. I have to know my natural reaction to holiness is to control, not let go.

If I have a bacterial infection, I could buy all the tissue for my runny nose, hot tea for my comfort, and popsicles for my sore throat... But dealing with these symptoms does nothing to address the disease.

If I deal with the disease I don't need any help for the symptoms... They disappear with the disease.

There is literally one disease causing the lack, sickness, murder, theft... all the out workings of selfishness in the earth: the lack of God's leadership over our thoughts and emotions.

It's our thoughts and emotions which directs us to either choose our own impatient wills or God's perfect will for our lives. Being more willful to be more like God feeds the disease, it doesn't kill it.

Mary of Bethany and her sister Martha show this dichotomy. Martha spent her time trying to be a good responsible person. She gave nothing to Jesus. Mary let Jesus attend to the wounds on her heart and she have everything to Him at exactly the right time!

Luke 10:38-42 NKJV — Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. “But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

The Bible makes this clear over and over. The rich young ruler spent his whole life trying to be a good person but he lacked the one thing necessary:

Luke 18:22-23 NKJV — So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

God has emotions and thoughts. They aren't like ours. David realized this and spent his time repenting (turning) to God, not by trying to line up his behavior with God, but letting God take over his thoughts and emotions. This is what the Psalms describe. Jesus did the same.

"Not my will but yours," Jesus said.

David "minded his soul." He brought his thoughts and emotions captive to God and prophesied over himself.

Psalm 42:5 NKJV — Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.

For example, if I am feeling hopeless and God is hopeful, true obedience isn't gritting my teeth and trying not to give in to my hopelessness by feeding some part of my emotions with a fleshy behavior like buying something new, gardening, eating something sweet, or teaching someone the Bible! No... True heart-level obedience is letting go of my reasons and arguments for hopelessness and letting God's reality become mine!

This happens in prayer. Only in prayer... Not just talking to God, but listening to Him, studying His emotions, letting His thoughts rule over mine.

If I grit my teeth and try to be better, my will leaks out into some other part of life. It's only in bringing my true self before God, opening it up to Him and gazing at who He is that I am changed (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Anyone is invited to do this, but few will.

Isaiah 55:1-9 NKJV — “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you— The sure mercies of David. Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, A leader and commander for the people. Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, And nations who do not know you shall run to you, Because of the LORD your God, And the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you.” Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.