J Heinrich Arnold-Freedom from sinful thoughts.pdf

FREEDOM FROM SINFUL THOUGHTS - S U P P R E S S I O NNo one can remain sane in such a charged situationfor long. In fact, he will soon be no different from theneurotic, whose attempts to free himself only entanglehim deeper, or the schizophrenic, whose attempts toresist (or escape) voices or hallucination often fortifythese delusions. To use another illustration from thenatural world: the inner life of such a person is like anover-inflated balloon which will eventually burst,releasing a whole wave of suppressed thoughts andfeelings at once.Again, we can find inner help out of this only byrecognizing that we cannot overcome any innerstruggle by means of our own will power. Therefore wemust first relax and become inwardly quiet. Each of usknows, deep down, what we really want, and even if wefeel confused and unhappy, we must try to re-focus onthat longing. God loves us and wants to help us, even ifthis belief is repeatedly attacked by doubt. He can helpus overcome our fears. We must also remember that itis futile to try to fight unwanted feelings with otherfeelings. None of us can straighten out our emotions,but we can trust in God. He knows our deepest heart,and he can set our hearts at rest:The Spirit helps us in our weakness…and intercedes for us with30