J Heinrich Arnold-Freedom from sinful thoughts.pdf

FREEDOM FROM SINFUL THOUGHTS - P R A Y E RAnother important passage is Matthew 6:16, whereJesus teaches us how to pray: he tells us to lock ourselvesin our rooms and pray in secret so that God, who sees insecret, will reward us. I have always felt that Jesus’concern was not so much privacy as humility: he warnsus against parading our piety before others “like thePharisees,” and against reciting long prayers.Even with these reassuring words, a meaningfulprayer life can still be elusive for a person engaged in anintense struggle against sin. A man I once counseledmany years ago longed to find relief in his battle with acertain besetting sin, but simply could not find peace.This man prayed fervently for hours. When that didn’tseem to help, he prayed for Jesus to free him fromwhatever sub-conscious resistance there might bewithin him. The more he prayed, the more confused anddesperate he became, and his inner turmoil seemed toprove to him that his prayers were not pleasing to God.How can such a person find help? Every case will bedifferent, but in this instance a general truth seemed tohold: When we feel that our prayers are not answered,we should consider whether it isn’t so much a matter ofGod not responding, as our own unbelief. Throughautosuggestion, a feeling of doubt in God’s power takesroot in our mind, and the harder we thrash, the faster wesink in the paralyzing quicksand of helplessness. The45