J Heinrich Arnold-Freedom from sinful thoughts.pdf

FREEDOM FROM SINFUL THOUGHTS - D E T A C H M E N TEckhardt calls “detachment,” is a daily necessity forevery Christian. Detachment means separatingourselves from all the tensions of the day – from worriesabout work, leisure, and personal life; from the news,from sports, from headaches over practical problems,from the distractions of tomorrow’s plans. It meansstanding before God in silence so that we can perceivehis working in our hearts.Even the “cramped will” I wrote of earlier must beyielded so that the deeper voice of the heart can speakwithout having to compete with anything else. Thismeans detachment from mammon, impurity, andmalice; from deceit, mistrust, and hatred; from allspirits foreign to God. Here I would like to emphasizeonce again the significance of the subconscious andremind the reader that the cause of an attack by an evilspirit is often found there. With this in mind, it shouldbe obvious how important it is to find detachment everyevening before falling asleep. Whatever we give roomto in our heart may work on in us all night long.We know we cannot achieve true detachment in ourown strength, but that is no cause for self-doubt orworry. In fact, the best way to remain mired in struggleand to experience nothing good at all is to keep takingstock of our own weakness. I have counseled peoplewho did this – they were so intent on watching themselves49