J Heinrich Arnold-Freedom from sinful thoughts.pdf

FREEDOM FROM SINFUL THOUGHTS - T H E C R O S Swe must be one with the crucified Christ. His cross isthe center, the linchpin, of the struggle between Godand Satan, and as such it must become the center of ourhearts too. In the cross alone is victory! In the crossalone is purity! It is there that the hosts of evil areovercome; that Christ’s love to each human beingsprings eternal and gives us peace.Unless these truths live in our hearts – unless theygrip us in a deeply personal way and infuse our verybeing – they remain nothing but meaningless words.Jesus offers to give himself to each one of us to theextent that we become one flesh and blood with him.This is not a philosophy, but real food; it is life. It willchange everything for someone who experiences it, andnot only for that moment but for all eternity.When we know Jesus in the depth of our hearts, wewill begin to realize (even if only to a tiny degree) whathe went through for our sake. As we have seen, thismeans surrendering ourselves to him in prayer andquiet, confessing our sins to one another, and layingthem before the cross in a spirit of repentance. Then hewill accept us and give us reconciliation with God, aclean conscience, and a pure heart. In rescuing us frominner death and granting us new life, his love for us willspill over into our own hearts and give us a great lovefor him.71