In the Emergency Room, decisions of life and death are regularly made
with extreme pressure and very limited information. Symptoms present
themselves and a trained, discerning mind diagnoses the real issue. Get
it right and the treatment plan takes over. Get it wrong and not even
the best treatment plan is able to fully help.
But what about diagnosing spiritual problems? Only God is omniscient and has a full, uninfluenced view of the human heart (1 Samuel 16:7).
As believers, our discernment must be driven by the insights and fruit
Scripture directs us toward as His Word exposes and corrects issues of
the heart (Matthew 7:20; Hebrews 4:12-13). Many more could be added, but here are five symptoms that are commonly misdiagnosed by pastors:
1. Remorse misdiagnosed as repentance
Remorse is the reaction to the temporal, human consequences of sin.
It springs from guilt and often seeks to halt the sin for a season. Mere
remorse does not require any supernatural power. Remorse is not
repentance. True repentance is God’s supernatural, sanctifying work in
our hearts! It is both forsaking sin and turning to righteousness (2 Corinthians 7:10-11).
It is the abandoning of self as the Spirit works in us to put off
sinful thoughts, words and actions and works in us to putting on
righteousness (Colossians 3:1-11) producing His fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).
Guilt and God’s wrath are not erased by remorse and His discipline will
continue to remain until a believer is brought to repentance on a given
sin issue (Hebrews 12:6). Continue at Jim Stitzinger
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