We live in a physical world and it’s easy to draw conclusions about others based on behavior that we observe in them. We may even struggle with ourselves when we do things we didn’t mean to do and don’t know what drove us to do it. But God sees it all from a different perspective and wants us to recognize and understand the true source of our thoughts and actions. He wants us to learn to love like He does and hate the sin, that is why the principle of separation from sin is so important. The Bible says that we battle not against flesh and blood so who is our real enemy and how can we get the victory?
The person in front of us:
When a person wrongs us, we automatically believe that they are to blame. We take the hurt of their wrong into ourselves and carry it around with us as if it is our right to hold on to. Our instinct tells us to hold them accountable and that we cannot let go of or forgive them for that wrong that they did.
Conversely, we may do something wrong and immediately feel fear, guilt, or shame or beat ourselves up for it. How is it that we find ourselves doing the very thing that we hate? Is it possible that others struggle with the same things too? What if what we are acting out is not us at all?!
Are my thoughts my own?
Most of us are familiar with our five physical senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. Whatever input we get through those physical senses we process in our brain and come to a conclusion about. So we see a pretty painting and we think, “Oh that is interesting, I like that!”
But then we hear someone acting out wrongly towards us and our brain tells us, “Oh my goodness! What a horrible person!” What most people are not so aware of is that we can receive input from the spiritual dimension as well. That thought might not be your own original thought.
The Bible clearly tells us that we are not just a soul (or mind) and a body, we also have a spirit:
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. I Thessalonians 5:23 KJV
What is our spirit and how does it differ from our soul?
Our spirit is the eternal part of our being that can relate to and be influenced not only by God but by the enemy’s kingdom as well, through theta brainwave activity.
This is the part of Adam and Eve that was “opened” to know good and evil when they disobeyed God and ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they [were] naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. Genesis 3:7 KJV
Obviously, Adam and Eve could see before they ate the fruit, otherwise, how could Eve have seen that “the tree was good for food and pleasant to the eyes.”(Genesis 3:6)?
So all of a sudden they could “see” through another perspective that was not their own and they suddenly “realized” that they were naked.
Who’s the “who”?
When God called them that evening to walk with them in the cool of the night and they came trembling out of the bushes and told Him that they were ashamed because they were naked, God did not ask them “How did you figure that out all by yourself?!” He asked, “Who told you that you were naked?”
And he said, Who told thee that thou [wast] naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? Genesis 3:11 KJV
You see, in the instant that Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they gave the enemy’s kingdom the right to influence their mind and spirit. Now they had an open radio channel that the enemy could freely communicate to them through. And here we land today with that same radio channel wide open… or is it?
What about Christ?!
So before we get all bent out of shape and say, “Well wasn’t Jesus’ death on the cross a finished work to overthrow the enemy in the lives of believers?”
Yes, it is a finished work, He conquered death and the grave. He took the reins of our lives from the enemy’s hands and put them into our hands but we still get to choose what we will do with them. We still get to choose daily whether we will listen to and agree with the enemy’s way of thinking or with God’s. Will we appropriate Jesus’ gift of freedom from the enemy because of the cross? Or will we still choose to believe and follow the old ways, the familiar ways, and the ways that seem normal to us like unforgiveness, anger, fear, and shame? These may be the same ways that our parents before us followed; that would be called iniquity.
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Romans 6:15-16 KJV
Let me ask you this:
Do you or other believers you know still struggle with feelings of fear, anxiety, and stress, guilt, or shame? Aren’t those the same feelings that overtook Adam and Eve? Why are they still there then, even after we’ve accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior?
Paul sheds some light on the subject:
15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that [it is] good. 17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. Romans 7:15-20 KJV
Paul is talking about a very real struggle within himself against the “law” of sin versus the good he knows and wants to do. So if the Apostle Paul had this kind of struggle within himself, can we recognize how we have this same sort of struggle within ourselves? This is where we begin understanding separation from sin.
God’s gifts to us:
There are some amazing gifts for us as believers, which came from Jesus’ death and resurrection:
Firstly, when He died, the veil of the temple that separated the people from the Holiest of Holy places, where Father God resides, was torn from top to bottom. Jesus said that He came to show us the Father and told His disciples that when He went to be with His Father again that we were to pray directly to the Father in Jesus’ name.
And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give [it] you. John 16:23 KJV
So now we are covered by Jesus’ blood. Our dirtiness, nakedness, fear, guilt, and shame that kept us from the presence of the Father has been removed. Therefore, we can have a relationship with our Heavenly Father which was never before possible!
The power we’ve been given:
Another amazing gift that Jesus gave us after the cross was the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Now we have a member of the Godhead dwelling within us! Through the Holy Spirit and in the name of Jesus, we have the power to overturn the works of the enemy in our lives. We have authority over every crispy critter of the enemy’s kingdom that would want to join us and lead us away from the nature of God.
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke 10:19 KJV
We still need to appropriate it!
That said, if we don’t appropriate that power, if we think that everything was finished at the cross, we will render the Holy Spirit useless in our lives. He’ll be pretty bored with nothing to do while we squirm with the effects and consequences of the enemy’s influence on our lives.
However, if we choose to submit ourselves to God, the Holy Spirit can start to reveal things in our lives that are not from God and will help us to overcome those things and remove them. This will begin the process of separation from sin and sanctification.
No evil thing can withstand God’s truth or hide from His Spirit.
12 For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things [are] naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Hebrews 4:12-13 KJV
This scripture is powerful because it shows us the power of the living Word of God in our lives that can expose the workings of the enemy’s kingdom so we can overcome it. It also illuminates this profound principle that we, at Be in Health®, call Separation.
God has the ability to see the “creatures” in our lives that are not us but are influencing the way that we think, speak, and act. He sees them as separate from us. They are not us!! Just as when Adam and Eve’s eyes were open and all of a sudden they saw the world through a different set of glasses (someone else’s glasses) and had feelings that weren’t their own. He knew that the stuff that joined them was not them, it was a “who”; it was someone that was expressing its fallen nature through them.
We are not sin!
That is the same fallen kingdom that we deal with today. When we feel the overwhelming feelings of anxiety and stress, fear, guilt, shame, anger, rage, resentment, hatred, those things are not us. When God created man from the beginning, he said that he was very good.
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, [it was] very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Genesis 1:31 KJV
So we know that if we were created to be very good, anything short of that is not part of our original design.
How do we practice separation from sin?
Now let’s take this principle and apply it practically. Let’s return to our very first scenario, someone has wronged us, we blame them and take the hurt and pain of their wrong against us into ourselves. We need to look beyond the flesh and blood level that we see with our physical eyes because the Word says that we battle not against flesh and blood.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places]. Ephesians 6:12 KJV
So what happened below the surface is a member of the enemy’s kingdom gave the other person a thought. This is the temptation, or the bait. That person does not realize that the thought is not their own and they agree with it. Now that evil spirit has a right to operate in them to express its fallen nature through them. So you get an earful and it is highly unpleasant and that person was supposed to love you right?!
Their thoughts are not their own
But love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit; if someone is in agreement with a spirit of anger or bitterness, that love cannot shine through at that moment. They are still the same person but something else has the right to act out through them. Perhaps it’s connected with their own hurt and pain and has deceived them into thinking it’s helping or protecting them. The enemy will always develop a reason as to why it would be a good idea to listen to him.
Playing spiritual ping-pong
So here comes the ping-pong game. Now you’ve been pierced by this person that is supposed to love you and you’re hurting about it. You think, “I can’t believe that they would do this to me, I can’t even stand being around them anymore!”
Wow, was that your thought? No, but it sure sounded like a good idea, it came in the first person so it feels like your own thought. But it really is a spirit of unforgiveness and bitterness. When you agree with that thought and roll with it, that spirit will continually replay and rehash that scene that happened between you and that other person. It will develop thought pathways of anger and bitterness towards that person. Then fear and rejection might come in to solidify the conclusion of that broken relationship.
Trying to control something that isn’t you anyway:
Yet once those spirits are present we will find that we cannot just confine their nature in response to that one person. It will start to spill out toward others around us also. We may find ourselves becoming fearful of other’s rejection or lashing out more readily towards others in anger when they really didn’t do anything wrong. That enemy that we agreed with now has the right to influence our thoughts and actions. We may try to control ourselves because we don’t like it, but it is exhausting and when we are tired or weak, we might lose our grip on it or it might just explode at an inopportune moment and cause even more damage.
Just because it’s normal does not make it right.
We have to recognize, all of this is contrary to God’s nature. It may seem so normal and familiar (and of course this is only one example of billions of possible scenarios) but it is not the way our Heavenly Father thinks, speaks, or acts.
So how does God think?
The Word tells us clearly how to deal with others who fail us:
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [you], and thereby many be defiled.
Hebrews 12:15 KJV
God warns us that we need to watch out for the failure of others and resist the temptation to bitterness so that we don’t, in turn, open our flapper and defile other people with the same garbage that was flung on us. The Bible calls it murder with the tongue when we broadcast another’s failures to others to prove to them that person is evil. (That’s a whole other topic, if you want to learn more about this click here.)
How does God want us to deal with our “enemies”?
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:43-45 KJV
So if we really truly want to be like our Heavenly Father and walk according to His ways, He asks us to love our enemies, and do good to them, and pray for them. He wants us to practice separating them from their sin so that we can recover the person whom God loves.
Here’s an alternate way that we could respond in the scenario where a person has hurt us. We may feel the initial sting of the piercing of their words or actions, but we can go straight to our Father in Heaven with it and cast it all on Him. We can ask Him to help us to process it properly and to help us to separate the person from their sin.
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1 Peter 5:7 KJV
We can still love the person but hate the sin.
God can grow compassion in our hearts towards them as He helps us to recognize what was operating through them that is causing torment and division in their lives. Then, as He heals our hearts, we can pray for them too that God can heal that broken area in their life.
As a result, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness… all the fruit of the Holy Spirit will begin to work in our hearts instead of the fruit of bitterness, strife, fear, and hatred!
Which fruit do you like better? You get to choose!
Jesus was the ultimate example for us. Even when He was being murdered and dying on the cross, He cried out to His Father and said, “Forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. Luke 23:34 KJV
Jesus practiced separation
Jesus practiced separation from sin while He was hanging on the cross. He knew who His true enemy was, and it was not the people. He knew that His battle was not against flesh and blood! Now, because of what He did and the example that He’s set for us, we can do the same for others with the help and leading of the Father, in the name of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast [our] profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16 KJV
What if I’ve failed already in this?
We can also separate ourselves from our sin when we fail just like Paul demonstrated in Romans 7: “Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” When we agree with the sinful nature of the enemy’s kingdom and give place to it in our hearts, it can act out through us. The sin is not us, it is not who we were created to be, it is not God’s image in mankind which we were created in, it’s a member of the enemy’s kingdom.
That doesn’t remove responsibility from us before God. We still agreed with it and participated with it, therefore, we still need to repent before God and, if need be, to whoever we may have hurt. We can then take authority over that evil spirit that we agreed with and tell it to go in Jesus’ name! It has to go, we get to stay. Why?
Because it is not us anyway!
Because of the gift of the blood of Christ, our sin is washed away and He removes it so far from us it is as if it never happened. We are clean in His eyes, no more guilt, and no more shame. We are once again free to be who we were created to be. God’s image in mankind.
11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, [so] great is his mercy toward them that fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, [so] far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:11-12 KJV
Wait! There’s More!
There is so much more to this teaching of separation from sin and understanding and recognizing the source of our thoughts and actions. You can find the complete teaching on Separation in our resource center: Separation – By Dr. Henry W. Wright
The revelation from this teaching is so profound that it can truly help repair and heal the brokenness in your heart and in your relationships. It’s time that we learn how to hate the sin and love ourselves and others the way God the Father does!
Blessings,
The Be in Health Team
FREE Printable Download:
6 Questions to Ask Yourself
to Help You Discern the Source of Your Thoughts
A More Excellent Way:
If you are new to our ministry, Dr. Henry W. Wright’s book, A MoreExcellent Way, is a great place to start. It supplies profound knowledge about the secrets of healing and the prevention of disease. Using sound scripture and scientific observation, Dr. Henry Wright leads the reader on a journey of personal responsibility, identifying root causes to specific diseases and offering pathways of healing and wholeness that were never meant to remain dormant in the body of Christ. Here, you will understand why mankind has disease, identify specific blocks to healing, and discover spiritual pathways to health.
Resources and For My Life®:
Be in Health® offers the For My Life Retreat in addition to reading materials and teachings. The For My Life Retreat is a week-long intensive healing retreat that we host at the Be in Health campus in Thomaston, Georgia. We also have an online version of this retreat that you can no participate in from the comfort of your own home!
This is an opportunity for participants to receive the insights and instruction that they need in order to be healed and recovered in their spirit, soul, and body. The fruit of this retreat have been profound; tens of thousands of people have experienced healing not only in their bodies and hearts but also in their relationships. Our team members are excited to come alongside you in your overcoming journey. We want to be a safe place to help you discover God’s true love and plans for your life and your health.
Would you like to read more articles on this topic?
When Others Fail 101
Ending the Blame Game – By Scott Iwahashi
8 Rs to Freedom – By Pastor Donna Wright
The Spiritual Roots of Disease
Why the Fear of Man is a Snare and How to Overcome – by Scott Iwahashi
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