There Goes the Fear Again

Questions for this day:

How do I make permanent LASTING change?
Why is it so hard for me to stick to my goals? How can I change that?

While reading in Luke 23, I was focusing on Pilot. He was basically the last voice in determining whether Christ would be officially condemned or released, so he had a pretty dang big role in how the crucifixion all went down. He  knew what was right in his heart, and he could find no logical reason to condemn Christ. He expressed multiple times throughout the trial that he found him innocent of stirring up the people:

"And he said unto them a third time, Why, what evil hath he done?I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go." (Luke 23:22)

So if Pilot honestly believed Christ to be innocent, why did he cave? He even asked those who wanted to condemn Christ why in the world they were doing this? If there was reasonable doubt in his heart, why did he act against his desire and instinct to pardon Christ?

FEAR. Fear of man, of losing power, being seen as weak or merciful, fear of disagreeing with the people and others of influence that may cost him his current position- I could go on and on. There really could be unlimited explanations as to why he would blatantly ignore his gut- but bottom line- his fear of man came before his fear of God. And that is gonna get him into a whole lot of trouble, I tell you what, in the eternal scheme of things. So what can we learn from Pilot's actions?

• Trust your own perceptions
• Be willing to ACT on your perceptions
• Recognize you are accountable to God before anyone else

Simple study today, but powerful nonetheless. I know that this is an area I definitely need to work on- putting my complete trust in God and making sure I am accountable to him before anyone else in my life. And I know as becoming accountable to God becomes my highest priority, my heart will be more naturally inclined to fulfill the goals that I set for myself, and through time, consistent and diligent effort, I will be able to do anything I put my mind to with God's help! And how do we remain accountable to God?

• Consistent, heartfelt prayer
• Constantly studying his word
• Putting what we learn into action
• Admitting, owning, and doing our best to overcome our mistakes through the atonement of Christ

Thanks so much for all the epiphanies and insights this weekend, dear Rachel. I hope you have a fabulous week!

Love,

Emily