TURMOIL 3

Hi all,
Last week I shared the characteristics of those who place blame or burdens on others unjustly. This week I'll share about those who for one reason or another, take blame upon themselves that is not their responsibility.

Pass the buck
The first incident of placing blame was when Adam told the Lord in Genesis 3:12; "The woman which you gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.", and that particular excuse has been in use since!

The focus this week is on the person receiving unjust blame, so we have to wonder if Eve felt like punching Adam, or did she remain silent and chew him out later in their chariot on the way home, or in another part of the garden when they were alone?

In his defense, the facts were just as Adam stated them; the Lord did give her to him, and she did give him the fruit. And that's been the dilemma ever since; the blamer often twists the truth or the perspective that they may always be right, even if done in the name of the Lord or his work.

The Bible is full of people receiving blame for which they are either not responsible, or at the most partly responsible. Hagar obeyed her mistress, Sarai, and became pregnant by Abram, and once pregnant, Sarai treated her very harshly, causing her to run away, placing who knows what blame on her. (Gen 16:6)

Jacob rightly received some of the blame for deceiving his brother in the matter of the birthright, though Rebekah actually conceived the plan and ordered her son to carry it out. (Gen 27:8)

And Leah! Obeyed her dad by sleeping with Jacob on his wedding night, (paid off by getting Zilpah as her maid), had the customary 7 day wedding celebration, then Jacob immediately married Rachel and loved her while despising Leah, all the while working another 7 years due to her and her dad's deception. What kind of blame was Leah living with in that household! (Genesis 29: 23-30)

Then there is Moses blamed for every hardship Israel went through in the wilderness, King Saul blaming the people for his disobedience (I Sam 15:15), Saul blamed David for trying to take his throne, and on it goes throughout the Bible.

Innocent willing to be blamed
What I find amazing is how innocent people are so willing to accept blame. Case in point is Matthew 26:22, where Jesus had just told the 12 that 'one of you shall betray me'.

"Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, "Am I the one, Lord?" (New Living Translation)

Judas was the guilty one of course, yet each of the other 11 asked if they were it? In other words, each felt like Jesus was talking about him, so unsure of themselves were they.

And perhaps that's part of the issue, the person that so distrusts himself that a life long habit forms of automatically lining up to receive blame before even processing why exactly they are in line to start with?

Jesus told the religious leaders in Matthew 12:7 "But if you had known what this means, 'I will have mercy, and not sacrifice', you would not have condemned the guiltless."

A blamer is always looking for a person to sacrifice for them as the religious leaders required sacrifice of their followers; follow my direction, do what I say, submission and authority. But Jesus is looking for mercy.

This reveals that the person who so easily receives blame, like their blamer, also thinks God is looking for performance based faith, performance as dictated through God's 'anointed' representative. The person who so easily receives unjust blame also doesn't understand God is looking for mercy.

Cup 1/2 empty, or 1/2 full?
A person who so readily looks within and then accepts blame that is not theirs to take, sees the negative point of their accuser foremost and agrees with them on that point, at least in part. And it is that 'in part' element that causes such torment, for to take blame which is unjust rubs against the Spirit of Truth within.

Somewhere down inside they know taking the blame isn't fully right, but they often haven't been exposed to any other way of doing things, so they think that is how it is.

The person who habitually receives unjust blame must learn how to access a situation as it unfolds, and then have the presence of mind to speak up for themselves to prevent that load being dumped on them.

Only 5 things Satan can use...
In Mark 4:17 Jesus talks about people stumbling in the faith: "And have no root in themselves, and so endure for a time; afterward, when affliction or persecution arise for the word's sake, they stumble."

These 2 tactics of the enemy; affliction, which is the pressure of circumstances, and persecution, which at it's root is the pressure brought to bear of others opinions about you, cause a person to stumble because "they have no root in themselves."

Everyone has pressures in life, but not all stumble. No one can please everyone every time, yet this person folds in the face of another's opinion - all because they have no root in themselves. A root anchors a plant to the soil, which means this person lacks a certain anchor down deep inside, thus the open door to attack.

This attack, according to Jesus comes 'for the Word's sake' - nothing personal, Satan is just trying to stop God's word, promises, and Life in you from developing - Satan's focus is to stop the Word in your life, and the way to stop it is by getting you to fold under pressure.

The Greek word 'root' is 'rhiza', when used metaphorically as in this case, means "cause, origin, source" (Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words). Jesus said these people stumble in the face of opinions or the pressures of life because they have no (sense of) cause, origin, or source anchor within themselves. So what is the root we are all to have?

Ephesians 3:17-19: "That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love (unconditional agape' love), may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

Aha!
THIS is the root the person so susceptible to pressure and opinions lacks - unconditional love. The word 'rooted' here is slightly different than used in Mark 4. The word "rhizoo" means "to cause to take root". (Word Meanings in the NT by Ralph Earle)

Unconditional love in a person's life will CAUSE them to take root, thus giving them the strength, self-image, and confidence to withstand the pressures of life and people's negative opinions. This rooting instills a quiet confidence that allows such a one to stand up to others because they know unconditional love, they know the Father and Jesus love them and support them - the ultimate source of confidence and strength!

Notice the paradox; if someone is rooted in unconditional love, they have the ability to comprehend the love of God which is beyond (mental) knowledge. How can you comprehend that which is beyond knowledge? You receive it in your spirit, not your mind, thus you have the deepest knowledge of love, you know that you are loved unconditionally though you can't explain it!

I ask people where in their early life did they suffer a lack of unconditional love? Somewhere back in their early years, before adulthood, they never knew they were unconditionally loved, or something happened that took it away, which results in adults who have a continually open door for the enemy to beat them down.

The solution is to get rooted in that love by doing a word study of the New Testament. Start in Ephesians, then Philippians and Colossians, and everywhere you see the word "God" substitute "Father", and spend time mulling over and over what it says about his heart and actions towards you. We love him because he first loved us, therefore when you see that love and let that knowledge seep down inside you, you will respond with loving him in a great exchange of unconditional love between the two of you. You will then be able to comprehend that which is beyond knowledge - the love of God directed to you!

My...what a journey we are on. This is alot to think on, so I'll close for now.

Some further help here, and I'm not trying to sell books, but my book "Pursuing the Seasons of God" will really help in this area, showing some behind the scenes of the Father's realm, and his goodness. (available at our web site)

OK...blessings!
John Fenn
www.iFaithhome.org