{"id":34794,"date":"2018-10-04T19:15:48","date_gmt":"2018-10-05T01:15:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/?p=34794"},"modified":"2018-10-05T01:25:25","modified_gmt":"2018-10-05T07:25:25","slug":"the-power-of-judgments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-power-of-judgments\/","title":{"rendered":"The Power of Judgments","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

HUMAN<\/strong> relations\u2014whether marital, familial, or international\u2014have seemingly never been so strained. The rhetoric, anger, and division are moving communities and nations ever closer to violence. Why? One reason, for certain, is the power that lies in\u00a0judgments.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

It is one of the most blunt and direct commands of Jesus: “Stop judging”<\/em> (Matt 7:1). The reason is that judgments contain real power to defend or destroy, to build or tear down. In fact, the relative peace and harmony of every human relationship depends and rests upon the foundation of justice. As soon as we sense that another is treating us unfairly, taking advantage, or assuming something false, there is immediate tension and mistrust that can easily lead to bickering and eventually all out war. There is nothing as painful as injustice.<\/em> Even the knowledge that someone\u00a0thinks\u00a0<\/em>something false of us is enough to pierce the heart and perplex the mind. Hence, many a saint’s path to holiness was paved with the stones of injustice as they learned to forgive, over and over again. Such was “the Way” of the Lord Himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A PERSONAL WARNING<\/p>\n

I have wanted to write about this for several months now, because I see how judgments are destroying lives all over the place. By God’s grace, the Lord helped me to see how judgments had seeped into my own personal situations\u2014some new, and some old\u2014and how they were slowly eroding my relationships. It was by bringing these judgments into the light, identifying thought patterns, repenting of them, asking forgiveness where necessary, and then making concrete changes… that healing and restoration have come. And it will come for you too, even if your present divisions seem insurpassable.\u00a0For nothing is impossible for God.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"At the root of judgments is, really, a lack of mercy. Someone else is not like us or how we think they should be, and so, we judge. I remember a man sitting in the front row of one of my concerts. His face was grim throughout the entire evening. At one point I thought to myself, “What is his problem? What’s the chip on his shoulder?” After the concert, he was the only one to approach me. “Thank you so much,” he said, his face now beaming. “This evening really spoke to my heart.” Ah, I had to repent. I had judged the man.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment. (John 7:24)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

How do we judge with right judgment? It begins with loving the other, right now, as they are. Jesus never judged a single soul who approached Him, be they a Samaritan, Roman, Pharisee or sinner. He simply loved them right then and there because they existed<\/em>. It was love, then, that drew Him to\u00a0listen.\u00a0<\/em>And only then, when He truly listened to the other, did Jesus make a “right judgment” regarding their motives, etc. Jesus can read hearts\u2014we can’t, and thus He says:\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. (Luke 6:37)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is more than a moral imperative, it is a formula for healing relationships. Stop judging another’s motives, and\u00a0listen<\/em> to their\u00a0“side of the story.” Stop condemning the other and remember that you, too, are a great sinner. Last, forgive the injuries they have caused, and ask forgiveness for yours. This formula has a name: “Mercy”.<\/p>\n

\n

Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:36)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And yet, this is impossible to do without\u00a0humility. <\/em>A proud person is an impossible person\u2014and how impossible we can all be from time to time! St. Paul gives the best description of “humility in action” when dealing with others:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n

…love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor… Bless those who persecute [you], bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not be wise in your own estimation. Do not repay anyone evil for evil; be concerned for what is noble in the sight of all. If possible, on your part, live at peace with all. Beloved, do not look for revenge but leave room for the wrath; for it is written, \u201cVengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.\u201d Rather, \u201cif your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.\u201d Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good. (Rom 12:9-21)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In order to overcome the present strain in your relationship with others, there has to be a certain amount of good will. And sometimes, all it takes is for\u00a0one of you\u00a0<\/em>to have that generosity that overlooks past faults, forgives, acknowledges when the other is right, admits one’s own faults, and makes proper concessions.\u00a0\"\"That is the love that can conquer even the hardest heart.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brothers and sisters, I know that so many of you are experiencing awful tribulation in your marriages and families. As I’ve written before, even my wife Lea and I faced a crisis this year where everything seemed irreconcilable. I say “seemed” because that is the deception\u2014that is the judgment. Once we believe the lie that our relationships are beyond redemption, then Satan has a foothold and the power to wreak havoc. That does not mean that it will not take time, hard work, and sacrifice to heal where we do not lose hope… but with God, nothing is impossible.<\/p>\n

With<\/em> God.\u00a0<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A GENERAL WARNING<\/p>\n

We have turned a corner in the Global Revolution<\/a> underway. We are seeing the power of judgments beginning to turn into real, tangible, and cruel persecution. This Revolution, as well as the strain you are experiencing in your own families, share a common root: they are a diabolical attack on humanity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Just over four years ago, I shared a “word” that came to me in prayer:\u00a0“Hell has been unleashed,” <\/a><\/em>or\u00a0rather, man has unleashed Hell himself.[1]<\/sup><\/a>cf.\u00a0Hell Unleashed<\/em><\/span><\/span>