There are some misinterpretations of Christian ideologies which paves way for disbelief and even many followers of Christ have become victim to these misinterpretations and fail to claim the promises of God. These misinterpretations are inherited from our forefathers and have formed in us as one of the basic principle of Christian faith. But in fact, this has ruined the tenet of Christian faith and has kept many Christians under bondage. In the succeeding paragraphs, we may realise that unknowingly we have been stuck with such wrong notions.

“This is a burden that God gave me”

By ignoring God’s promises, we are unable to come out of the situation and linger on in it for a long time. But we say that this is the burden that God gave me. God does not give us hard days. The reason for our hard days is that we succumbed to the temptations. Temptations are not from God but it is from the  devil.

“Let no one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. The desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” James 1:13-15.

In the Old Testament, too, God has strictly warned his people.

“But if you say the burden of the Lord, thus says the Lord, When I sent to you, saying you shall not say the burden of the Lord, therefore, behold I will surely lift you up and cast you away from my presence.(Jeremiah 23: 38&39a)

We have to understand God and His love and only then we can overcome these kinds of misconceptions. Jesus says, “My yoke will be soft” (Matthew 11:30).

“His time hasn’t come”

When we do not get immediate solution for the problems we face in our day to day life, the only excuse that we can find is that `His time has not yet come’. Surprisingly, the solution for our problem is hidden in the answer to a question, “Why His time hasn’t come?”

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time; casting all your anxiety upon him, because he careth for you.  1 Peter 5:6&7

Peter is mentioning about ‘due time’. King Solomon In his book Ecclesiastes, enumerated different seasons for different works. But Jesus who is the Lord for all seasons expected fruit from a fig tree during non-season. This denotes that whether the time is conducive or not, Jesus expects us to bear fruit. Solomon further said that “God has made everything beautiful in its time” Ecc 3: 11a. This statement is very clear that God has not made everything beautiful in His time, but He has made everything beautiful in each of its time. Peter has emphasised the same thought along with two instruction. The first one is humbling ourselves and the second is to be under the mighty hand of God. When we do these things, the time will come and God will exalt us.
Humble nature adheres instructions. We can see so many incidents from Bible, where people humbled themselves and had reached the time frame to reap the harvest. The faith of a Canaanite woman, who pleaded for the healing of her demon possessed daughter, was accomplished when she humbled herself saying “Yes Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters table” Matthew 15:27. Here, Lord God had clearly told her that the allotted time was for the house of Israel and not for the Gentiles. May be, our Lord would have expected this humbleness among the house of Israel. But a Gentile woman had outwitted the house of Israel through her humble heart.
In John Chapter 2, Jesus answered her mother “woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come” John 2:4. Mary, the mother of Jesus, who conceived Him by the power of the Holy Spirit understood the mind of Jesus. Many a time we miss our fortune because we do not understand the mind of Jesus. Here, the answer is too harsh for a mother. But the real indication is that when people see Jesus as son of a carpenter and not as son of God, what does their petitions have to do with him? In that marriage party, the only person to know Jesus, as the Son of God, is Mary. For others Jesus is an ordinary man – a carpenter’s son. Mary humbled her heart and gave instructions to the servants to hear Him and to obey Him. The whole scenario is changed. When we humble ourselves not only we, but many who do not understand Jesus will also reap the blessing. Because our humbleness brings reverence to our master.

“I am a condemned sinner”

When people who are tossed by repeated troubles and sicknesses, stop sharing their pain with others, they condemn themselves as sinners. This is the worst kind of ignorance. They will be conscious of others view on their plight and seclude themselves to a solitary state. Bible very clearly tells us that God loves us and He is not going to condemn us.

“For God so love the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be save through him.” John 3:16&17.

Beware of people who condemn you directly or indirectly, judging you as a sinner, owing to your situation. Beware of your conscience too. If this is the case God would not have sent His Son to this world to save us.  Get rid of all unwanted thoughts and admire His creations as the David did in most of his Psalms. Then you will understand that how big is our God. This will create an atmosphere for healing and deliverance.
As we have pondered upon some of our wrong notions, may God help us to understand the truth in the right perspective in order to live a victorious life.