Needed: An Early Intervention

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Intervention.  I don’t know exactly how old the word is or how it was used in the past.  But today the word is used in connection of relationships.  It is used when friends and family members confront a person.  This person is usually in the throes of a drug or alcohol addiction.  And, I might add, in denial about it.  The way this person is behaving, they are going to seriously harm themselves (and maybe someone else).  So an ‘intervention’ is planned.  Friends and family members of the person gather together and confront them about their behavior. 

The idea behind an intervention, as I see it, is 2-fold.  First, the fact that there are multiple people involved is sort of like relational shock treatment.  The sheer number of people is designed to shock the person out of their denial.  And into reality.  It’s like, ‘OK, 1 person might be wrong about me but 6, 8, 10?  Not very likely.”  Secondly, there is the fact that the people involved in the intervention care about the person.  They consist of family members and friends.  This carries some weight as well.  The goal is to get the person to see their behavior for what it is, destructive.  And to make a decision to change it.  Something the people who are involved in the intervention are only too happy to help with.

Unfortunately, most of the time an intervention is seen as a tool of last resort.  And so by the time an intervention actually happens, it may be too late.  The person being ‘intervened’ is unfazed by it.  So, as a general rule of thumb, an early intervention is better than a late one.  This has other applications as well.

I find that when I sin that Satan is very good at laying the guilt on me.  Fast and heavy.  I begin to beat myself up.  ‘How could I do such a thing?  Why did I say that?  What was I thinking?  Obviously I’m not a very good Christian.  God is probably really disappointed in me.”  You know the routine.  You’ve probably been down this same road multiple times yourself.  The fact is that once Satan gets us to sin he wants us to wallow in our guilt for as long as possible.  In order to get maximum effectiveness from it.  The sad thing is that I oblige.  I spend hours, or most of a day, or sometimes entire days, being discouraged.  Defeated.  Disgusted with myself. 

Now I think we would all agree that experiencing guilt when we sin is only appropriate.  It is God’s way of helping us to see the gravity of what we’ve done.  As David said, we have sinned against Him.  That’s very serious stuff.  So we need to repent.  So that we don’t keep sinning over and over and over.  The problem is not so much in feeling guilt, however, as it is in the length of time that we wallow in it.  Who’s to say that after we sin that we have to spend hours or days feeling guilty?  Beating ourselves up over it?  Is there some sort of rule somewhere that says it has to be long and drawn out?  The fact is that the longer we stay in this condition the more we suffer spiritually.  We quit praying.  We quit reading our Bible.  We may even quit attending church.  Or being involved with Christian friends.  Because we don’t feel good about ourselves.  We punish ourselves.  For far too long.

Now I don’t think that we want to get to the point where we sin and then quickly and carelessly confess it.  If we do, we probably aren’t truly sorry.  And if we aren’t truly sorry than we won’t change our behavior in the future.  On the other hand, spending an excessive amount of time feeling guilty isn’t helping anything.  What we need then, is an early intervention.

An early intervention means that we stop the guilt feelings as soon as they start.  We recognize that we have sinned.  We immediately repent of it.  And confess it to God.  We ask for forgiveness.  And we accept it.  Bamm, end of guilt!  We go on our merry way once again enjoying full and unhindered fellowship with God.

So the next time that you stumble, don’t stay on the ground.  Don’t let Satan rob you of hours, days or weeks of your fellowship with God.  Get right back up.  Confess your sin.  Receive forgiveness.  And then enjoy the rest of your day.  As you walk in communion with God.

Lord, it is with sadness that I realize how much time I have wasted over the years.  Feeling guilty.  Beating myself up.  Letting Satan run my emotions.  From now on when I sin help me to immediately come to You.  In repentance.  Asking Your forgiveness.  As I receive it, help me to experience the joy of my salvation.  And of walking in fellowship with You.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.