Meme #3

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A clip from the Thoroughly Equipped podcast episode 26 titled "Critiquing that Encouraging "Christian" Meme". To listen to the full episode go to https://podcasts.strivingforeternity.org/show/thoroughly-equipped/ Thoroughly Equipped is part of Striving for Eternity's Christian Podcast Community. There you can find other podcasts, covering all sorts of topics with a biblical perspective. May this episode bless you and glorify God!

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Dear God, please untie the knots, all of the can -nots, should -nots, may -nots, and have -nots.
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Please erase from my mind the thoughts that I am not good enough. The play on words here is probably what attracts and makes this meme so interesting.
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Put forward as a short prayer, Yolana Vancent, the creator of this meme, through simplereminders .com
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has, in a very imaginative way, compared the law to something we would call upon God to untie.
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Then she, again by a very short prayer, equates untying these knots to essentially believing that we are not good enough.
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And by this, it implies that to think or know that we are not good enough is a bad thing.
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So there are two points that need to be examined here. One, that can -nots, should -nots, may -nots, and have -nots should be quote -unquote untied.
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And two, that any thoughts of not being good enough should be erased from our minds.
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So let's address these. Number one, can -nots, should -nots, and may -nots are laws.
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And while this meme is in the context of our mind and thoughts, we can rightly determine that the can -not, should -not, and may -nots can and may be in regards to certain moral laws.
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Scripture tells us that all humanity suppress the truth and unrighteousness, that they know there is a
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God, and in knowing God there is a knowledge of his wrath against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.
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For a man to know that God exists and that he will punish all who are ungodly and unrighteous means that man knows that there are things he can and cannot do.
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These can -nots, should -nots, may -nots are revealed to us through guilt.
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The feeling of guilt is a result of transgressing that moral standard that is absolute and universal for all humans.
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To pray and ask that God quote -unquote untie this moral standard, the can -nots, should -nots, may -nots, seems to be not to be a good thing, as if it is releasing us from some burden or setting us free in some way, but seems to be what the
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Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul describes as suppressing the truth and not honoring
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God. God's word is truth, John 17, 17, and in it we not only find law, these can -nots, should -nots, and may -nots.
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And so therefore this brings to our issue and point number two, the reason for the giving of these laws.
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These are given to us to reveal to us our sinful nature and how then God's wrath is against us, that there is no way of saving ourselves because it is our very nature that must be saved, that we must be saved from.
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We are not enough and therefore we need a savior to save us from the wrath of God. And so God's word in his grace and loving kindness records for us
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God's saving plan throughout history to bring to us through the nation of Israel his son
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Jesus Christ, the God -man who would be the spotless lamb and perfect sacrifice for our sins.
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These can -nots, may -nots, should -nots, etc. reveal our sinful nature that there is a wrath against us and shows us how we are not enough.
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To pray that these be untied and that we quote -unquote erase from our minds the fact that we are not enough is exactly playing into Satan and the world's lies.
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The self -reliance, pride, and self -worship that is so prevalent in our world is the spirit of the age.
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This philosophy spurns one on to rely on ourselves instead of what scripture teaches that we are to rely on God for all things.
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It glorifies creation instead of the creator, Romans 1 22 to 23.