Day 7
Decisions That Bind Us
Inner Vows
We now know that judging is the first and primary sin that causes bad fruit in our lives.
There is a second related sin which holds us in bondage, which we call an Inner Vow.
It is a close cousin to judging, although it has its own features. An Inner Vow is often
present whenever there is a Bitter Root Judgment.
George, a ten-year-old boy, has a father who is a very angry man. His father's inner
anger is taken out on George, his mother, and his siblings. George comes to hate his
father, and he judges him. But at some point George also says to himself, “I am never
going to be like my father.” George has just made an Inner Vow.
The judgment against his father is sin, and it plants a bitter root that will grow inside him
and produce bad fruit in his life as a result of the operation of God’s law. It is simply
the way the spiritual universe works.
But now he has added to his problem by taking his life into his own hands. George
decides that he will never be like his father, whom he despises. He has just entered into
bondage. The Inner Vow will operate subconsciously and automatically to “stuff” in his
anger - until he can’t hold it in any longer; and then he will explode in a fit of rage, and
those around him will be wounded. Afterwards he will be angry with himself because
he has just acted exactly the way his father did!
During those times when he is successfully holding in his anger, other people may sense
the anger seething below the surface, but George will be unaware of it. After all, he has
decided that being angry is bad, and he doesn’t want to admit to himself that he has
anger inside.
The problem for George is that he is locked into this pattern of behavior. He hates it,
but he is powerless to change it through his own willpower.
The Nature Of An Inner Vow
An Inner vow and a New Year’s Resolution are similar in that they are both decisions
that we made. However, a New Year’s Resolution is made with our head (will power,
psychological realm) and our Inner Vow is made in our heart (spiritual realm). The
reason the Inner Vow is in the spiritual realm is that when we made the Inner Vow we
were judging, and it was the power of the sin of judging that gave the Inner Vow its
power. With an Inner Vow, we usually use words like “always” and “never”.
For instance, in the prior example, George will likely say to himself something like “I
will never be angry like my father.” It is important to note that many Inner Vows are
not consciously spoken or even consciously thought.
Remember that when we judge another person we are trying to take God’s role, because
we don’t trust Him to be the just judge. We do this because we don’t trust Him to take
care of us.
A decision in and of itself is not sin, because we have a right to make decisions. But at
the time that we make an Inner Vow, we have bitterness in our heart. In that moment
we don't trust God to be our protector, and we decide to take control. We decide to
take God's place and to be our own protector.
Features Of An Inner Vow
How To Stop The Operation Of An Inner Vow
The good news is that the power of an Inner Vow in our life can be broken. Since sin
is what gave it power, we first need to deal with the sin. But what sin? Remember that
when we made the Inner Vow we were in the process of judging. Then we committed
the second sin, of being our own God – "I will do it myself."
To break the power of the Inner Vow in his life, George needs to do the following:
How does he know that he has been successful? The sinful behavior will stop. George
will be able to be appropriately angry at the appropriate time, but the outbursts of rage
will stop.
Remember, this is not a formula. Our hearts just need to be open to the words the Lord
gives us to speak.
A Common Fear
Sometimes people are afraid to renounce their Inner Vows. Because George wants so
desperately to not be like his father, he may find it difficult to renounce his Inner Vow.
He may be afraid that if he does so, he will become like his father. But what actually
happens when he is set free of the bondage of the Inner Vow is that he is free to feel the
anger when it is present. After all, the anger was always there, but previously he wasn't
free to feel it. He needs to feel it so that he can recognize that he has judged the person
who currently transgressed him, and then he can process it by forgiving and being
forgiven.
What About “Good” Inner Vows?
When George said “I will never be like my father,” he might also have said “I will
always be nice.” What is wrong with this vow? Isn’t it a good thing to always be
nice? Sometimes it’s hard to see that a “good” Inner Vow is a problem, but all Inner
vows create difficulties for us. If George has made a vow to “always” be nice, then
when faced with challenging situations, he will be locked into his nice-guy behavior.
For example, George may rationalize that it is good to be “nice,” and so a “good” Inner
Vow is okay. However, Jesus never told us to be “nice.” Was He “nice” when he
called the scribes and Pharisees “a brood of vipers” (Matthew 3:7), or called them
“whitewashed sepulchres” (Matthew 23:27)? Was He “nice” to the moneychangers
when He overturned their tables in the temple? He didn’t tell us to be “nice,” but to be
“loving,” and there is a very big difference between the two. It was because of Jesus’
love for His Father that He cleansed the temple.
This “good” Inner Vow that George made was based upon sin, and therefore it is not
“good.” We need to be free of anything that is based upon sin and bondage. Therefore
we need to be free of all Inner Vows, including "good" ones.
“Good” inner vows compel us to establish our own righteousness, whereas Jesus came
to express His righteousness through us. We need to be free to let Him do this, rather
than to be locked into our own decision which may be different than what the Lord
wants.
Identifying An Inner Vow Directly
Any time we find ourselves doing things we don’t want to do and we find ourselves
unable to stop the behavior, an Inner Vow is probably present. Any time there is an
Inner Vow, it is linked to a Bitter Root Judgment. They work together to produce the
stubborn, sinful behavior. Therefore, any time we identify an Inner Vow, we need to
look for the Judgment that gave rise to the Inner Vow.
Once we can identify the Judgment we can remember the event where we were
wounded and we judged. Then we can likely remember the words that we uttered
when we made the Inner Vow. It is also possible that we cannot consciously remember
making an Inner Vow, or exactly what we said. But the stubborn pattern in our life will
give us a clue to what we said.
Identifying An Inner Vow Indirectly
Another way to identify the presence of an Inner Vow is to start with the judgment and
track back to any Inner Vows. When we realize that we have judged another person,
then look for any Inner Vows that are connected to it. At the moment that we judge,
we may also make an Inner Vow, or several Inner Vows.
George may have made three (or more) Inner Vows at that moment of bitterness, such
as, “I will never be like my father," "I will never get angry," and "I will always be nice."
Therefore, be sure to keep in mind that whenever we identify an Inner Vow, there is
always a Judgment that preceded it. This is always true, because it is the Judgment that
gave the vow the power to be written in our heart and to thus become an Inner Vow.
Consequently, to erase an Inner Vow we must first take away the power that wrote it
on our heart - the Judgment. We do this by forgiving and being forgiven by Jesus.
Summary
An Inner Vow is always linked to a Bitter Root Judgment. Working together they cause
us to do the things we don’t want to do. When an Inner Vow is operating, it produces
rigid and inflexible behavior, and our willpower is unable to overcome it. All Inner
Vows, even “good” ones, need to be removed. Otherwise they will hold us in bondage,
and they will obstruct our ability to obey Jesus.
Reflection:
What is an Inner Vow?
Do you ever find yourself unable to stop a particular behavior?
Bitter Root Judgments and Inner Vows work together. Can you identify a time
when you were hurt and judged another person? What did you say to yourself at
that time? (for example: “I will never…” or “I will always…”)
Decisions That Bind Us
Inner Vows
We now know that judging is the first and primary sin that causes bad fruit in our lives.
There is a second related sin which holds us in bondage, which we call an Inner Vow.
It is a close cousin to judging, although it has its own features. An Inner Vow is often
present whenever there is a Bitter Root Judgment.
George, a ten-year-old boy, has a father who is a very angry man. His father's inner
anger is taken out on George, his mother, and his siblings. George comes to hate his
father, and he judges him. But at some point George also says to himself, “I am never
going to be like my father.” George has just made an Inner Vow.
The judgment against his father is sin, and it plants a bitter root that will grow inside him
and produce bad fruit in his life as a result of the operation of God’s law. It is simply
the way the spiritual universe works.
But now he has added to his problem by taking his life into his own hands. George
decides that he will never be like his father, whom he despises. He has just entered into
bondage. The Inner Vow will operate subconsciously and automatically to “stuff” in his
anger - until he can’t hold it in any longer; and then he will explode in a fit of rage, and
those around him will be wounded. Afterwards he will be angry with himself because
he has just acted exactly the way his father did!
During those times when he is successfully holding in his anger, other people may sense
the anger seething below the surface, but George will be unaware of it. After all, he has
decided that being angry is bad, and he doesn’t want to admit to himself that he has
anger inside.
The problem for George is that he is locked into this pattern of behavior. He hates it,
but he is powerless to change it through his own willpower.
The Nature Of An Inner Vow
An Inner vow and a New Year’s Resolution are similar in that they are both decisions
that we made. However, a New Year’s Resolution is made with our head (will power,
psychological realm) and our Inner Vow is made in our heart (spiritual realm). The
reason the Inner Vow is in the spiritual realm is that when we made the Inner Vow we
were judging, and it was the power of the sin of judging that gave the Inner Vow its
power. With an Inner Vow, we usually use words like “always” and “never”.
For instance, in the prior example, George will likely say to himself something like “I
will never be angry like my father.” It is important to note that many Inner Vows are
not consciously spoken or even consciously thought.
Remember that when we judge another person we are trying to take God’s role, because
we don’t trust Him to be the just judge. We do this because we don’t trust Him to take
care of us.
A decision in and of itself is not sin, because we have a right to make decisions. But at
the time that we make an Inner Vow, we have bitterness in our heart. In that moment
we don't trust God to be our protector, and we decide to take control. We decide to
take God's place and to be our own protector.
Features Of An Inner Vow
- 1. An Inner Vow is a decision we make that contains the words "always" or
"never.”
2. Therefore, an Inner Vow is rigid and locks us into specific behaviors.
3. The most powerful Inner Vows were made when we were very small.
4. They are often forgotten by our conscious mind.
5. Often we only know that an Inner Vow is present because of the bondage
in our life.
6. An Inner Vow is always connected to a Judgment (anger, bitterness,
blame).
How To Stop The Operation Of An Inner Vow
The good news is that the power of an Inner Vow in our life can be broken. Since sin
is what gave it power, we first need to deal with the sin. But what sin? Remember that
when we made the Inner Vow we were in the process of judging. Then we committed
the second sin, of being our own God – "I will do it myself."
To break the power of the Inner Vow in his life, George needs to do the following:
- 1. First, George needs to recognize that he judged his father, forgive him
from his heart, and receive forgiveness from God.
2. Then, he also needs to recognize how he judged God. George thought
God wasn't protecting him. So, he decided to take his life into his own hands.
He then needs to forgive God from his heart and receive forgiveness from God.
3. Next, George can successfully break the Inner Vow. He would say
something like, "In the Name of Jesus, I break the decision that I made to never
be like my father. It has been written in my heart, and Jesus, I ask You to erase
it and to set me free, so that I can be free to obey You."
How does he know that he has been successful? The sinful behavior will stop. George
will be able to be appropriately angry at the appropriate time, but the outbursts of rage
will stop.
Remember, this is not a formula. Our hearts just need to be open to the words the Lord
gives us to speak.
A Common Fear
Sometimes people are afraid to renounce their Inner Vows. Because George wants so
desperately to not be like his father, he may find it difficult to renounce his Inner Vow.
He may be afraid that if he does so, he will become like his father. But what actually
happens when he is set free of the bondage of the Inner Vow is that he is free to feel the
anger when it is present. After all, the anger was always there, but previously he wasn't
free to feel it. He needs to feel it so that he can recognize that he has judged the person
who currently transgressed him, and then he can process it by forgiving and being
forgiven.
What About “Good” Inner Vows?
When George said “I will never be like my father,” he might also have said “I will
always be nice.” What is wrong with this vow? Isn’t it a good thing to always be
nice? Sometimes it’s hard to see that a “good” Inner Vow is a problem, but all Inner
vows create difficulties for us. If George has made a vow to “always” be nice, then
when faced with challenging situations, he will be locked into his nice-guy behavior.
For example, George may rationalize that it is good to be “nice,” and so a “good” Inner
Vow is okay. However, Jesus never told us to be “nice.” Was He “nice” when he
called the scribes and Pharisees “a brood of vipers” (Matthew 3:7), or called them
“whitewashed sepulchres” (Matthew 23:27)? Was He “nice” to the moneychangers
when He overturned their tables in the temple? He didn’t tell us to be “nice,” but to be
“loving,” and there is a very big difference between the two. It was because of Jesus’
love for His Father that He cleansed the temple.
This “good” Inner Vow that George made was based upon sin, and therefore it is not
“good.” We need to be free of anything that is based upon sin and bondage. Therefore
we need to be free of all Inner Vows, including "good" ones.
“Good” inner vows compel us to establish our own righteousness, whereas Jesus came
to express His righteousness through us. We need to be free to let Him do this, rather
than to be locked into our own decision which may be different than what the Lord
wants.
Identifying An Inner Vow Directly
Any time we find ourselves doing things we don’t want to do and we find ourselves
unable to stop the behavior, an Inner Vow is probably present. Any time there is an
Inner Vow, it is linked to a Bitter Root Judgment. They work together to produce the
stubborn, sinful behavior. Therefore, any time we identify an Inner Vow, we need to
look for the Judgment that gave rise to the Inner Vow.
Once we can identify the Judgment we can remember the event where we were
wounded and we judged. Then we can likely remember the words that we uttered
when we made the Inner Vow. It is also possible that we cannot consciously remember
making an Inner Vow, or exactly what we said. But the stubborn pattern in our life will
give us a clue to what we said.
Identifying An Inner Vow Indirectly
Another way to identify the presence of an Inner Vow is to start with the judgment and
track back to any Inner Vows. When we realize that we have judged another person,
then look for any Inner Vows that are connected to it. At the moment that we judge,
we may also make an Inner Vow, or several Inner Vows.
George may have made three (or more) Inner Vows at that moment of bitterness, such
as, “I will never be like my father," "I will never get angry," and "I will always be nice."
Therefore, be sure to keep in mind that whenever we identify an Inner Vow, there is
always a Judgment that preceded it. This is always true, because it is the Judgment that
gave the vow the power to be written in our heart and to thus become an Inner Vow.
Consequently, to erase an Inner Vow we must first take away the power that wrote it
on our heart - the Judgment. We do this by forgiving and being forgiven by Jesus.
Summary
An Inner Vow is always linked to a Bitter Root Judgment. Working together they cause
us to do the things we don’t want to do. When an Inner Vow is operating, it produces
rigid and inflexible behavior, and our willpower is unable to overcome it. All Inner
Vows, even “good” ones, need to be removed. Otherwise they will hold us in bondage,
and they will obstruct our ability to obey Jesus.
Reflection:
What is an Inner Vow?
Do you ever find yourself unable to stop a particular behavior?
Bitter Root Judgments and Inner Vows work together. Can you identify a time
when you were hurt and judged another person? What did you say to yourself at
that time? (for example: “I will never…” or “I will always…”)
Divinely Designed
Being changed into the image of Jesus
A miracle can happen to you, like the transformation that
happens when a worm is transformed into a butterfly
(2 Corinthians 3:18).
Being changed into the image of Jesus
A miracle can happen to you, like the transformation that
happens when a worm is transformed into a butterfly
(2 Corinthians 3:18).
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