Operation Condemnation

Captain Deceit, I’m reporting for duty
Do come in lieutenant, I have your next assignment

Your next target is a woman
She is a believer in our Enemy

Years ago she recognized her sin and repented
Then the Adversary snatched her from Satan’s clutches

The so called Holy One forgave all her sins
He even credited Christ’s righteousness to her account

While we are powerless to change her eternal destiny
We can assault her here on earth

I want you to rack her with guilt and condemnation
Daily, focus her mind on her many sins, past and present

Help her to see her willful sin
And the utter depravity of her heart

The pièce de résistance
Will be sins committed after she came to Christ

May she focus on her own wretchedness and unworthiness
Even question if she is really saved

Instead of being filled with joy and peace
Because Christ paid her sin debt

She will be burdened with guilt and brought low
And never desire to share the Gospel

May she be bound with chains
Link after link, memories of her sin

Distract her
So she can’t focus her mind

Do not let her open God’s perfect and inerrant Word
Or let her hide the Enemy’s truth and promises in her heart

Do not let her read or remember
There is no condemnation to those in Christ

Nor walk in freedom
For whom the Son sets free is free indeed

May those hell-bound unbelievers around her
See a fool burdened under the weight of her sin

May she not harken the door of a church
Where the Word of God is taught without compromise

Instead direct her to man’s wisdom
A life of self-effort and temporary rewards

May she not be encouraged and strengthen
By the body of Christ

Whatever you do, don’t let her pray
For her God will hear her prayers and answer

Like the vulnerable lamb who wanders from the flock
Attack and devour when she is alone

Do not let her put her hope in God
Instead cloud her mind with condemnation and defeat

Whatever you do, do not let her be filled with joy and peace
Or give praise, honor and glory to God

Remember, He is our ultimate Enemy
Who desires to save all those who are perishing

Good luck on your assignment lieutenant
Once you succeed, there are many more we need to defeat

by Susan Wachtel
May 14, 2015

The Morning Report

Condemnation reporting for duty
Master, how grand
We’ve been given another day
To try and thwart God’s revealed plan

To try to keep one more human soul
From receiving salvation through Jesus Christ
To beat down and render His believers ineffective
With the baggage of their own sin

Let me tell you about yesterday’s successes
We have those mired in the muck of their own sin
Blinded to the fact that there is no one righteous
Not understanding that Christ died for them anyway

We have one who calls himself Christian
But temptation achieved great success
Causing him to turn away and fall into sin
Because he failed to take every thought captive

Now instead of sharing the Gospel message
He’s preoccupied with covering his own sin
Lest he be called a hypocrite
Justifying why he chose to do that which God declared sinful

With the holidays upon us
Opportunities abound
Christian thinks she will share the Gospel message
With family and friends yet unsaved

But we reminded her that they are unworthy sinners
Undeserving to receive forgiveness and salvation
Through the sacrificial atoning death
Of that Babe born in Bethlehem, lo so many years ago

We will provoke irritation and disgust
In self-righteousness she won’t want to have anything to do with them
Much less walk in love and be quick to forgive
She’ll abandon her plan to share the Gospel with the ones bound for hell

Instead she’ll be quick to condemn and slow to pray
Focused on the sinner and their sin
Oblivious to the real enemy
The hater of every human soul


By Susan Bunts Wachtel
January 1, 2009

May we be mindful that there is only one true enemy. He desires that we be focused on the sin not the sinner, so disgusted and put off that we won’t think them worthy of sharing the Gospel. In doing so we walk in the sin of pride and self righteousness.

Condemning Power

When I start condemning and stop praying
That’s when I stop believing in a personal God
Who is able to save completely and transform lives

When does criticism become sin
When I’d prefer to stand in judgment
Rather than stand in love and pray

When I’d rather shake my finger and say shame on you
Than to look in the mirror and examine myself
See if I had contributed to the fall of another


By Susan Bunts Wachtel
December 29, 2008