Sister, are you a liar? I am guessing you are! I know I am.
Whether it be intentional or unintentional, quite often many of us have a tendancy to lie. Wait! We know scripture says that is a sin. However, we still do it. Let us be truly REAL, most especially with ourselves.
If you said you didn't lie, I might not say it outloud....but I would be thinking it....yeppp, still lying.
You may think I am being comical. In a way I am. However, I am also deadly serious. This IS a SERIOUS ISSUE. Sometimes we lie to other folks, but probably more often that naught, we lie to ourselves. Hear me clearly on this!!! You will not overcome sin in your life on any level, unless you are truthful with at LEAST yourself! To expect otherwise is ridiclous. You can NOT repent of, what you refuse to acknowledge.
Still don't believe me? Let's examine some things.
If you are a stay at home wife/Mama...How do you act when your husband comes home from working? Do you act tired from a hard day's work, when in reality you probably spent 1-2 hours at most working and the rest sitting in front of the computer. (or in front of the tv, or with your nose in a book)
Did you really work as hard as you pretend? Do you even go as far as to blame the children and say they were a handful and you couldn't get much done?
Maybe if you are in a position of working outside the home, you do the same with your boss. Do you pretend you worked a hard day's work, when you spent a lot of time surfing the net?
Do you put on appearances? For example, do you pretend to be a wonderful Mother who always drops everything to put your children first? (when your child begs for a little attention you say not now. This repeats dozens of times in the day until you find at the end of the day, you never did make time for the child)
Do you pretend you are always fixing delicious homemade meals from scratch? (when half or more are fast food or from a box)
Do you pretend you keep a wonderful clean home all the time? (when reality is the only time it is presentable is when you know you have company coming)
When guests arrive, do you apologize for the mess, trying to imply that this is the worst your home may appear? (when in reality you just spent 5 hours cleaning like your life depended on it)
Do you pretend you never lie or manipulate your husband? (when you do daily, if not hourly? even in subtle unmeaniful way just to exert your control and skill)
Do you say you respect your husband? (when in reality you wouldn't speak to a dog as mean as you speak to him on occasion)
Do you lie to even yourself saying you never manipulate him? (but if you seriously and truthfully examine your heart, you know you do regularly)
Do you act like one person in church? (but you act entirely differently at home)
Do you act like a martyr wife/mom? Always pretending to be this wonderful wife and/or mother, who is so self sacrificing? (when in reality, you know you could do a billion times better and in fact are you not only not self sacrificing, you are outright lazy)
Do you claim to be a lovely, modest Christian lady? (when in reality you are showing off just as much of your body as a woman who does not know God)
Do you claim to support and uphold Christian standards? (but in reality, you see your friends falling off of the narrow path and you not only don't help them back on, you encourage them in it and openly attack anyone who tries to be truthful)
Do you claim you are teaching your child wonderful Biblical values? (but in reality, your child just played all day, watched cartoons, etc)
Do you claim you don't have a problem with gluttony? (when in reality you can make an idol of food and you spend huge amount of your thoughts dedicated to what will you eat next)
Do you claim you don't drink? or just drink socially? (when you aren't far from needing to go to AA)
Do you admonish a man for looking a pornography? (when in reality, many of the books/magazines you read are every bit as bad as what you would condemn him for)
Do you pretend to have it all together? (when in reality, you frequently feel like you are falling apart)
These are just some of MANY MANY possibilities. As I admitted at the start of this, I DO NOT claim perfection. I am not saying a woman has to be all of the things claimed above.
I am simply trying to get us to really think and realize we often have these images of ourselves and how we are, who we are, and what we do.....we should not think more highly of ourselves than what we are. That is called PRIDE. Remember pride is not a sin to be taken lightly. It can and will keep us from real and true repentance.
We have to admit, what and where we are with each of these things(and others) to be able to utterly repent where repenting is due. Until we repent, we won't move on and make the necessary corrections.
The scriptures are where we must seek for how we should live. My standards, or your neighbors standards are irrelevant. God's standards are what matter. How do we measure up to them? Well we can not begin to compare, until we REALLY OPEN OUR EYES to who we REALLY are. I pray we all may keep clear vision on God's truth, so we may become more like Him.
So remember....be REAL!
Whether it be intentional or unintentional, quite often many of us have a tendancy to lie. Wait! We know scripture says that is a sin. However, we still do it. Let us be truly REAL, most especially with ourselves.
If you said you didn't lie, I might not say it outloud....but I would be thinking it....yeppp, still lying.
You may think I am being comical. In a way I am. However, I am also deadly serious. This IS a SERIOUS ISSUE. Sometimes we lie to other folks, but probably more often that naught, we lie to ourselves. Hear me clearly on this!!! You will not overcome sin in your life on any level, unless you are truthful with at LEAST yourself! To expect otherwise is ridiclous. You can NOT repent of, what you refuse to acknowledge.
Still don't believe me? Let's examine some things.
If you are a stay at home wife/Mama...How do you act when your husband comes home from working? Do you act tired from a hard day's work, when in reality you probably spent 1-2 hours at most working and the rest sitting in front of the computer. (or in front of the tv, or with your nose in a book)
Did you really work as hard as you pretend? Do you even go as far as to blame the children and say they were a handful and you couldn't get much done?
Maybe if you are in a position of working outside the home, you do the same with your boss. Do you pretend you worked a hard day's work, when you spent a lot of time surfing the net?
Do you put on appearances? For example, do you pretend to be a wonderful Mother who always drops everything to put your children first? (when your child begs for a little attention you say not now. This repeats dozens of times in the day until you find at the end of the day, you never did make time for the child)
Do you pretend you are always fixing delicious homemade meals from scratch? (when half or more are fast food or from a box)
Do you pretend you keep a wonderful clean home all the time? (when reality is the only time it is presentable is when you know you have company coming)
When guests arrive, do you apologize for the mess, trying to imply that this is the worst your home may appear? (when in reality you just spent 5 hours cleaning like your life depended on it)
Do you pretend you never lie or manipulate your husband? (when you do daily, if not hourly? even in subtle unmeaniful way just to exert your control and skill)
Do you say you respect your husband? (when in reality you wouldn't speak to a dog as mean as you speak to him on occasion)
Do you lie to even yourself saying you never manipulate him? (but if you seriously and truthfully examine your heart, you know you do regularly)
Do you act like one person in church? (but you act entirely differently at home)
Do you act like a martyr wife/mom? Always pretending to be this wonderful wife and/or mother, who is so self sacrificing? (when in reality, you know you could do a billion times better and in fact are you not only not self sacrificing, you are outright lazy)
Do you claim to be a lovely, modest Christian lady? (when in reality you are showing off just as much of your body as a woman who does not know God)
Do you claim to support and uphold Christian standards? (but in reality, you see your friends falling off of the narrow path and you not only don't help them back on, you encourage them in it and openly attack anyone who tries to be truthful)
Do you claim you are teaching your child wonderful Biblical values? (but in reality, your child just played all day, watched cartoons, etc)
Do you claim you don't have a problem with gluttony? (when in reality you can make an idol of food and you spend huge amount of your thoughts dedicated to what will you eat next)
Do you claim you don't drink? or just drink socially? (when you aren't far from needing to go to AA)
Do you admonish a man for looking a pornography? (when in reality, many of the books/magazines you read are every bit as bad as what you would condemn him for)
Do you pretend to have it all together? (when in reality, you frequently feel like you are falling apart)
These are just some of MANY MANY possibilities. As I admitted at the start of this, I DO NOT claim perfection. I am not saying a woman has to be all of the things claimed above.
I am simply trying to get us to really think and realize we often have these images of ourselves and how we are, who we are, and what we do.....we should not think more highly of ourselves than what we are. That is called PRIDE. Remember pride is not a sin to be taken lightly. It can and will keep us from real and true repentance.
We have to admit, what and where we are with each of these things(and others) to be able to utterly repent where repenting is due. Until we repent, we won't move on and make the necessary corrections.
The scriptures are where we must seek for how we should live. My standards, or your neighbors standards are irrelevant. God's standards are what matter. How do we measure up to them? Well we can not begin to compare, until we REALLY OPEN OUR EYES to who we REALLY are. I pray we all may keep clear vision on God's truth, so we may become more like Him.
So remember....be REAL!
Thanks this was a real eye opener for me. Now I can repent of this.
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