Lies, lies and lies (III) Lies we tell ourselves

It was a huge eye-opener for me to discover how deeply I had allowed myself to be deceived. I had come through a broken marriage that could best be described as tying two tigers together by the tail, and throwing us into a cage. Being convinced that she was 100% at fault, I had murder in my heart. What is scary to me looking back, is that I am not at all sure that I would not have gone through with it, if I thought I could have gotten away with it. Then, as part of being convicted of sin and righteousness and judgement (John 16:8), the Lord showed me that I was very far from innocent, and I was devastated. When I then read in the Scriptures “The heart is deceitful above all and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9) I came to understand, not for the last time that the Bible knows me, it knows us!

Secular psychology knows this phenomenon of self-deception, and calls it rationalization and denial. The Bible got there first of course, thousands of years ago. And it works like this, we suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18). This was illustrated well for me years ago, by a young woman I was having coffee with. She told me “I don’t think adultery is wrong.” I think she was hitting on me! Her hand did not quite come up quickly enough to hide her “guilty as charged smile” when I looked her in the eye and told her gently “That’s because you want to do it.” I mean, if you want to commit adultery, and you don’t want to think of yourself as a rascal, then you need to suppress the truth that adultery is wrong.

I have gotten into trouble sharing with Christians, my insight into the above Jeremiah reference. This is the case even though when I do so, I am also admitting my guilt. What I am saying is that it is my observation that many, many Christians have no idea how easy it is for them to be deceived. Let me suggest you ask yourself two questions. The first is this “Do you believe like I do, that the Bible is the Word of God?” And if you do, then do you know deep down that your heart is deceitful above all and desperately wicked? Because if you don’t, and you know Jeremiah 17:9 to be true, then you are in fact greatly deceived!

Father, it seems to me that this diagnosis of the state of the unregenerate heart is part of the offence of the cross (Galatians 5:11). There is a secular recovery saying that if we are not in at least five different twelve-step programs, then we are in denial. While I believe this is quite an exaggeration, I have come to believe that we are likely all in denial at some level. And as I said last day, we will not likely be able to live in the reality of the darkness within, without knowing that we are loved and fully accepted by You. We also need to find places Lord where it safe to confess our faults one to another, and to pray for one another. It is only here that we find healing (James 5:16). So I ask You first and foremost this morning Lord, that You take us deeper into the experiential knowledge of Your love and acceptance. And then to help us both create and to find, safe places where we can put this Biblical principle and promise from James into practice, in Jesus Name Amen

You desire truth in the inward parts (Psalm 51:6)

There seem to be two traps that we can fall into, that are relevant to the this morning’s Scripture. The first is to be so discouraged with the wickedness of our hearts, that we despair. The second it is to be totally convinced that we are good, and do indeed have truth in our innermost beings. In the first case we are likely to beat ourselves up with destructive negative self talk. In the second we are likely to fail to see our desperate need to be rescued from the wrath that is to come (Matthew 3:7). Part of having truth in the inward parts, is holding in tension the truth on the one hand, that all my self righteousness is like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). And on the other, that I am loved by Almighty God, I am of infinite value to Him, and that when I fully surrender, He cloths me in His righteousness (Isaiah 61:10). Also He has fully provided all I need to please Him (2 Peter 1:3), and standing in His righteousness, I am able to feel good about myself!

It seems to me that David had gone from one extreme to the other. Being close to God and feeling that he could not fall, he did not take care lest he fall (1 Corinthians 10:12). Psalm 51 then, is David praying back to God what the Lord had told him concerning his guilt and shame. David declares “I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me” (verse 5). The sin of his adultery with Bathsheba and, trying to cover it up, the subsequent murder of her husband, was no momentary slip. It flowed out of his previously unacknowledged sin nature. It flowed out of what he had always been. Likewise, it is not sinful actions that makes us a sinner, rather it that our sinful actions flow out of an un-regenerate nature.

Until we know and acknowledge the darkness that resides in each and every one of us, we will not live in reality, we will not live in the truth. And until we know this truth we will likely look down on, and judge others, even judging them harshly. Please don’t do this, because when we do, we accumulate the same measure of judgement for ourselves (Matthew 7:2). But, and I speak for myself here, we will not likely be able to live in the reality of the darkness within, without a simultaneous experience both of the assurance of our acceptance by God, and of the beauty of His ongoing work in us. So David cries out for God to create a clean heart within him, he asks that he not be cast away from the experience of His presence, and he asks for the restoration of his joy (verses 10-12).

Father, to think in the natural for a minute, it is amazing to see that You speak of David is a man after your own heart (acts 13:22). It is also amazing to see that You really mean it when you say “I have cast your sins into the deepest see, and I will remember them no more (Micah 7:19; Isaiah 43:25). And I declare with Micah this morning who asks rhetorically “Who is a God like you pardoning our offences and delighting in mercy” (verse 18). Truly Lord, there is not like You, and I want to thank You this morning that You did not leave me in my sin, but pursued me with an everlasting love. Thank You Lord that You quiet me with that love, and that You rejoice over me with singing (Zephaniah 3:17). Thank You Lord, thank You Lord, thank You Lord in Jesus Name Amen

Lies, lies and lies (II) Lies we tell each other

Apart from type of scenario where we are redirecting Nazis away from the Jews we are hiding, we need to take not telling lies, very seriously. The Lord does, for “lying lips are an abomination to the Lord” (Proverbs 12:22). I suspect that 99.9% of all lies are based on self-interest, on making ourselves look better than we are, or trying to cheat somebody out of something. Telling lies is destructive of relationships, of trust. It separates us from each other, and it brings confusion. It is the very opposite of the openness, transparency and innocence that Adam and Eve experienced in the garden. It’s doing the Devils work, for he is the father of lies (John 8:44), and all lies ultimately have him as their source. It’s hypocritical to pray kingdom of God come, and then to tell lies. It is sin, and like all sin, it separates us not only from each other, it separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2).

There are many ways to distort the truth. There is a reason that in a court of law we swear to tell not only the truth, but the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The middle part it is necessary, because omitting part of the truth, can so distort the truth that it does not resemble the truth at all. If the police ask you if you were at the scene of an accident, and you tell them “I was in Florida that week,” but you were only in Florida for part of the week, and you were in fact at the scene of the accident, you have essentially told a lie. In fact by not speaking up and we need to, we can tell lies without even opening our mouths. We can also tell lies by preventing the truth coming out (hiding like Adam and Eve in the garden), and it’s all an abomination to the Lord!

I include myself when I say, that I believe that we have all practiced deception at some level, at some time or other. But the Lord requires that we practice truth even in the inward parts (Psalm 51:6). We will look at that in more detail tomorrow. In the meantime, Paul warning against the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming, admonishes us to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4: 14, 15). This is far easier said than done, and bringing the truth to light can be costly. We read that men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil (john 3:19). But if we are to walk in the light with each other, if we are to have fellowship with each other, then we need to walk in the light as He is in the light. And when we do this, the blood of Jesus Christ keeps on cleansing us from all sin (1 John 1:7).

Father, one of the pictures that I have of the kingdom of God coming on earth as it is in heaven, is of Adam and Eve in the garden before the fall. And there, there was not even a trace of deception. And if we are to cooperate with You in bringing the kingdom down-to-earth, it needs to be reflected in our walking in the truth. Thank You Lord that You have provided the way to make this possible. In fact, as we lose our lives in You, we truly find life, and health, and peace, and hope, and joy. In other words we find Your true life (Matthew 10:39). And I give You all the honour and glory and praise again this morning Lord, in Jesus Name Amen

Lies, lies and lies (I) Lies we have believed

The thief, the evil One, comes for no other reason than to kill, steal and destroy. He is the father of lies, often accomplishes these things through spawning his lies. In fact there is a trinity of lies, lies we have believed, the lies we tell each other, and the lies we tell ourselves. It’s relatively easy to see these things in others, not so easy to see them in ourselves. And though knowing the truth does not automatically set us free (see the conditions of the promise) we will not be set free without the truth (John 10:10a; 8:31,32, 44). This morning I want to look at the lies we have believed, and it seems to me that there’s a stronghold here! In particular there are lies that we believed about God, lies we believe about others and lies we believe about ourselves.

Perhaps the most pernicious and common lie is about God is about God the Father. I mean Jesus is okay, Holy Spirit is okay, but you have to watch out for God the Father because He’s out to get you. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you want to know what the Father is like, all you have to do is to look at Jesus. In terms of character, Jesus and the Father are indistinguishable (John 14:9). Lies we believe about the Father, and about ourselves are interrelated. For example if we believe the Father is out to get us, then we will not likely believe we have infinite value. The value something has, is what someone is willing to pay for it. And the Father was willing to send the son at incredible cost to Himself to pay for my redemption and yours (John 3:16).

These kind of lies also spill over into the lies we believe about others. If we believe that we are junk, then it will be hard not to believe others are also junk. And we will likely judge them, even judging them harshly. But it is what God thinks about you and me that is truly true. I am not a loser, I am not a mistake, and neither are you. Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). And God sees why we do the things that we do, He sees the hurt and the pain. He sees the little boy or the little girl within crying out for daddy, but looking for love and acceptance in all the wrong places. That is why we need to return to the shepherd of our souls (1 Peter 2:25), that is why we need to immerse ourselves, and to abide in, His word. Only then, will we be progressively coming to know the truth, and the truth will progressively set us free (John 8: 31, 32).

Father, I thank you for the many Christ based and Biblically based recovery programs, together with the insights a secular psychology. These things help accelerate the healing process and brings into truth, but none of them is perfect Lord, and we need Your discernment to know what is true. Most of all Lord, we need to know in a much deeper way the truth that we are loved by Almighty God, that we are valuable to You, that You can be trusted, that You have our best interest at heart, and that You truly are working all things together for the good of those who love You and are called according to Your purpose (Romans 8:28). Continue to draw us to Yourself Father, increase our faith, and give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You (Ephesians 1:17) and each other in Your precious Name Amen

Do you want to be made whole? (IV) Inner healing

Perhaps one of the most neglected areas of teaching in the church, has to do with what is available in the atonement in terms of mental, emotional and spiritual healing, in terms of healing of the soul. In an incredible Old Testament prophecy of what would be available (Isaiah 53), we read “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (verse 6). What I want to say first, is that since we reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7), then going our own way has consequences not only for ourselves, but also for those we love . In spite of the accusations that God does nothing, there is One in the world (Holy Spirit), who is actually, at some level, restraining evil. So if we see what we see with that restraint still in place, imagine what it will be like when He is taken out (2 Thessalonians 2:6-12).

In fact as predicted (2 Timothy 3:1-7), even with the Restrainer in place, society is getting sicker and sicker, and reaping what is being sown. That’s the bad news, the good news is that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil; He came to heal the brokenhearted; to set the captives free; to initiate the divine exchange taking our sin and giving us His righteousness; giving beauty for ashes; the oil of joy for mourning; a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Luke 4:18; Isaiah 61: 1-4; 1 John 3:8). And all this it is available in the atonement, since “the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” In other words in the cross Jesus not only made physical healing available, He made soulish healing available too.

There’s a reason that the market is flooded with self-help books, and that is that at least some part of society has come to the conclusion that we need to take responsibility for becoming whole. And a lot of it (though by no means all of it) is solid, and gives good advice. But as I said earlier, principles are not enough, and part of this is that many times we know what to do but don’t have the wherewithal to do it. The good news here, is that when we fully surrender to Him, He works in us both in our desires, and in the wherewithal to do what is good (Philippians 2:12, 13). His help however, is only available when we fully return to the Shepherd and guardian of our souls (Psalm 23:1; 1 Peter 2:25).

Father, it only struck me this morning, that the above quote from 1 Peter itself quotes the already quoted verse “All we like sheep have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6). And I want to thank You this morning Lord for all that You have made available in the work of our Lord Jesus on the cross. It is indeed available, but like physical healing it’s not automatic. Part of this, is that we are in a war to the death with the enemy of our souls. But as I meditate upon these things this morning Father, something rises up within me, a determination that with Your help, no matter what the cost, no matter what the difficulty, I will contend for and pursue, everything that was paid for at Calvary. In Jesus Name Amen

Do you want to be made whole? (III) Responding with faith

The writer to the Hebrews speaks of those who when they heard the word it did not profit them, because it was not mixed with faith (Hebrews 4:2). In fact I have seen many miraculous physical healings, I have even received some in my own body. Nevertheless each new situation seems to present a new challenge, and I’m not sure I will ever get to the place where I never need to respond with “I believe, help my unbelief” ( Mark 9:24). I have recently been diagnosed with the wet form of macular degeneration in my left eye. I have sought prayer for this several times, and there seems to be some improvement, but it’s very subjective. By "coincidence” we were independently discussing healing this week, and I was challenged by a sister in the Lord’s testimony, of the healing of her migraine headaches.

In fact she had received a revelation of her birthright concerning healing. Having read the Scripture “He sent forth His Word and healed them” (Psalm 107:20), she asked Him for a Word. He reminded her of a familiar one “By his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). The stripes of course referred to the welts left by scourging (Mark 15:15), and the the point is that provision is made for our healing in the atonement. It’s not automatic, Paul for example, did not receive healing from his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). But in my sister's case, the Lord had quickened His word, He had sent it forth, and she received it by faith. The Lord took the migraine from her, but she was tested. In fact, it came back, but she took authority over it and it diminished. It came back a third time and she took authority over it again. And after that it has not returned!

It is something of a mystery to know why not everybody gets healed. Notwithstanding the fact that our prayers need to be mixed with faith, it is outrageous to learn that some who have not been healed have been blamed for their lack of faith by the ones praying for them. I would rather blame the lack of faith on the one praying. Jesus never rebuked those seeking healing for their lack of faith, He did however rebuke the disciples when their prayers had not resulted in healing (Mark 9:19). We are told that Paul did not receive his healing “lest he should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations” (2 Corinthians 12:7). In the same passage however, the Lord promises that His grace is sufficient for us whether we are healed or not, and also that His strength is perfected in us, in and through our weaknesses (verse 9).

Father, if we never pray for anybody certainly nobody will get healed. But if we pray for many some at least will get healed. And Lord, as I seek to press into Your promises I pray once again “I believe help my unbelief.” Thank You Lord that Your grace is indeed sufficient, that You have promised to supply all of my needs according to Your riches in glory. I know by faith that You do all things well. Thank You for the measure of healing that You have given, and I praise and bless You again this morning, in Jesus Name Amen

Do you want to be made whole? (II) The need for tenacity

I am firmly convinced that 99.99% of us live at levels far, far below those at which we are intended to live, and at which we could live, if we were determined to answer “Yes” to the question at the head of this post. My heroes in this life tend to be those who, not so much in spite of the circumstances they found themselves in, but rather because of them, rose with His help above it all. I’m thinking of people like Joni Eareckson Tada, or Nick Vujicic. I’m thinking of Joseph in the Bible, betrayed by his brothers, thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, falsely accused of rape and thrown into prison etc, etc. But at each stage, he overcame, even finding favour in the sight of his keepers. I think I likely speak for them, when I say that they could do not to do this without Him, but with Him all things are possible.

Two friends of mine had strokes. One of them expected the doctors and the physiotherapists to do just about everything for him in his recovery. There was very little improvement! The other friend has tenacity (stick-to-itiveness), and she presses in with everything she has. She has surprised the doctors over and over in her slow, but steady recovery. At the point of writing, they are in the process of building up her legs muscles so she can stand. But it’s not just in physical ailments where we need to tenacity, it is in every area of difficulties of life. Jesus told us that He came that we might have life in all its fullness (John 10:10b). And I for one am determined not to settle for anything less than this. I am encouraged by the cloud of witnesses, I choose to lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, I choose to run with endurance the race that is set before me, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith (Hebrews 1, 2).

The weight and the sin, my sin, and other's sin. I have come to realize, that its not what happens, or what we have done, or what’s done to us that is important, it’s how we respond to these things. We can respond with faith, or not, but because what is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23), if we don’t, then that in and of itself is sin and that will not lead to the abundant life. Actually knowing it's sin is good news, because if I know it’s sin, then I can repent of it, and be forgiven and cleansed (1 John 1:9). But I can’t do any of this without Him, I need to look to Jesus for help. He is the one who initiates my faith, He is the author. He is the the finisher of my faith, the one who will keep right on working in me until that day (Philippians 1:6).

Father, I thank You for the gift of faith, I thank You Lord that life and health and peace is found in You. I thank You that we have not been left to struggle alone. I thank You that when we are tired of being tenacious, when we are weary and heavy laden, that we can come to You, and You will give us rest for our souls. I thank You that You promised never to leave us nor forsake us. And I thank You that in partnership with You we can rise above it all, and enter into the abundant life. In fact that is why You came and so I give You praise and thanks again this morning Lord, in Jesus Name Amen