Admitting Faults

"I was wrong" is the hardest sentence in the English language to say. Due to perceived, as well as legitimate wounds in our past, we are afraid to admit that we have faults.

We think that we have to be perfect in order to be loved; and that we must earn the love, which we need, by making other people happy and proud of us.

We fear rejection so much that we will make excuses or lie to cover up our faults and mistakes. We wear masks so that people do not know who we really are.

If we admit that we did something inappropriate, we may fall into the black hole of condemnation and shame, which nips at our toes and plots ways to swallow us whole.

If we agree that we are wrong, we will topple over the edge of the dark abyss of shame, and we will be trapped, hopeless, useless and totally rejected forever.

In order to escape the bottomless pit of shame, we either do our best to become invisible, or fight tooth and nail to retain some semblance of order in our life, or hide behind a wall of pride and arrogance.

Bullies are motivated from their fear and insecurity. They surround themselves with controllable people who have qualities, which they feel they lack. When they hurt others, they feel powerful and in control of at least one part of their life.

Once we come to Christ for forgiveness, He exposes Satan's lies and frees us from the evil task master of shame. Then we no longer experience the devil's condemnation (Romans 8:1).

If we could be perfect, Christ would not have suffered that horrendous crucifixion. Through His sacrifice, we enter His rest and are able to breathe unhindered by stress, fear and insecurities.

If one person abandons us, or turns against us, we have a whole family of Believers who will love us for who we are, even with all of our faults, insecurities and over-reactions (Ephesians 4:32).

Prayer:

Father God, often another person's wounds expose our wounds and weaknesses, and we fear rejection. Therefore, we walk away from them, before they get a chance to reject us. We dispose of them from our life, rather than working out our issues together.

Help us to look deeper, beneath the surface of a person's words and actions, to see the real person, which they are hiding behind their false facade. Remind us to show mercy and grace to everyone, and not to reject someone just because they are wounded.

Thought for the Day:

Make allowances for one another's faults and idiosyncrasies; so, that if someone offends you, you can forgive them time and time again, as you help to strengthen them to feel secure through God's love within you. 

- Matthew 18:21-22; Colossians 3:13

Giving God Control

 

There are people who live in every generation who want to know God. They explore several venues provided by Satan and his minions, and many are taken captive by empty philosophies and spiritual sounding half-truths, which come from human traditions and the god of this world, rather than from God Himself (Colossians 2:8). These people stop short of the truth; and, instead, cheerfully believe a lie.

Then there are those who claim to know Christ as their Savior, but they have not made Him the Lord of their life. He is their helper and their insurance policy in times of trouble; they trust Him and they believe in Him, but He is not their Master and King. They have not yet come to a place of absolute surrender of every known area of their life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

However, if we want to live in a place of perfect peace, we will keep our mind constantly in tune with the Spirit of God (Isaiah 26:3). We will do the works, which God created for us to do. We will seek His pleasure in all things, rather than to seek our own pleasure in this life (Ephesians 2:10). Believers realize that the temporal, earthly aspects of this life are all passing away and only the eternal components will last.

Believers are living stones, fitted together into the dwelling place of God (1 Peter 2:5). We walk worthy of the calling He gives us (Ephesians 4:1). We avoid sin and deprivation by walking toward the Light of life (John 1:4; Matthew 5:16). Jesus died in our place and gives us the victory over both sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:57). We have faith in His faithfulness and walk in His divine power within us (2 Peter 1:3).

Prayer:

Father God, I totally surrender every part of my life to You. I want You to have it all. I want to walk in Your divine will and to do the works You created for me before I was ever born (Ephesians 2:10). I devote my every waking moment to You to use at work, at home and at play. Fill my heart with Your love for those You want to love through me.

Thought for the Day:
Everything in our life, which we surrender to God’s control, will come back to us refined and renewed.

The Victory of Surrender

 

Have you surrendered all of your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? Is there any part of your spirit, soul or body that you reserved for yourself and that you refuse to surrender to God? What areas of your life are you unwilling for God to see or to deal with? We have the King of the Universe dwelling within us; yet, we think we know how to run our life better than He does.

We want to reserve part of our life exclusively for our self. However, in refusing to surrender all, we forfeit perfect peace, indwelling joy and the spiritual power and authority of Christ in us. However, when we do surrender to God, we learn that He has only our best interest in His heart. This makes it easier for us to surrender more and more of our self to Him.

Yet, we often continue to hold back some areas, which we hold most dear. Until we give God all of us, we cannot have all of Him. God will not trust Himself fully to one who does not fully trust in Him. He wants our heart’s affections, our deepest fears, our crudest sins and our most private hopes and dreams. When we surrender everything to God, He gives back to us in greater measure than we could ever imagine.

Jesus is not our Aladdin’s Lamp to grant our wishes. He is our Master and Redeemer; and He has a perfect plan for our life (Ephesians 2:10). Once we consider the fact that Jesus gave up His glory in heaven to live on this sin-cursed earth for 33 years, that He suffered persecution and died a horrendous death solely to redeem us, then it is easier for us to trust Him with our whole life.

Prayer:

Father God, we can cast all of our cares on Your broad shoulders, because You care about us (1 Peter 5:7). We can give You our whole life and worship You with our whole heart. You are our all in all, and You are more precious to us than any person, place or thing in this entire world. Thank You for giving us Your redemption, as well as a treasured place in Your family.

Thought for the Day:

There is no one alive who can enjoy more success in their life than the person who is totally surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.