Be honest with yourself
To be honest with yourself
By Pastor George Lehman
The whole key is to be honest with yourself, find the weak spots, work on it, get it done.
Reasons why being honest with ourselves is so important in our walk with God
The Bible teaches us to look at our hearts and thoughts, helping us to understand who we truly are. You need to be the best you.
When we are honest, we can grow and become better versions of ourselves.
It’s not always easy to face the truth, but it is essential for our journey of faith.
2 Peter 1:5-7 – For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.
2 Peter 1:9-10(Amp) – 9For whoever lacks these qualities is blind, [spiritually] shortsighted, seeing only what is near to him, and has become oblivious [to the fact] that he was cleansed from his old sins. 10Because of this, brethren, be all the more solicitous and eager to make sure (to ratify, to strengthen, to make steadfast) your calling and election; for if you do this, you will never stumble or fall.
Self-honesty is a very important thing. It unlocks for us so many things that are crucial to living a life of freedom and joy, with no need to prove ourselves.
Truth be told, if we're all honest with ourselves we'd be living in a better world right now.
Psalm 139:23 - “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.”
To help you see the importance of being honest with ourselves, here are three things to note:
“Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.” – Lamentations 3:40
1) Without honesty, we won't be able to repent of all sin (SIN: is defined as transgressing (oortreding) God law means crossing the line of Gods standards or failing to live up to Gods standards of holiness – Missing the Mark.
1 John 1:8 tells us, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
Unless we stop lying to ourselves and admit our real sinful motives, we won't be able to let them go and change.
Trying to escape the fact we have sinned, we lie and deceive ourselves and others.
We make a show and try to paint a picture that we're good, innocent, and blameless, even when we know we're not.
What we don't realize is the person we're deceiving primarily is ourselves.
Galatians 6: 7-8 - “7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction”
Unless we admit our sins, we won't be able to let it go. We won't be able to truly repent.
2) We have to be honest in order for God to change us
1 John 1:9 tells us that unless we admit our sins, we can never be forgiven and changed: - "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Think about that. How can we ask God to forgive us for something we won't even admit doing?
How can God cleanse us from the deep-seated dirt in our hearts if we keep saying we don't have it? Ridiculous, right?
If we truly want to be clean, we will need to reveal all the dirt in us.
Proverbs 28:13 - “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy”
And there's no reason to fear revealing ourselves to God, because His "perfect love casts out fear"
1 John 4:18 - ”We need have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly; his perfect love for us eliminates all dread of what he might do to us. If we are afraid, it is for fear of what he might do to us and shows that we are not fully convinced that he really loves us.”
He knows who we are and what we have done, but instead of hating and abhorring us, He wants us cleansed and made holy, totally freed from sin. That's His commitment.
Isn't our God awesome?
3) It's necessary for us to be free
Lastly, self-honesty, when coupled with God's truth, will allow us to be free. The Lord Jesus said in
John 8:31-32 -"If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
We must realize that our self-honesty is implied there: "If you abide in My word..."
Do we really abide in God's word that says, “we should repent?”
Do we obey God's word that says, "You shall not lie," even to ourselves?
Do we believe God's word, which says, “He knows the inner longings of our hearts?”
Precious family of God, we can't fool God. He sees through us. Before we do anything, He has already seen us doing it.
“O God, You know my foolishness; and my sins are not hidden from You.”— Psalm 69:5
What's the point of trying to convince Him that we're okay and clean? We are simply lying to ourselves and to Him when we do that.
Jeremiah 17:10 – “I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”
For the week ahead let us make a quality, life changing decision, to be honest before the Lord.
Let's just openly lay down our hearts before Him.
James 4:17 - “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”
Not just being honest but doing something about it.
Psalm 32:5 - “And you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
When we admit our guilt, God freely forgives.
God is good, and there's nothing to fear when it comes to being honest with Him.
New Zealand