Honesty before God.. Craig Denison Ministries

 

Honesty before God

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

God’s goodness over our lives far exceeds anything we’ve experienced. We’ve only yet splashed around in the shallows of God’s deep love and mercy. In order to dive deeper into the fullness of life available to us, we must learn how to posture our hearts. May your relationship with God be enriched this week as you position yourself to receive all your loving heavenly Father has to give.

Scripture:“And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:13

Devotional:           

I’ve spent countless, exhausting hours in my fleeting life working to portray myself as a person I know I’m not. Whether in relationships with friends, family, my spouse, or God, I find myself consistently creating a facade for myself I hope others will like better than who I actually am. I feared that if I truly opened myself up to others and got rejected, I would have nothing left. If I am fully myself, will I be enough?

Hebrews 4:13 says, “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Scriptures like this used to seriously frighten me. The idea that an all-powerful, all-knowing, and perfectly holy God knew everything I had ever done was too invasive for me. If I couldn’t even muster up the courage to truly be myself to man, how could I handle being “naked and exposed” to my heavenly Father?

It wasn’t until I began experiencing the powerful, overwhelming love of my heavenly Father that these frail, false constructions began to fall apart brick-by-brick, lie after lie. The process God takes us through in unveiling our hearts represents his perfect kindness, patience, and pursuit of us. He waits for us to come before him, openly and honestly, patiently beckoning us with his love. He is perfectly accepting of us as long as we don’t fake it with him. As soon as the prodigal son came home in a posture of humility and honesty, he was immediately embraced, accepted, and offered intimate relationship with his Father once again.

It’s absolutely vital that we pursue honesty before God because he will not address what is not true. He will not try and help this false projection. He will not meet with that which doesn’t truly exist. Brennan Manning writes in his book Abba’s Child: The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging, “The false self is frustrated because he never hears God’s voice. He cannot, since God sees no one there.” Thomas Merton says of the false self, “This is the man I want myself to be but who cannot exist, because God does not know anything about him” (Merton’s Place of Nowhere, James Finley).

To be honest before God is to invite a perfectly loving, powerful, and grace-filled Father into the places of our lives that need him the most. He longs to be asked into the very wounds we work so tirelessly to cover up. He longs to heal and transform the darkest, hardest places of our hearts we’ve hidden into fertile soil that can bear the fruit of his Spirit. He longs for us to be fully known by him in every way that we might experience the full depths of his powerful, transformational love.

Take time in guided prayer to truly open your heart to God and be honest. Tell him your doubts, fears, and failures. Open up the parts of your past that you have worked so hard to cover up. And let his love in that you might experience healing in his powerful presence.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the importance of being honest before God. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with courage to be vulnerable before God in faith.

“And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:13

“Would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart.” Psalm 44:21

2. Open up your heart to God and be truly honest with him. How are you feeling right now? How have you acted toward him? Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any places of your heart that are veiled and kept in shadows.

3. Ask God to help you receive his love in the areas of your heart that are in desperate need of him. Open up to him the places of your past that have plagued you for so long. Ask him how he feels about you that you might receive healing.

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

Making space in our lives to receive healing for our hearts from the Lord is a vital exercise in spiritual growth. We don’t have to be plagued by the wounds from our past. We don’t have to spend so much of our time and energy trying to cover up times we were genuinely hurt. The only path to growth passes through God’s healing presence. He wants to address and heal that which you might feel has formed you. He wants to tear up all the work you’ve done to harden your heart that you might truly live healed, free, and vulnerable. Pursue healing for your heart and experience the life available to you in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Extended Reading: Psalm 103

A Godly Heart..Dr. Charles Stanley

 A Godly Heart

Dr. Charles Stanley

Psalms 37:1-8

The Lord promises to give us the desires of our hearts. But many people take this passage out of context, forgetting that their own mindset plays a vital part in bringing it to fruition. As my mother once said, "Where your mind goes, your feet go, so be careful what you think about."

What is your responsibility when it comes to claiming promises from God?

Delight yourselves in the Lord (Ps. 37:4). Christians should rejoice in God and desire to walk in obedience. The Lord must have first place in your life before you can claim the promise in this verse.

Commit your way to the Lord (v. 5). Allow God to change any aspect of your ambition that is not His will.

Remember that when He doesn't answer a prayer as you wished, it is for a reason.

Trust in Him (v. 5). God is merciful, all-knowing, kind, and generous. You can trust Him with your hopes and dreams.

Rest in Him (v. 7). Resting in the Lord means trusting Him to answer prayers in His timing or transform your aspirations so they conform to His will.

Wait upon the Lord patiently (v. 7). Jesus waited three decades before beginning His three-year ministry on earth. According to His example, waiting is one of the key principles of Christian living.

Do your desires align with God's purpose and plan for your life? He longs to give His followers abundant blessings and fullness of joy. So allow your dreams to be conformed to the Lord's will, and follow His guidance faithfully. Only when you surrender to Him will you experience God's best for your life.

Growing Strong in Your Faith..Mark Altrogge

 Growing Strong in Your Faith

By Mark Altrogge

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. - Romans 4:18–21

In Romans 4, Paul tells us Abraham “grew strong in his faith” and urges us to walk in Abraham’s footsteps. To believe like he believed. How do we do this?

Look to God’s promise, not your circumstances.

In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations (Romans 4:18).

Abraham’s situation looked bleak. God promised him multitudes of descendants, but the only problem was he was well past child-producing. “He considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old).” He also considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. Not only was Abraham almost 100 years old, but Sarah his wife was very old, and she had never been able to have children her whole life. How are they going to have children? If Abraham had based his hope on his circumstances he would have given up. But in hope he believed against hope—God’s promise gave him hope in his hopeless situation. He put his hope in God’s promise, not his circumstances.

We may feel hopelessly unrighteous. We may feel like God could never forgive us for the sins we have committed, that he would never accept us. But we must not look at ourselves, just like Abraham didn’t look at himself, but like Abraham, we must believe God’s promise of grace. He counts me righteous in Christ!

Our teenager may seem hopelessly lost. Our finances may be out of control. We may lack direction for our lives. Our marriage might be frustrating or our church might be a mess. Look to Jesus Christ! Don’t look to yourself. Look to the promise of the gospel—everyone who believes in him shall be saved. Look to his promises to draw near to those who draw near to him. Promises to hear and answer our prayers.

Give glory to God

No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. (Romans 4:20-21)

Abraham strengthened his faith. Here’s how: “He grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God.” Begin to give glory to God—start thanking and praising him for his every promise. Thank him for saving you and declaring you righteous in him. He has promised to be with us when we pass through the waters and walk through fire. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. He has promised that nothing will be able to separate us from his love. He has promised to give us everything we truly need to glorify him. He has promised that we can do all things he requires through Christ who loves us. Praise him for these things!

We can look to our circumstances—it may not LOOK like God is being faithful. It may not FEEL like God is with us in these waters. It may FEEL like he has abandoned or forsaken us. We may not SENSE his love. But WE MUST NOT WAVER CONCERNING THE PROMISE OF GOD! Rather, we grow strong in our faith as we GIVE GLORY TO GOD, as we are fully convinced that God is able to do what he had promised.

In Ps 43 the Psalmist says “Why are you cast down O my soul? Hope in God for I shall yet praise him.” Keep thanking God, keep praising him in faith in the midst of your hard times. Say, “Jesus thank you that you are with me. Thank you have promised that your steadfast love never ceases. Praise you that your mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.”

Growing stronger in our faith is not complicated. Look to God’s promise and glorify him. So, what are you going to believe today—God’s word or your circumstances? God’s promises or your feelings? God’s bedrock pledge of faithfulness or your wavering emotions? Walk in the footsteps of Abraham and strengthen your faith.

A Prayer to Not Grow Weary in Doing Good..Tiffany Thibault

 A Prayer to Not Grow Weary in Doing Good

By Tiffany Thibault

"And let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." - Galatians 6:9-10

If it isn't fun anymore, give up. If it isn't easy, give up. If it isn’t exciting, give up. Walk away. Do what makes you happy. Your happiness and your needs are what really matter at the end of the day.

This quitting attitude is a staple in a society that lacks perseverance.

Today’s scripture reminds us of the importance of perseverance. While our culture screams at us to focus on our needs, this verse tells us to serve others, to not give up, to take every opportunity to do good - to everyone.

When we accepted Christ as Savior, as the Lord of our life, we became His vessels. Galatians 2:20 says: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. As we devote ourselves to studying the scriptures and following the Lord each day, we become more holy, which allows us to reflect on the Lord and enables us to share His love with everyone.

As you think about each area of your life, where are you becoming weary? Are your co-workers difficult to work with? Is your spouse not a Christian? Are your children rebellious? Are your relatives causing you great anxiety? Is your neighbor being difficult? Have your friends become distant or negative?

In every single one of those areas, in every single situation that you are walking through, our Bible verse tells us not to grow weary. We are not to give up. We are to face each new day with the promise that in due time we will reap good if we keep on doing good to everyone whom God has placed in our path.

How does “doing good” look in your daily life? Maybe it's simply interjecting a positive remark when everyone else is critical. Maybe it's keeping your mouth shut when you would rather lash out. Maybe it’s walking away from the gossip. Maybe it’s sitting next to the person whom everyone else ignores. Maybe doing good is a meal, a card, a phone call, even when you don’t feel like it. Maybe doing good is encouraging someone. Maybe doing good is just praying for that person. Maybe doing good is putting what you want aside to spend a few moments giving someone else your attention.

With the Lord’s help, we can have all the strength that we need to just keep on doing good to everyone and not grow weary or give up. Since Christ is living in us, we can know that no situation is beyond His power or is even out of His plan. He will work in us, through us, and for us in every situation that we face today if we do not give up.

Let's pray:

Dear Lord,
Thank you that you are in my life, that you are working in all my situations today. Please give me the strength that I need to be able to do good to everyone that I will encounter today. Help me to reflect your goodness to those around me. Help me to see opportunities where I can be the good today to whoever needs it. Help me to not focus on what I think I need, but to see that you have placed me right where I am today so that I can do good to someone. Help me to trust you as I encounter those difficult people, and show me how to do good to them. Lord, give me strength to not grow weary in doing good. 

In Your Name I pray,
Amen

Eyes Wide Open..Annie Yorty

 Eyes Wide Open

By Annie Yorty

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might" (Ephesians 1:18-19 NASB).

“Close your eyes. I have a surprise for you!” My daughter blinked, eyes fixed on me. “No, close your eyes,” I said, laughing. “Keep them closed.” She scrunched her face until they almost shut for a second, and then opened wide again. That day I realized my girl cannot voluntarily close her eyes. I have no idea why she can’t do it. I’ve never heard of anyone else having this issue, but her ophthalmologist says it’s no big deal. 

In the whole scheme of life, I wouldn’t really call this a problem. It’s mostly an inconvenience. If she wants to shut her eyes, she must cover them with her hands. At bedtime, she needs complete darkness to fall asleep. Putting on makeup requires a bit more finesse. It’s also difficult to protect her eyes from irritants. The eye—such an amazing, complex structure that visually connects the physical world around us to our brains. In poetic language, the Bible says our hearts also have eyes. The eyes of the heart perceive the spiritual world.

In the Old Testament, there’s a story of a prophet named Elisha, whose defenseless city was surrounded by “a substantial army.” The angry king of that army planned to kidnap Elisha to prevent him from helping God’s people. Elisha’s servant quaked at the sight of the enormous force encircling them. He cried, “This is hopeless, my master” (2 Kings 6:15 NASB)! Elisha, though, remained remarkably calm. You see, he saw something with the eyes of his heart that his attendant could not perceive.

“And [Elisha] said, ‘Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are greater than those who are with them.’ Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘Lord, please, open his eyes so that he may see’” (2 Kings 6:16-17a NASB).

I wonder if the sight that greeted Elisha’s servant when God opened his eyes left him speechless. Numerous horses and flaming chariots surrounded them. Elisha did not fear the puny force of the earthly king because he could see the powerful King of heaven defending him.

When Jesus lived on earth, he healed physical blindness. “Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly (Mark 8:25 ESV). Not content with just physical restoration, Jesus also came “to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:79 NASB). In other words, Jesus opens the eyes of the heart to spiritual sight.

Elisha’s servant discovered that the world looked significantly different when he saw through the eyes of his heart. When the heavenly realm comes into focus, problems shrink. Provision appears. With spiritual sight, we see the anguish in the heart that spewed angry words. We sympathize with the addict’s chains. We recognize doubt underlying haughtiness and fear of failure behind insolence. 

We also realize that Almighty God protects us with His army. Jehovah Jireh provides exactly what we need. Emmanuel stays with us through every circumstance. We radiate hope anchored to the ultimate victory of Jesus. God gives us the ability to see people and problems in the world from His point of view, which includes the thoughts and motives that prompt outward actions. He pulls back the curtain on the heavenly realm to show the big picture.

Have you ever covered your eyes to avoid a scary part of a movie? In the same way, we sometimes deliberately close our eyes to the inconvenient or painful realities that God reveals. Is there any spiritual reality you resist? Perhaps God is nudging you to see and respond to a difficult relationship with His compassion instead of censure. Or maybe the eyes of your heart perceive His guidance for a problem, but you’d rather tackle it your way. 

Another prophet of God named Isaiah received a strong vision of the heavenly realm. He saw a royal chamber in the temple with the glorious King seated front and center on His throne. Magnificent, adoring seraphim surrounded God. When Isaiah despaired at his unworthiness to stand in God’s presence, a seraph cleansed him, and God spoke. “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I. Send me’” (Isaiah 6:8 NASB)! Isaiah’s unequivocal reply flew out of his mouth. In gratitude for spiritual sight, he surrendered his life to God.

Perhaps we all need to spiritually be a bit more like my daughter’s physical condition—unable to close the eyes of our heart. Unable to turn away from the spiritual realities God reveals. Eager to respond to what we see.

Intersecting Faith and Life:
Have you asked God to open your spiritual eyes? What has he revealed, and how have you responded?

Further Reading:
2 Kings 6:8-17, Isaiah 6:1-13