Deception In The Church (Part 5)

Micah 7:18, 19 "Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea."

What if you were to pick up a national publication and find a story that you were a part of, but the story was told from a totally different point of view than the truth? The reason you know that is because you were involved with the family or person the story is about and know all the intimate details. Yet what you know happened and what the story said happened are two completely opposite things? How would you react?

Not only did I read a story like that, but I heard the same story told from a pulpit by the person that lived it. Their testimony made it seem like a tale of triumph and victory, yet when I lived it with them it was a tale of terror and woe. It proved to me that a person can so convince themselves of a lie that they begin to believe it themselves. The devil is doing the same thing within the church today. He's convincing people that instead of dealing with the truth, they can be satisfied with something that makes them feel better about themselves and the circumstance they've gone through.

We've all faced criticism in the past for bad decisions we have made and sometimes the echoes of those choices continue to haunt us. Yet, lying to ourselves is not the way to find a release. Lying to God and the church becomes easier when you accept a lie about yourself. I'm not talking about bravado or ego, but about recognizing the difference between the truth and a lie in your own personal life. Changing the facts won't fix it or make it better. It's a scar that you either bear or surrender to God, and the choice is up to you.

After reading that story and then hearing it told in front of an audience in the same false manner, I really got angry. Man, I felt like I was going to explode! Then the Holy Spirit touched me and I realized that the pain of that event was still alive within the writer/speaker's life. Instead of believing in the forgiving power of God, the individual was holding onto a failure they had not forgiven themselves for. I realized then how sad it must be to live in a lie rather than to forgive yourself.

Don't be deceived-if God has forgiven you then He's forgiven your past. It doesn't count anymore because in Christ you are a new creation. Let go of those weights and quit living a lie. Enjoy your liberty in Christ Jesus!