I need lies when I am running from truth. Lies that fulfill me in a wrong way are offered continually to me in every area of my life. When I am in rebellion against the true God, I need lies and deception to maintain my illusions. Freedom apart from God is an illusion of pride. When I am at war with my conscience, lies sustain my denial, my secret war against the still small voice of Truth within. I befriend liars and embrace lies to avoid inner truth. When I’m living in denial, lies excuse my failures and validate my illusions.
(The previous paragraph is my personalized paraphrased version of several statements in the book “How Evil Works“. The concept really hit me hard since it is the cry of my heart to see the deception in my life.)
Excuses eclipse my need for a savior. Have I become a son of the father of lies?1 At the end of my days will the lies embolden me to say, “But Lord, Lord didn’t I …?2 Will I hear Jesus say unto me, “I never knew you, get away from me, you worker of iniquity”?3
With this hardened heart I’m not aware of the lies I have embraced. When I am presented with a lie is it the voice of a stranger? Have I befriended the enemy of my soul?
Jesus said, “My sheep know my voice and follow me.4 5 They will not follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for my sheep do not know the voice of strangers”.6 Am I a sheep in the sheepfold of Jesus? He goes on to say, “My sheep don’t hear thieves and robbers”.7 Why do I hear them? Have I partnered with them, are they my friends?
When the enemy of my soul presents me with a lie that wrongly fulfills me why am I enticed by his offer?
The word of God tells me that my evil desires drag me away into sin.8 Is that why I hear them? Do the sheep in the sheepfold of Jesus have evil desires? No, I don’t think they can.
Can I be a sheep in the sheepfold of Jesus or am I in the sheepfold of the enemy? Is it possible I’m a free range sheep, sometimes looking to God to meet my needs and some times to the world?
One foot in Christianity and the other in the world? Is there any protection in that; walking the fence, being double-minded, allowing myself to be blown and tossed by the wind, unstable in all that I do?9 Is that who I am? Am I fully committed? The word of God says, “I wish you were either hot or cold but because you are lukewarm I will spew you out of my mouth”. Does my Christianity make God vomit?10
Just because I have been invited to be a sheep in the sheepfold of Jesus does it make me one of His sheep? If I pretend to be one of His sheep, and even hang out with His sheep, I’m still not one of them. When he comes to collect them will he winnow me out?11 How will I know where I stand? Will I not know that I am one of His sheep when every other voice but His is that of a stranger?
My Prayer: God, please forgive me for embracing lies and turning from You. It is my nature to listen to strangers. My heart is deceitful and desperately wicked.12 It is my nature to turn away from you. Jesus, I am wandering around and have avoided the protection of Your sheep fold by only pretending to be one of Your sheep. I humble myself before You God. I am a sinner in need of a savior. Not a savior of convenience but a savior of my soul. God, please bring conviction and bless me with Your gift of repentance. Please draw me to Your Son that I may be a sheep in His fold.13 Jesus, let every voice that is not Your’s be that of a stranger to me. Help me, I am caught up in a web of lies that keep me from Truth.14 I have embraced the lies to establish myself as the authority of my life. I willingly dethrone myself and humble myself before You. You are Lord, please be Lord of me. Be the Lord of my time, my resources, and my soul. All that I have is Yours. Amen.
03.11.12