Honesty

Giving in Secret and Sinning in Public

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” – Matthew 6:2-4 Today let’s talk about the gift and power of secrecy. Now, before you get all worked up about how “cultish” that sounds, be assured that it’s an old idea with origins in Jewish culture. It’s something Jesus talked about in Matthew 6, when he told his followers to give without telling anybody else. I want to make it clear right away that this is not a

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Vulnerability with Him

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:2 As we seek to become resilient and less fragile in our walk with God, we should keep in mind that vulnerability and humility is a difficult task. Stop pretending to be perfect; it’s not going to help anyone. You don’t have to be vulnerable in front of everyone, but you should have a few individuals in your life who are familiar with both your good and bad sides. Be open and honest about the issues you’re dealing with, and you’ll grow stronger as a result. Try to be strong and tough if you want to be vulnerable and weak, and if you want to be powerful, be transparent, modest, and broken. Don’t feel ashamed of your vulnerabilities because the light of Jesus shines brightest and most brightly through the flaws. Devote yourself

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Curb the Contracts

“Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.” – Matthew 18:19 There were no written contracts in Jesus’ time because ink and paper were exorbitantly expensive. In fact, it’s believed that each of Paul’s epistles cost thousands of dollars to produce, with estimates ranging from $2,000 to $40,000 for just one letter! In the ancient East, the high cost of writing things down necessitated the creation of a new process for creating legal agreements. In Jewish tradition, it was customary to establish a verbal agreement, shake hands, and swear by the Name of God that they would follow their promises to each other. When they invoked the Lord in a contract, they effectively made it a verbal pact. Though I can’t say for sure, I’m betting that the ease with which

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The Darkness of Deception

“For, ‘Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.’” – 1 Peter 3:10 Did you know that the kingdom of darkness is based on deception? The devil’s domain isn’t built on hate (though it is hateful), and it isn’t built on violence either (even though it is violent). Lies are propagated and promoted by the enemy of our soul, especially in the lives of believers. Satan’s power in the world is exercised through luring Christians into some type of deception that prevents them from experiencing Jesus’ total love and reign. By accepting any form of dishonesty, no matter how seemingly harmless, a door is opened for the devil to enter. Let our yeses be yeses and our noes be noes, Jesus says. That is, He expects us to understand what we want to do and don’t want to

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Walking in Truth’s Freedom

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” – 2 Corinthians 3:17 Have you ever been caught in the act of telling a lie? I believe that most of us have been caught in the trap of dishonesty at some point in our lives, if not as adults, then certainly as children. Perhaps we lied about something minor (what has been dubbed “the little white lie”), or perhaps it was something more serious and had a bad influence on someone we care about. Whatever the case may be, I don’t believe there’s anything worse than being caught in the web of deception. I just heard a story about a social media video that went viral. On a plane, a 28-year-old man got into an argument with other passengers and the flight crew. He began boasting that he owned six residences, made

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Fighting in Prayer

“In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, ‘Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.’” – Samuel 1:10,11 Yesterday we saw that God calls Himself Yahweh Tsebaoth, or the “Lord of Armies,” over 250 times in the Bible. Interestingly, one of the most famous usages of this particular name was by a woman named Hannah. Now Hannah’s husband’s name was Elkanah, and he was married to her and also to a woman named Peninnah. Peninnah was fertile and she gave birth to many children, but Hannah was unable to conceive. Even though Elkanah loved and favored her, she was

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No Shame On You

“Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.” – Isaiah 61:7 It’s hard to receive love when we have guilt and shame in our lives. Shame happens when there’s something about ourselves that we hate so much that we don’t let anybody else see it. We fear rejection due to our lack of perfection, and this keeps us in a pattern of hiding — at least partially — from the very connection that can set us free. If we deal with this kind of self-condemnation and guilt, it’s important to remember that everyone who we think is perfect is not nearly as infallible as we think they are. And while we don’t want to gloat in the struggles of others, it’s

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CLENCHED FISTS…

“…be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” -James 1:19b-20

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