Lose the Lies

"O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me" - Psalm 139:1

We women are good at lying, aren't we?

We lie to ourselves all the time.

"Oh, don't worry about me, I'm fine."

"No, I don't mind helping at all."

"I'm over it, really."

How many times have we repeated these (and so many other) lies to ourselves, just to keep ourselves moving? We quote cliche's to ourselves and others in order to get through a day, to survive, or to plain out avoid the issues that we need to confront in our lives.

I'm reminded of a movie I really enjoy where two knights are fighting each other. One knight cuts off the other knight's arm, but the knight keeps on fighting, convinced he can still win the battle. The knight then cuts off his opponent's other arm, but the obviously defeated knight still wants to fight. Easily the winner of the fight, the knight cut off the other knights legs until he is just a stump on the ground. The now limb-less knight finally gives in and calls the battle"a draw"...taunting the victorious knight as he rides off, calling him a chicken.

How many of us are like that knight?

We lie to ourselves that we're fine, or that we're only slightly injured, perfectly capable of winning the battle and moving forward with our mission to win?

Maybe your war is with your husband, your children, your parents, your best friend...and you are determined to win. Why?

Why do you feel the need to win this battle?

At what cost will you continue to fight?

At what point will you finally raise the white flag and say, "I surrender"?

Why haven't you surrendered already? When I say "surrender", I don't mean give in or let the "other side win", but I do mean fully surrender.

"Well who do you want me to surrender to?"



Scripture tells us that the battle is not ours, but God's, to win for us. He is that white knight ready to step in and take the hits, and make the attacks, for us. He is our champion, we are the Lady in Waiting, ready to swoon as our Hero wins the battle and saves the day for us. There's just one little problem with letting God win our battles - we are prideful people, set on doing things our way, unwilling to wait for results, and ready to either fight or hide...either way - we are hiding from a greater issue - our inability to fully surrender, and fully trust this battle to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Here is some food for thought as you sit in our cafe today...an appetizer...or light entree, if you will...

"The important thing is to stop lying to yourself. A man who lies to
himself and believes his lies becomes unable to recognize the truth either
becomes unable to recognize the truth, either in himself or anyone else, and he
ends up losing respect for himself as well as others. When he has no
respect for anyone, he can no longer love and, in order to divert himself,
having no love in him, to his impulses, indulges in the lowest forms of
pleasure, and behaves in the end like an animal, in satisfying his vices.
And it all comes from lying - lying to others and to yourself" - The
Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky.

When we continue to push God out of the picture of the battle we are fighting, we are lying to ourselves that we need God due to our selfish pride. Or, maybe you're thinking, "Well this battle is one that's so big (or so small) there's no use getting God involved. I'll handle it".

There is no battle to big or too small that God will go to war for you over so that you can live a victorious life through Him. We just need to raise the white flag, scream out "I surrender all God", and truly (and I mean truly ) surrender All to Christ so that He can (and He will!) step in and save the day!

I know that He has gone to battle for me on a daily basis - He has been my champion of both big and small things - major life events, and daily life happenings. He took on the world for me - the full weight of sin - so that I might have eternal life. If He is willing to voluntarily take on that punishment for me, then the least I can do is say, "I surrender! I need you!" so that our Hero can rush in and save the day; or, at the very least, pull us out of the situation we are in and point us in the right direction.

Please my friends as we find ourselves standing on the edge of a New Year, stop hiding, stop trying to be brave, stop trying to hide from your problems, thinking that God won't step in and help.

There is no battle too small, or too big, that our Hero can't champion for us. He is our Hero, our Warrior King, our White Knight...ready to blaze into battle for us - for all our battles, great and small, He will fight for His beloved children - and that includes you! You need to simply put away your pride, your disbelief, your lying and tendency to hide from the world when look bleak. Let Him win the battle for you...after all, it's what He does best!

Let's pray:

Lord, I'm sorry for being so prideful. I try to do things for myself when I know I need to trust that You will win this battle for me. Help me to not hide from the world when things get difficult, and help me to stop lying to myself and others that I can face these challenges all alone. Help me to stop pointing the finger at others, myself, or even You, when I'm faced with difficult circumstances. Instead help me to be brave enough to come to You in humble surrender, hands raised high, excited to see how You, my Hero, will win this battle for me. I trust You, Lord...I trust You, my Hero.

Thank You for the victorious life that I will lead because of the battles You have, are and will win for me - and because of the strength I will gain because of Your promise to fight for me, despite my prideful ways. I thank You, Lord, for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for us - in an act of ultimate bravery...who rose again from the dead in complete victory over the battle that is death. I know, Lord, that if You can defeat death and take on the sins of the world, You can claim victory in this battle that I am fighting. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.