Friday, February 13
Denying Nothing
But, speaking the truth in love, [we] may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.
Ephesians 4:15
You’ve heard the old joke that “denial” is not a famous river in Egypt. You may also have heard radio humorist Garrison Keillor say that sometimes you just have to look reality in the face and deny it. Actually, denial is no joke. It is a serious impediment to spiritual maturity.
Everyone is tempted occasionally to engage in denial by saying something that is not true to others, to ourselves, or to God. Denial is the opposite of confession, which means “to agree with”—to say what God says about our lives. If we are weak or sinful in an area of life, we shouldn’t deny it. We should say what is true about it: “God, I am weak in this area of my life.” God knows it’s true so we may as well agree with Him. But that’s only half the story. We should also say what else is true: “I can do all things through Christ; with every temptation comes a way of escape; I am no longer a slave to sin but now a slave to righteousness; when I am weak, Christ is strong” (Philippians 4:13; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Romans 6:13-16; 2 Corinthians 12:10).
We should not live in denial about either our weakness or God’s strength. By confessing both, we avail ourselves of God’s help.
In reality, the denial of prayer is a denial of God Himself.
E. M. Bounds
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