Denial & Living a Lie – Self-Deception Series 24 – Purity 1113

Denial & Living a Lie – Self-Deception Series 24 –
Purity 1113

Purity 1113 08/05/2023 Purity 1113 Podcast

Purity 1113 on YouTube: 

Good morning,

Today’s photo of the light of a sunset sky reflected
in hood of my Honda CRV comes to us from yours truly as I captured this scene on
the evening of July 28^th while driving down the last leg of Wait Rd before
coming to my countryside home to celebrate the beginning of my summer
vacation.  

Well, It’s Saturday and even though my vacation
doesn’t come to an end until August 14^th, the first half of it and
my family’s time in Erie Pennsylvania will draw to a close by the day’s
end.  And while there are some who despair
when a road trip or the time at a vacation destination comes to an end, I am
not  a member of that tribe.  While I enjoy the rest, relaxation, and fun
of going away, I generally don’t have any trouble saying goodbye to “vacation
life” when its time is up.  Although I
suppose there has been various vacations in my life that I wouldn’t have minded
extending, generally the suspended reality of vacation life is seen for the
fantasy that it is when its time is up, I eagerly look to get back to where I belong
– home – where I live and have my being, if you will.   Home is not only where the heart is – it is
also the place where we meet our responsibilities and best represent our true
selves.  

While on vacation, we live in a different place, do
things that are not typical for us, spend money in ways we would never do so
normally, and we may even “take an ego trip” of sorts as we may abandon our
normal routines, compromise our values, or decide to let our inhibitions go.  Vacation life is fantasy life and if you didn’t
know it, “fantasy” is another word for a lie. 
Although some would claim that vacation land is the place where they can
finally “be themselves” or can “be free”, an examination of the majority of
their lives versus their attitudes and behaviors while on vacation, would
expose the truth that their vacation persona may not represent their “best
selves” and that their “freedom” looks like bondage to the flesh and
circumstantial happiness that is not sustainable.    In short vacation life and some of our “vacation
personas” are a lie.  In truth, we don’t
live in vacation land, and we don’t often act like us when we go there. So the
vague wish to be on vacation for ever could be seen as the wish to continually
live a lie. 

 And that
brings us to our current series on Self- Deception, where we have decided to investigate
some of the ways we deceive ourselves by walking through Step 2, Deception Vs.
Truth, of the Steps to Freedom in Christ to see what ways we may have been deceived
by “the world” and ourselves and in what ways we have wrongly defended
ourselves. 

So we present the first of the  “Ways to Wrongly Defend Yourself”:

1. Denial of Reality (Conscious or Unconscious).

Since the Steps to Freedom in Christ doesn’t provide scripture
references for these terms, I have decided to utilize Meier, Minirth, Wichern
& Ratcliff’s “Introduction to Psychology & Counseling: Christian
Perspectives and Applications: to provide some basic definitions of theses
common defense mechanisms. 

 

“Denial is “the ability to deny the
existence of something disturbing, such as one’s own anger or sexual feelings”
(Lidz 1968, 258). Thoughts, feelings, wishes, or motives are denied access to
consciousness. It is the primary defense mechanism of histrionic personalities,
who deny their own sinful thoughts, feelings, wishes, or motives even when they
become obvious to those around them.

For example, a woman might act
seductively but is not consciously aware of doing so because of denial, then
becomes angry at the man she is unconsciously seducing for making sexually
suggestive responses. If what she was doing was pointed out to her, she would
probably deny it vehemently (see also Prov. 14:15; 16:2; James 3:14).

Counselors often refrain from
identifying their clients’ obvious problems because of the likelihood they will
deny those problems.

 

Counselors should help such clients
identify the problems themselves, confirming what clients suggest without fear
of denial. Once a client denies a diagnosis, it is very difficult to later
admit that a problem actually exists.^[1]

 

While
I am not a licensed counselor, as of yet, this series on self-deception is
intended to help us to discover the lies we have believed or the things we may
have denied about ourselves. I like the counselors referencing James 3:14 for
denial, which says.

James 3:14 (NKJV)
¹⁴  But if you have bitter
envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.

In a latter passage the authors also suggest that
existence of an omnipotent divine being would produce anxiety in an atheist, but
they would deny it, of course.

Denial is lying against the truth!  And the good news is that, because it is the
truth we are denying, there will be evidence – like emotional upset over the
things we are denying – that may help us to see how we have wrongly defended
ourselves.   

So think about your life and your interactions.  Have you had someone accuse you of having a
problem and immediately denied it and dismissed it?

“You have a ________ problem?  No, I don’t!” 

If you have had an exchange like that, you could be
falsely accused or you could be in denial.  

The word of God is true and there is nothing like the
Bible to tell us if we are living a lie.  Although we may think we are being “true to
ourselves” when we do whatever we want, if it goes against God’s word, we are
living a lie and if we don’t wake up to the truth of our sin, we will die.  

1
Corinthians 6:9-10 (NKJV) tells us:
⁹  Do you not know that the
unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,
¹⁰  nor thieves, nor covetous,
nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

This was one of those passages in the Bible that woke
me up to the mortal danger I was in because of the way I lived and convicted me
to repent. And as much as some of the things listed in these verses defined my
life before coming to Christ, after I saw that they could jeopardize my part in
God’s kingdom, I made the decision to stop living the lie and relied on the Lord’s
strength and guidance to lead me away from the darkness I was living in. 

Even though I thought a lot of those behaviors were “my
life”, the Lord showed me that I had been deceived and that He never intended
for any of us to live like that.   Those
things were “unrighteous” – as in not “right” – and the Lord through Jesus
Christ made a way for us to see the truth, be forgiven, and to be empowered to “do
the right thing” by following Him into righteous living.    

So, look at your life, look at God’s truth and let the
Holy Spirit convict you about the how the two don’t match up and let Him guide
you into all truth and the new righteous and abundant life that God wants you to
live.  

——————————————————————————————–

Today’s
Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By
John G. Kruis.

(
While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick
google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late
author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )

This
morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Affliction, Discipline,
Chastisement, & Trials.

Revelation
3:14-22 (NASB)
¹⁴  “To the angel of the
church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the
Beginning of the creation of God, says this:
¹⁵  ‘I know your deeds, that
you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.
¹⁶  ‘So because you are
lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.
¹⁷  ‘Because you say, “I
am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do
not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,
¹⁸  I advise you to buy from
Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that
you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not
be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
¹⁹  ‘Those whom I love, I
reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.
²⁰  ‘Behold, I stand at the
door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to
him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
²¹  ‘He who overcomes, I
will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat
down with My Father on His throne.
²²  ‘He who has an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Today’s
verses fall under the tenth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s
section on Affliction,
Discipline, Chastisement, & Trials

 10. “To the lukewarm church Jesus declares
that he rebukes and disciplines those whom He loves.” 

Today’s verses encourage
us to realize that some of the suffering we face in life comes from not living according
to God’s ways, and that we should be zealous in our repentance because it will
draw us deeper into His love and presence. 
God’s discipline proves His love for us. While some are left dead in
their trespasses and sins, God caused us to see our need of a Savior and gives
us the power to transform our when we put our faith in Jesus.   The words of Jesus Himself tell us to repent
and to overcome to fully realize His love for us and to dwell in His presence.
So let’s heed His word and do what He says by being “on fire” in repentance and
seeking His righteousness and presence.  

——————————————————————–

As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we continue sharing from  The Holy Spirit By A.W. Pink.

As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage you all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own
private study and to support his work.  This resource is available online
for $0.99 (https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Spirit-Arthur-Pink-Collection-ebook/dp/B008CM5292/ref=sr_1_3?crid=AHKAQOM39CTN&keywords=a.w.+pink+the+holy+spirit&qid=1684376225&sprefix=a.w.+pink+the+holy+spirit+%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-3) 

A.W. Pink’s The Holy Spirit

18 – The Spirit Indwelling

The
Basis for the Spirit’s Indwelling

The basis upon which the Spirit takes up His
abode within the believer is twofold: first, on the ground of redemption. This
is illustrated most blessedly in the cleansing of the leper—figure of the
sinner. “And the priest shall take some of the
blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of
the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right
hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot … And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the
priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and
upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering”
(Lev. 14:14, 17). Wondrous type was that: the “oil” (emblem of the Holy Spirit)
was placed “upon the blood”—only on the ground of atonement accomplished could
the Holy Spirit take up His abode in sinners: this at once sets aside human
merits.

There must be moral fitness as well. The Spirit of God
will not tabernacle with unbelieving rebels. “After (or “when”) that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy
Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13). It is to those who obey the command, “Be ye not
unequally yoked together” that God promises, “I will dwell in them” (2 Cor.
6:16). When by repudiating all idols, receiving Christ as Lord, trusting in the
merits of His sacrifice, the heart is prepared—the Spirit of God enters to take
possession for Christ’s use. When we give up ourselves to the Lord, He accepts
the dedication by making our bodies the temples of the Holy Spirit, there to
maintain His interests against all the opposition of the Devil.

In considering the
Spirit indwelling believers we need to be on our guard against entertaining any
conception of this grand fact which is gross and dishonoring to His Person. He
does not so indwell as to impart His essential
properties or perfections—such as omniscience or omnipotence—it would be
blasphemy so to speak. But His saving and sanctifying operations are
communicated to us as the sun is said to enter a room, when its bright beams
and genial warmth are seen and felt therein. Further, we must not think that
the graces and benign influences of the Spirit abide in us in the selfsame
manner and measure they did in Christ: no, for God “giveth not the Spirit by
measure unto Him” (John 3:34)—in Him all
fullness dwells.

This lays the basis
for the most solemn appeal and powerful exhortation. Is my body a temple of the
Holy Spirit? then how devoted should it be to God and His service! Am I indwelt
by the Spirit of Christ? then how I ought to lend my ear to His softest
whisper, my will to His gentlest sway, my heart to His sacred influence. In
disregarding His voice, in not yielding to His promptings, He is grieved,
Christ is dishonored, and we are the losers. The greatest blessing we possess
is the indwelling Spirit: let us seek grace to conduct ourselves accordingly.^[2]

—————————more tomorrow————————

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For those who require the assistance of a Deeper
Walk International Prayer Minister to experience healing or your freedom in
Christ, I highly recommend Christy Edge’s Life on the Edge Freedom Prayer
Ministry. You can schedule a session by going to : https://cedge216.wixsite.com/life-on-the-edge     

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