Keeping It Real!
When I was actively serving as a Bible teacher, one of the phrases God would give me often was: "be real with God, be real with yourself, and be real with your sisters and brothers". None of those categories deserve us lying – not even to ourselves. We need to keep it real with all those in our life. The Apostle Paul also talks about keeping it real:
God has given me grace to speak a warning about pride. I would ask each of you to be emptied of self-promotion and not create a false image of your importance. Instead, honestly assess your worth by using your God-given faith as the standard of measurement, and then you will see your true value with an appropriate self-esteem. Romans 12: 3 (MSG)
One of the major tricks of the enemy is to get us to sin. If he can’t get us to outright commit sin, he will push us to feel better about ourselves than we ought -in other words to engage us in pride. As Proverbs 16:18 says, "pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall". It is one of the worst things that can happen to us, because if left unchecked in private, a public fall can be devastating.
We have the opportunity to deal with our pride by using God’s ‘standard of measurement". When we evaluate ourselves by the Word, we will find ourselves falling short every time. And when we evaluate ourselves against Jesus our Lord, there is no contest.
Frequent and accurate assessments need to be done in our lives in order to live as God would have us to live. The good old King James gives us good admonition:
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. 1 Corinthians 11:30-32 (KJV)
Better God than man any day!
Maria