Denial by any other name is still denial!

C...Some months ago, I had a PSA test. Due to family history of prostate cancer, I have been diligent in checking the numbers. My number had more than doubled in 6 months! What would you and I think if the doctor decided to keep the results a secret because he did not want to cause me any hurt or pain? You and I both would be looking for a new doctor!

John 8:31–36…They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”

Talk about missing the point!?

These guys were in so much denial they had amnesia concerning their own history! Conquering’s and enslavement started in 722 BC with the Assyrians, then the Babylonians, next the Medo Persians, then the Greeks, (Alexander was not great to Israel!)  and they were now under the Romans.

More importantly,  Jesus was not referring to physical freedom only, which I will look at in the next Devo.

The anathema of the flesh is, to be honest concerning our failures! I cannot speak for you, but my flesh can use my imagination to come up with some pretty incredible excuses for my behavior. It was bad enough as a kid, but became much worse after marriage!

That is one of the incredible opportunity’s marriage brings! A live-in accountability partner! That accountability will bring encouragement and, if you let it, honesty. Not always easy nor always fun, but one of the most powerful character-building tools God uses.

True Freedom requires genuine honesty. It is a dichotomy, deeply humbling and painful. At the same time freeing and bringing peace.

Christmas season is a great time to allow the Holy Spirit to open up the book of your life and help you find where you are in your journey. He can cut deep, and it can hurt, but like the surgeon, the cutting is to heal and make whole.

The So What: Make time this season to sit with a pad of paper or laptop and write down where you think you are right now in your life. Then ask yourself, where do I want to be in 5 years? Find some friends that you can connect with regularly and keep each other accountable. That is called - Discipleship.