Demonstrate an Open and Honest Life
Week 41 Day 3
Pray:
Ask God to reorient you to Himself. Confess any known sin. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Be still and reflect on Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s Word. Pray for others in your life that they, too, would know and love God today.
Read:
1 John 1:5-11 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
Reflect:
Who would ever claim to be without sin? Surely, nobody is that “self-unaware”! There are those who claim to live a sinless life and there are those who don’t believe sin is even a real thing at all. It’s not likely that we would believe we are sinless or that sin doesn’t exist. It is more likely that we will sin and then deny that we did. We tend to see sin more easily in others than in ourselves. We also tend to “weigh” sin on a scale and to do so in our own favor. So, we may see that we have sinned, but believe that our own sin is not as bad (or heavy) as someone else’s. We can easily deceive ourselves and fail to live in the full light of truth. To live in the light requires openness and honesty about our own sins and failures. This life in the light begins with honesty with God, but it does not end there. We must also practice living open and honest lives with one another. Confessing our sins to one another is important for maintaining clear relationships, but it is also vital for experiencing victory over sin. As we live openly and honestly with one another about our personal struggles, we are positioned to get help and encouragement from each other. In addition, the humbling process of confessing our sins opens up pathways of God’s grace into our lives that can translate into victory over sin patterns. We will either humble ourselves or sin will humiliate us. Humiliation is not required, but humility is. An open and honest lifestyle is a life in the light of truth. If you have practiced hiding parts of your life in the shadows, this idea can be a frightening thing to consider. But the light of truth will set you free. You must make the “faith-choice” to step into it and the ongoing choice to stay in the light. You don’t have to tell everyone your struggles, nor should you. However, you must have someone you can tell them to. You must drag your sins into the light so they will not drag you further into the dark. You can do this. God stands ready to provide his grace.
Pray:
(Personalize this prayer today; make it specific to the circumstances that face you.)
Ask God to lead you through His Spirit as you go through your day. Ask Him to bring to mind the truth of the gospel and its implications for what you will encounter today. Tell Him “Yes” to His will and ask Him for His power and protection to live this “yes.” Ask God to create and reveal opportunities to proclaim the good news today.