Psalms 18:25-28 (gw) --- In dealing with faithful people you are faithful, with innocent people you are innocent, with pure people you are pure. In dealing with devious people you are clever. You save humble people, but you bring down a conceited look. O Lord, you light my lamp. My God turns my darkness into light.
You have been there before and experienced what I have. When you told a lie, you had to tell another one to cover up the first. That doesn't just hurt you it hurts everyone around you. We've learned that the hard way many time.
To deal with this we need to be straight and tell the truth. Own your junk. Be honest. Yet many people are too scared for people to see how they have messed up, made mistakes or gone the wrong direction. God uses those things when we are honest about them. Think about it.
I said it before, but one of our care values at The Community Fellowship is authenticity that talks about be open, honest and transparent. That is not easy. But that is right all the time. I've watched God take someone who is broken and use their life to touch other people. He will do that for all us. God doesn't waste our lives and our situations. He will use them for His good and to help others IF we will own our junk.
2 Corinthians 12:9 (nlt) --- Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." ...
Our weakness may very well be the tool God uses to open people up to meet Him. But what happens when we cover things up? We need God's grace. But we will not experience and know His grace if we don't own our junk.
"Uncensored grace is not simply grace for when we first come to faith; it is grace for each day after, as we fail and struggle. It is one thing to come to God for salvation, but it is something else to experience His work of transformation over an extended period of time." (Jud Wilhite Eyes Wide Open page 21)
That is the grace we need. That is the grace we will experience when we own our junk.
(Note: Jud Wilhite tells the story of King David and of Duane "Dog" Chapman in the chapter I quoted from. I would encourage you to read the book for yourself. Good stuff.)
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