Stop lying to yourself

the thing about lying, is that none of us can truly say we don't lie. even if not to others, we often lie to ourselves. That we are not unhappy, that everything will be fine even if we don't do something about it, that stop thinking about things will in fact make us feel better and that thing will go away by itself. maybe out of our laziness? procrastinating nature? Sometimes we even took advantage of God and say, let it be, if God wants it for us, He'll make it happen. and so we choose not to do anything, but yet our hearts ain't having peace, nor rest for our souls. because after a while, these thoughts come back and it's like a vicious cycle to these bad thoughts/mood swings or whatever we want to call it.

 

actually all it takes is just one step of faith, with ACTION. stepping out in faith, trusting in God that He will lead us into the second step..and so on. Stop procrastinating and do something about it!

 

 

Let Go of Your Self-defeating Lies
by Rick Warren

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8 NIV)

We lie to ourselves all the time: "I haven't gained any weight. I'm not hurting anyone. No one even noticed."

But one lie is more dangerous than most: "It's not really a problem." You tell yourself that your finances aren't a problem, your marriage isn't in trouble, and your temper isn't out of control.

Lying to ourselves is the number one way we mess up our lives. The Bible says,  "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8 NIV). Sin causes us to deceive ourselves, and deception causes us to sin. 

Behind every self-defeating act in our lives is a lie we've believed. Either we've lied to ourselves or we've believed one of Satan's lies. The Bible says our heart is "deceitful above all things" (Jeremiah 17:9). You and I have an amazing ability to lie to ourselves.

So stop it! Stop rationalizing. Stop minimizing your behavior. Stop excusing. Stop tolerating.

To stop defeating yourself — doing all of those self-defeating behaviors that cripple your ability to follow Jesus faithfully — you have to stop deceiving yourself. Jesus said, "When you know the truth, the truth will set your free." But first, the truth will make you miserable! You can't be free from what you can't admit exists.

You can't beat the problem if you're lying to yourself about it.

Talk It Over

• What self-destructive behavior in your life are you pretending isn't there? What activity do you know is unhealthy?
• What are the lies you believe that keep you from making lasting changes in your life?

the need to de-clutter

The Word "No" Is Important for Your Spiritual Journey
by Rick Warren

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us." (Hebrews 12:1 NLT)

The most important word to remember for your spiritual journey may be a surprising one — no.

Your faith journey is a long one. Too many people start off well in their spiritual journey but putter out before the end. God wants you to go the distance.

You've got a marathon ahead of you, and you can't run the marathon with a barbell in your hands. Often people quit their faith journey early because everything they're carrying wears them out.

We need to de-clutter.

A cruise liner can get pretty fast in the middle of the water.  If you add a hundred lifeboats to it, it'll slow down. Plug a battery into one light bulb, and it'll go a long way. Plug it into 15, and it drains much more quickly. Plug it into 100, and it'll drain even more quickly.

That's what happens to us when we try to do too much. Sometimes doing good keeps us from doing the best.

Hebrews 12:1 says, "Let us strip off every weight that slows us down" (NLT).

Weights aren't bad; they're not sinful. They're just unnecessary. It could be a job, a relationship, or a hobby. It's something that slows you down from what God wants from your life. And they're not worth it.

Talk It Over

• What are the weights that are slowing you down? What are you going to do about it?
• What are the good things you're doing that might keep you from the best God has for you?