Lessons of the Condo: Resistent Pruning

I recently started the book "Lies Women Believe: And the Truth that Sets them Free" by Nancy Leigh Demoss. I have listened to her radio programs often and enjoy the way she presents truth from a woman's perspective.

I have to say though, as I read through several of the chapters, I found myself very turned off and defensive.

In the book, she presents several "lies" that the enemy uses to try and make us ineffective and even paralyzed when it comes to being a "woman of noble character." At the end of each chapter, she asks you to consider the Lies that are presented and which one you might have fallen prey to.

I think I qualified for at least 75% of them.

That made me defensive. I mean, does she really think that we're going to have a totally accurate view of ourselves, free of any blemishes and totally confident in who we are according to God?  I can understand needing to have an accurate view about God, but have an accurate view of myself? I can work on it but I'm probably never going to. That was the first two chapters: Lies Women Believe About God and About Themselves.

Then I got to the chapter on Lies We Believe About Sin. Let me list out the lies for you:

1. I can sin and get away with it.
2. My sin isn't really that bad.
3. God can't forgive what I've done.
4. I'm not fully responsible for my actions and reactions.
5. I cannot walk in consistent victory over sin.
This chapter really resonated with me. Especially #2. I totally think some sin is worse than others. For example, cheating on your spouse is much worse than wasting time or being lazy? Right?

Wrong. Sin is sin. My "respectable" sins" as they are sometimes deemed are just as bad as the Big Bad sins like adultery. But I don't often look at them that way. After all, they're not as bad as some of the "bigger" sins I see others engaging in.

Wow is my perspective warped. I totally believe these lies! I make excuses all the time for things I know I shouldn't be doing, or for not doing something I know I should be doing.

But God's is not. From His perspective, sin is sin. There's some that the Bible mentions he REALLY doesn't like, but that doesn't minimize the others.

Laziness-that's a sin.

Choosing yourself over your husband-that's prideful and selfish and that's a sin.

Wasting time-that's one too.

Does this make you defensive? I know I didn't like hearing it. I don't like being told I'm a lot worse than I really think I am.

But it's true. Large or small, sin is sin. And I need to deal with it. That starts with acknowledgement. Followed by repentance. Followed by change (with God's help of course).

After reading through this book for a few days, I did my Sunday School lesson for the week.  The title? "Putting off the old life."

Putting off those old sins that often creep their way back into our lives. Or were never really rid of. We have to make a constant effort to put off and keep putting off the old ways.

That's the nature of the sinful world we live in. We'll never be free of the temptations of sin until we are no longer in this world.

The point of all this? There's a lot I need to "put off." There's a lot of lies I need to acknowledge that I have believed, and that I need to replace with the truth. There's sin that needs to be dealt with.

Whether I like it or not, sin is present in my heart. To deal with it, I have to acknowledge it. Being defensive about it just furthers the enemies agenda, because it keeps me from dealing with it. Rather than ridding myself of it, I make room for it, excuses for it.

So rather than putting the book down, I'll keep reading. I might not like all that I hear, but I need to hear it. To mull over it. To question it.

With God's help, I can put off the old ways. But if and only if I will acknowledge it first.

He truly is a Master Gardener. Don't resist his pruning.