Latest / First15 Devotional / Honesty before Man

Transcript

Honesty before Man · First15 Devotional

• 0:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: As we continue to dive deeper into the fullness of life available to us, today we'll explore what it means to live honestly before man.
• 0:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: In a world of facades and striving, God wants to offer us freedom and confidence to be fully who He has made us to be.
• 0:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: May you learn to value honesty above all else in dealing with those around you and find joy and peace abundant.
• 0:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to the first 15 podcast.
• 1:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: Our scripture for today comes from 2 Corinthians 8, verse 21, Scripture says, for we aim at what is honorable, not only in the Lord's sight, but also in the sight of man.
• 1:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: The world is right now in an identity crisis.
• 1:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: with the global rise of social media and the internet, we can now project ourselves to the world as anything we want.
• 1:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: We've been given the option of only being partly known by countless people, rather than really known by a few.
• 1:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: We can attempt to fill a gap in our souls for love and relationship with the online world, rather than being fully known in our strengths and weaknesses, our greatest faults in soaring successes.
• 2:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: We're in need of an awakening of honesty.
• 2:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: Having an honest heart before man is the only path to experiencing true liberation from the binding
• 2:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: When we work tirelessly to build up a false self so that we can receive affirmation from others, we never truly experience love.
• 2:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: For our false self to be loved, is not truly love at all, because we constantly have the thought, if they really knew me, they wouldn't love me.
• 2:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: We have an enemy aimed at the destruction of our greatest need, truly being loved, and exaggeration false projections and outright lies guide us exactly where our enemy wants us into a lifestyle of never truly being known, and therefore never truly being loved for who we are.
• 3:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: Throughout Scripture, we see that wherever the Spirit is at work, the acts of confession, repentance, and truly being known to others are the result.
• 3:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: Acts 1918 tells us, also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices.
• 3:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: and God commands us in Colossians 39, do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices.
• 3:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: You see, to project a lie or exaggeration of ourselves to others, is to declare that we value the opinion of man over the opinion of God.
• 3:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: Every time we work to create a better image of ourselves, we step outside of God's grace and work for the love of man.
• 4:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: The path to truly being loved starts with being honest before God and man.
• 4:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: It starts with positioning ourselves to truly be loved by God.
• 4:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: In his book, The Furious Longing of God, Brennan Manning describes what happens when we encounter God's Furious Longing for us.
• 4:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: He says, The praise of others will not send your spirit soaring.
• 4:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: Nor will their criticism plunge you into the pit.
• 4:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: Their rejection may make you sick, but it will not be a sickness unto death.
• 4:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: God longs to set us free from the emotional roller coaster of living for the affirmation of man.
• 4:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: God loves you where you are as you are.
• 4:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: you don't need to strive for the fleeting burdensome affection of people any longer.
• 5:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: The creator and sustainer of the entire universe is waiting right now to pour out a love so rich and true that it will set you free from ever needing what the world has to offer.
• 5:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: take time and guided prayer today to meditate on the importance of being honest with others around you.
• 5:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: Receive the love of God and be filled with courage to be fully known.
• 5:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: Poster your heart at a place to be truly loved by God and others for who you are.
• 5:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: May you experience the power of true honest love today.
• 6:12
  [UNKNOWN]: You
• 6:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: As we begin, meditate on the importance of being honest with others around you.
• 6:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: Proverbs 286 says, Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity, than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.
• 7:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: And next, confess to God any ways in which you've been striving for the approval of the world.
• 7:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: Ask the Lord to overwhelm you with His love today, but you might receive all you need from Him.
• 7:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: Ask Him to show you how He feels about you, and receives His forgiveness.
• 7:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: Acts 3, verses 19 and 20 says, repent therefore and turn back that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.
• 8:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: In last, commit yourself to being fully known today, ask God to fill you with courage to not project yourself as better or different than you are.
• 8:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: Ask him to help you live today as you truly are, trusting that his love is all you need.
• 9:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: 1 John 418 says, there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.
• 9:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
• 10:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: One of the most powerful ways to be free from creating a false self is to engage in consistent confession with fellow believers.
• 10:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: your spouse needs to know your sin, healing and freedom comes from bringing what was in the dark into the light so that we might gain proper perspective and have victory.
• 10:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: The enemy longs to keep our sins in the dark until the day that bringing them to the light will do the greatest damage to us and to God.
• 10:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: Don't allow fear to keep you from the fullness of life God has for you.
• 10:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: Confess your sins to others today, and ask for their help in being fully known.
• 10:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: May you have faith that God will only ever guide you to a more abundant life, and may you receive the freedom and love that comes from truly being known today.
• 11:18
  [UNKNOWN]: you
• 11:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thanks so much for listening to today's podcast.
• 11:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm Josh Miller with 1st 15.
• 11:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: The more I seek to be honest before others, the more I realize how tied my insecurities are to the way I present myself to others.
• 11:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you feel like dishonesty and insecurity are linked for you, I'd encourage you today to take some time to let God speak to your insecurities.
• 11:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: Let him affirm you in his love that you can become comfortable in your own skin and able to lip honestly in the world around you.
• 12:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: Have a wonderful rest of your day and may God bless you as you see him.