“I’m not perfect and neither are you.” Has anyone ever made this statement to you? When Christians give Godly wisdom and advice to someone that may have an issue, sometimes this is the response we receive. People immediately get offended because they think we’re being judgmental. In Luke 6:42(NLT), Jesus Christ said, “How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” This solid wisdom is golden, but it was not intended to be an excuse to dismiss the truth about ourselves when someone points it out. None of us are perfect, and we all have issues, but my issue probably isn’t your issue, and your issue may not be mine. We can’t afford to be so easily offended about our baggage that we refuse to hear the truth about it.
Hebrews 12:1(NLT) tells us, “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.” This verse is a commandment from God that is instructional for maintaining our stamina and momentum on the path of great faith. We might not realize it, but sometimes we either take a wrong detour on this path or we move too slow. We don’t often put ourselves in check when this happens. We’re praying for newness, but we don’t recognize that we’re slowly moving in the opposite direction of it.
At some point in our lives, all of us are blind to what we need to see. We don’t equate some of our behaviors and actions with moving to the wrong lane. We don’t see them as blockers to where we’re trying to go, but often they are. God doesn’t punish us for holding on to these, He helps us. He wants us to have all the blessings He has in store for our lives. He’s a God of order, and His first priority for us is always that we grow in every way like Christ.
Ephesians 4:14-16 (The Message) tells us, “No prolonged infancies among us, please. We’ll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are easy prey for predators. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.” Our prayers to God for new blessings, healing, and elevation are an indication that it’s time to strip off any weight that’s been slowing us down so we can run with endurance and receive greater blessings and spiritual strength.
Stripping off weight isn’t always easy, and very few of us enjoy doing it, but it’s necessary to progress forward and move upward in the blessings of God. Feelings, attitudes, thoughts, and motivations all take up space in our hearts and minds. All the choices, decisions, and actions we make and take stem from these. The law of gravity helps us to understand that if a weight is holding down an object, it will not rise. In the same way, spiritually, bitterness, anger, doubt, disappointment, grief, self-pity, resentment, pride, and arrogance are heavy weights. If we carry them in our hearts and minds, they will hold us down and keep us from rising higher. We expect God to remove these heavy weights when He has told us in Hebrews 12:1 to do it.
Jesus Christ tells us in Romans 8:32(NLT), “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” We can’t be set free by a lie; a lie is a weight that won’t allow us to rise. We need to hear the truth about Jesus Christ so we can put on the aspect of his example that we haven’t yet embraced. The indwelling Holy Spirit will sometimes draw a truth-speaker to us. This person will say the very thing that we need to hear, but because it’s not always delivered in a way we like, many of us reject the truth that’s been spoken. We are easily offended, and therefore, we miss an opportunity for promotion.
When we pray for new and greater blessings, we should also pray for revelation that prepares us to reach out and grab what we’ve prayed to receive. Many of us are not studying the scriptures that will open our eyes, so we need to audibly hear the wakeup call. Again, God is not punishing us, He’s helping us to go higher. So, before dismissing the truth-speaker who is actually doing you a service, think about what has been said. It may not be music to your ears, but it is exactly the Godly wisdom you need in order to be spiritually prepared for the blessing you seek.∎
Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright ©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
“Someone Who Speaks the Truth, Even When You Don’t Like It”, written by Reverend Fran Mack. Edits by Kim Times and K. Stephens for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2023. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.