Your Daily Devotional for July 27, 2007

 

July 27,  2007

 

 

Denial

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 

"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness."

 

Ephesians 4:17-19

 

 

While walking with his son on the beach, a father asked his three-year-old, "Tim, where do you think all this sand came from?" The little boy was accustomed to getting in trouble for things, so he quickly replied, "I don't know, Dad, but I didn't do it!"

 

Many times when sin or difficulty arises in our lives, we are so quick to deny that a problem exists. Yesterday we saw that our pride can sometimes hinder us from seeking God for help during our trials. Our human nature desires to do things our way and seeks to solve our own problems. But God desires for us to turn to Him for help. Today we will see that denial can also hinder us from getting help from God.

 

Have you ever denied that you had a problem? We are good at seeing a problem or sin in our lives and trying to ignore it by denying it. We tend to find excuses for a lot of things. Let's see the three problems that denial causes in a person's life.

 

First, denial causes us to disable our feelings. We can often hide our feelings and suppress them until they explode at a later date. We can distance ourselves from the problem and pretend not to know about it so much that we can lose feeling toward that problem. Have you ever known about a problem or sin in your life but chose to forget about it instead of dealing with it? When we disable our feelings in the matter, we usually end up with a bigger problem.

 

Second, denial causes us to lose energy because of anxiety. When we deny that a problem exists, we can many times worry about it to the point that we lose energy to do the things we are supposed to do. Psalm 146:7 says, "Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners." God wants to free us from our problems and sins. He desires for us to have the strength and energy we need to serve Him.

 

Last, denial negates spiritual growth in our lives. We cannot grow closer to God when we have a problem in our lives. Genesis 3:11-12 says, "And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." Because Adam failed to take responsibility for his sin, he was cast out of the Garden of Eden, and his spiritual growth was hindered.

 

It is sometimes quite easy for us to overlook a sin or problem in our lives. Our human nature wants us to keep our problems to ourselves and deal with them on our own. Yet, God desires to help us overcome the sin or problems in our lives. When we deny that we have a problem, we hinder God's working in our lives.

 

Have you been denying a sin or problem in your life? God desires to help you overcome that problem, but you must admit you have a problem and take it to Him. Although our world tells us to take care of things on our own, God desires for us to seek Him for help. Ask God for help today, and let Him help you have victory in your life.

 

Daily Bible Reading

Psalm 43-45 • Acts 27:27-44

 

 

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