LIVING A LIE

Times I have had to defend a relationship or friendship to convince others it isn't more than what they see is a sign for me it is more than.

Single, Christian and in good corporate working environment, I needed to live up to expectation and protect my image as a professed born-again. I tried to impress everyone by appearing to be above every normal human struggle with a never-get-it-wrong personality. 

Being very outspoken, speaking scriptures always, playing Christian music, wearing Christian wrist band, with Jesus stickers on my bumper and beautiful scriptures on my personal computer wall screen; I was adjudged to be near perfect.

My former boss had just resigned and here comes a new boss, young, married, good looking Christian guy. Within weeks, you will almost assume we've known each other for ages. 

Apart from being work colleagues, we had so much in common as believers, hence our friendship beyond official duties. The bond of our friendship grew stronger, still Christians, but chose to ignore the signs because we were too spiritual to admit the obvious. This continued for over a year. We were living a lie; at least I knew I was. I go to work everyday with him in mind. It was a funny comment from a junior staff that did the wake up call for me. I spoke with a sister-in-Christ who advised me to sit and talk with him, admit to my feelings and pray together with him for immediate discontinuation of our friendship. It was tough. God gave me the grace and I did. That very week, there was management reshuffle and my boss was promoted and moved to another floor of the building. I began to report to a new boss. That very month I became engaged to the man I now call my husband.

"The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure." 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT)

David E. Longacre wrote that once in the proximity of sexual temptation, the will to resist is low. The Borg on the science fiction Star Trek TV series claimed that “resistance is futile.” When we are in certain situations, we might feel that resistance really is futile. But it is not.

For us Christians, resistance to temptation is NEVER futile. In today’s scripture, we are promised that others have had the same temptations … that God won’t allow more that we can stand … and that he always provides a way out.

Don’t believe the lie that you are the only one who has ever had this temptation. Don’t believe the lie that it’s more than you can bear. Don’t believe the lie that there is no way out. God’s promise tells us that resistance is NOT futile!

We can escape temptation, but we cannot fight the battle alone. We need to first put on Jesus— admit His truth about the situation, appeal to his mercy and grace for help —before we can resist even the urge to fulfil sinful desires.

I did not overcome become I was a Christian, I overcame because I aligned myself with His truth, He in turn allowed His truth to defend me. 

It all circles back to Jesus. He is calling us to obedience, and he promises to give us the strength to do what he is telling us to do. If we will trust him and put him first in our lives, he will always give us the desire and power to do what pleases him.

We know when we claim to be single but more active and emotionally adventurous than the married. We know when it is beyond the surface and we have swerved from the real us. We do know when the picture outside is completely opposite the reality inside. But we forget most times to admit the reality that God knows even our thoughts from afar.

 Psalm 139:1-3 (NKJV) says:

"O Lord, You have searched me and known me.You know my sitting down and my rising up;

You understand my thought afar off.You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways."