“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin.” – Romans 7:24-25

Is everything okay? How are you doing? As Christians, I think many of us become masters of denial. This is partly because we mistake denial for spiritual maturity. We believe that someone who has a strong relationship with Christ never has problems in their life. Because of this, we make sure everyone knows we are always “okay.” This thinking is far from the truth. In fact, this denial often leads to serious spiritual sickness.

If you read the stories of great, godly men from Scripture you will find that, over and over again, they are very transparent with God and others. They are clear about their problems and their need for help. Just like human relationships, our relationship with God will always be stunted as long as we try to hide our struggles and put on a “good face”. It is true that we do not want to be constantly negative and complain to everyone we meet. But we must learn to be open and honest before God and before our close brothers and sisters. A mature Christian still struggles; and you will never continue to mature unless you learn to be open and honest about those struggles.

Heavenly Father, there are days when I am hurting, discouraged, and struggling. Please deepen our relationship to the point that I am comfortable and confident bringing every need before You. In addition to this, provide brothers and sisters in my life that don’t expect me to put on a “good face” in front of them. Give me people who love me and love You so that I can share my struggles with them. Let me be transparent with my problems so that they can be solved, and I can grow into the child of God You desire me to be.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Shane Cannon