Westside Church of Christ in Warner Robins

1. Westside Church of Christin Warner Robins Welcome! Sunday Assemblies Bible class 9:30 AM Worship 10:30 AM Worship 6:00 PM Wednesday Assembly Bible class 7:00 PM �They shall enter My sanctuary; they shall come near to My table to minister to Me and keep My charge� (Ezekiel 44:16). www.warnerrobinschurch.org Please silence cell phones

2. The lies we tell ourselves

3. The truth is�people lie To each other Colossians 3:9 Easy to fool other people! To God Acts 5:4 Impossible to fool God Usually easy to recognize when you are lying to someone else Harder to realize you are lying to yourself

4. What does it mean to lie to yourself? Seemingly innocent �wishful thinking� Unrealistic view of entitlements and reality Unrealistic expectations for future Any hope built on a lie is shallow at best and spiritually deadly at worst! Self-justification For actions and inactions Luke 16:15 It is self-deception Galatians 6:3

5. Why do people lie to themselves? �Many animals engage in deception, or deliberately misleading another, but only humans are wired to deceive both themselves and others, researchers say. People are so engaged in managing how others perceive them that they are often unable to separate truth from fiction in their own minds� (Robin Lloyd, 2006). �The worst lies are the lies we tell ourselves. We live in denial of what we do, even what we think. We do this because we're afraid. We fear we will not find love, and when we find it we fear we'll lose it. We fear that if we do not have love we will be unhappy� (Richard Bach, 1936). We fear the future, we fear the unknown, we fear things we can�t control, we fear what people might think of us, we fear consequences, we fear that things will change, we fear that things won�t change, we fear that we will fail, we even fear that we will succeed. We lie because we are afraid of something. We tell ourselves lies to give ourselves a sense of hope against fear. Let�s consider some lies we tell ourselves�

6. The Lies We Tell Ourselves �I�ll quit after this one� Addictions take control Sexual sin, drugs/alcohol, gambling, etc. Romans 13:13-14 If you intend to quit, words alone won�t suffice! �I�ll start tomorrow� (procrastination) Healthy living (diet, exercise, other resolutions) Being responsible (debt, parenting, work) Being a Christian (Bible study, church attendance) Deathbed repentance�a dangerous gamble! Acts 22:16

7. The Lies We Tell Ourselves �What they don�t know won�t hurt me� You may escape man�s notice� But God knows! Romans 2:16 Isaiah 47:10 Obadiah 1:3-4 �It is worth the price I�ll pay if I get caught� Pinnacle of foolishness! Remember Esau�s birthright Matthew 16:26

8. The Lies We Tell Ourselves �I�ve earned a little indulgence� �You only live once�, �I deserve it�, �a little more won�t hurt� Similar to �everyone else is doing it� Cannot earn the right to sin! Deuteronomy 9:5 �I�m right�everyone else is wrong� The �I�m an exception� lie Popular teenage concept: parents don�t understand me, didn�t experience this� But Christ does understand: Hebrews 4:15 1 Corinthians 3:18 and Isaiah 47:10

9. Truth or consequences? Lying to yourself is self-destructive Can�t trust yourself�who can? People see through you Lying is devilish John 8:44 Liars will be punished Revelation 21:8

10. Overcoming self-deception Know thyself! Be careful what you wish for James 1:26 Consider consequences Short- and long-term Know that God knows Trust God�s love for you Tell the truth!

11. Salvation: Don�t deceive yourself! Tomorrow may be too late Today is the day to make your life right! Acts 22:16