The Illusion of Perfection

In our quest to attain the status of a perfect Christian we have fallen into a trap of deception. For too long we have attended church under the pretense of an illusion of perfection. Fearful of looking at whom we are within our hearts we have allowed satan to hold us in bondage to unattainable standards.

As we go to the assembly, we are greeted with a smile and cordially respond with meek coyness. But do we really know the person behind the mask? Do we even know who we are behind our own facade of perfection? Looking around as the preacher speaks, do we see beyond the natural? It is time to find out who we are before the eyes of the Lord.

The Father is calling us to now look deeper. He is giving eyes to all who will ask so that we will no longer approach each another with shallowness and distance. He commands us to bear one anothers burdens, standing in the gap to overcome the enemy. We have spent so much of our lives building fortified walls around our hearts that even the Lord is unable to penetrate. We must ask the Spirit of the Lord to burn away all falseness, shining His light deep within our beings. We must be fully open and stand before His throne to become who He desires.

As He opens our hearts we find inwardly we have perverted the judgements of God. If you say, Athis is not I@ you deceive your own self. For the Word of God says our own hearts will deceive us. Only by the Spirit of the Lord and with washing by the water of the Word can we become pure. This heart change can be done neither by works, nor by action. It is performed by the Spirit of God as we surrender to His loving hand. As we are transformed by the renewing of our minds and spirits, a new creature arises. Compromise to the Word of God becomes undesirable and we press onto the high calling which is in Christ Jesus.

Our Savior desires all to come to repentance and be saved. If we profess Jesus as our Lord but still worship the works of our own hands and carry lust in our hearts, we are deceived. We are told in His Word there will be many who will be sent away as workers of iniquity though they operated in the gifts of God.  It is a requirement for us as believers to walk in holiness, purified by the Spirit of God. This means holding no other gods before Him.  Nothing in our lives can overshadow the worship and obedience to the Lord. We cannot look at each others walk, exalting ourselves to a position of a judge. Doing so we place our self in a position only to be held by Jesus on judgement day. No longer can we feel good about ourselves at the expense of others. 

For far too long we have appointed ourselves judges, perverting spiritual gifts under the pretense of discernment. We justify the right to hold unforgiveness against our brethren. Gossip, talebearing, whispering and envy have invaded our sanctuaries and eaten as canker. Many of our own have perished by the hand and word of our own brethren. This will not be tolerated any longer by our Father. It is time for us to repent and forgive so that we may be forgiven. For healing to come to the House of God we must cast away the works of the flesh and walk in holiness.

If we have passed judgement upon others, we are now in danger of having it meted back upon ourselves. It is a command of God that we are not to judge others and hold unforgiveness toward them. So much of our body is in bondage by their own hand. The Lord is very specific in the Word warning us of the consequences. For us to be fully forgiven, we must forgive. The Lord is quick to forgive but we must humble ourselves and pray, calling upon the name of Jesus and seeking the Fathers face. This is a time of transformation in our body and all who ask the Lord for wisdom will receive it.  

Father will no longer allow us to live under an illusion of perfection. To do so will allow upon us a delusion that we should believe a lie. Such a delusion will bring death and not life. We have a loving just God, to serve Him we must surrender fully to His hand. Obedience is a command and more so in this final hour. It is His desire for us to grow into sons and daughters so He may be glorified.

There is no situation nor hurt that we are allowed to hold onto any longer. Nothing can be justified in the holding of unforgiveness. It is time for us to take off the masks of false perfection and allow the Spirit of the Lord to sanctify us in holiness.

Teresa Daly-Crews

20 January 2000