Rick Warren Daily Hope Devotional For April 16, 2022 : Topic – Break Free from the Prison of Pretending
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“I will live in perfect freedom, because I try to obey your teachings.”
Psalm 119:45 (GNT)
If that’s you, then you’re in a prison of pretending. And you’ve locked yourself in this prison for two main reasons.
First, you’re trying to please people. The Bible tells you how foolish this is: “It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you, but if you trust the LORD, you are safe” (Proverbs 29:25 GNT).
Second, you feel like you need to be perfect to be loved. Since no one is perfect, you’ll never feel truly loved if perfectionism is snaring you. You make up for this by living in a pretend world, where you never make mistakes. Even worse, as you’re hard on yourself, you’re also harsh on others. Everyone ends up in your prison.
Jesus once said of people who pretend to be something they’re not, “You are the ones who make yourselves look right in other people’s sight, but God knows your hearts. For the things that are considered of great value by people are worth nothing in God’s sight” (Luke 16:15 GNT).
What’s the cure for a life of pretending to be something you’re not?
Switch your focus to what God thinks. God is the only one who knows you completely and loves you unconditionally. If you’re doing what God wants, then you’re doing what’s right.
The psalmist says of this kind of focus, “I will live in perfect freedom, because I try to obey your teachings” (Psalm 119:45 GNT).
You don’t need to scroll on your phone to find out who you really are. Social media can’t tell you how much you’re really loved.
Only God can tell you the truth about who you are—and that will set you free.