Would You Still Love Me If You Knew…?

WOULD YOU STILL LOVE ME if you knew what I was really like?
Would you still want to be my friend if you knew everything about me?These are questions that control many peoples’ lives. Some to obsession… even torment. Very few people are not (at least a little bit) affected by these questions. But that is NOT the way God wants us to be!

God wants us to be TOTALLY FREE! That includes being free …from the fear of man. Free from the strain and bondage of trying to get people to love you. Free from measuring your success or value by how people treat you, or what they think and say about you.

Jesus said, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” [John 8:31-32] When He says “Continue in My word,” that goes way beyond just reading your Bible a lot, or even just keeping His commandments. When he says, “Ye shall know the truth,” that’s a whole lot more than just knowing the scriptures, or having heard and believed correct doctrine.

Jesus said that He IS the truth. [John 14:6] Truth is light. Truth is openness. To “know the truth” is a 2-way deal. You completely open up to Him, and He then opens Himself up to you… including letting you know exactly what He thinks of you. Can you say you really KNOW someone, if you’re not even totally sure what they think of YOU? (Seriously. Think about it.)

God’s forgiveness is huge, …you are hopelessly LOST without it, …but if you’re not “walking in truth”, …no pretense, no hiding, no reservations, no hypocrisy, …you can never be free and confident in the way God wants you to be. You will always have an awareness that the people around you will see your failures and sins, even if God has forgiven you. Trying to hide them will only bring you back into the bondage of wondering what others would think of you, if they knew.

Freedom from the judgment of man will only come by first “walking in truth” toward God, and letting Him judge you. When you hear God say “Well done! I’m pleased with you,”- here and now- you will have all the confidence you need to walk in truth toward man. (See 1 John 3:19-24)
If you feel like you need the approval and praise of men, you need to STOP, turn to God, open up to Him, and seek HIS praise only! And don’t back off till you hear Him say, “Well done! Now you’re ready for MORE!”