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Queen of Denial

"But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth."  James 3:14

There was a country music song written back in the early 1990s entitled "Cleopatra, Queen of Denial."  It was sung from the vantage point of a woman who lived in denial about the depressing state of her relationship with her boyfriend.  She gullibly believed the lies he told her and she refused to see the truth that was right in front of her face.  The mantra of the song was, "Just call me Cleopatra, 'cause I'm the Queen of Denial!". 

Don't we all live in denial to an extent?  We might not necessarily deny the truth about the actions of others like the country song, but we'll very quickly deny the implications of our own actions.  I sugar-coat the effects of my actions and in my mind, they're never as bad as they truly are.  My denial has caused me to be blinded to the truth.

I deny the truth that my harsh words or use of sarcasm can hurt people.

I deny the truth that the questionable programing I occasionally choose to watch on TV is inappropriate for someone desiring to live their life for Christ.

I deny the truth that my tendency to lose my cool during times of stress is setting a poor example for my children.

I deny the truth of how many hours a day I spend with my eyes focused on a digital device of some sort rather than sitting eye to eye with friends and family and building genuine relationships.

I deny the fact that I have pent up anger towards people due to unforgiveness in my heart towards them.

What are you in denial about?

Whenever I think about someone in the Bible who was in denial about their actions, I immediately think about Pilate.  Perhaps he comes to mind because we're coming off the heels of Easter, or perhaps because the actions which produced his denial was what sent Jesus to the cross.

Pilate appears to truly see Jesus as innocent of the charges that the chief priests had brought against Him.  He appears to genuinely be between a rock and a hard place.  His conscience was telling him that Jesus was innocent and that the right thing to do would be to release Him.  However, the crowds were very loudly telling him just the opposite.

Eventually, Pilate had to choose a side:  his conscience or the crowd.  Here's the choice he made:
 
"When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere,
but that instead an uproar was starting,
he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. 
"I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. 
"It is your responsibility!"" 
Matt. 27:24 
 
Pilate might have told himself that he was innocent of the blood of Jesus, but that is a very clear picture of living in denial of the truth.  He was no more innocent of the shedding of Jesus' blood than you or I am.  Even though he would like to put the complete onus on the crowds, he played a direct role in the crucifixion of Christ by his choice to allow Barabbas to be released rather than Jesus.
 
Do you ever try to tell yourself that you're innocent of something when really you are as guilty as Pilate?  I think if we're all truly honest with ourselves, we're all Kings or Queens of Denial. 
 
James tells us in our focal verse that if there is sin in our lives, then we should own it.  We can't deny the truth concerning sin and expect God to be honored by our lives.  Also, if we're in denial about the sin that is in our lives, we're obviously not seeking repentance for that sin.
 
As painful as it is to stop and look deeply at the not-so-pretty parts of our lives, that's the only way we will ever face the truth and allow Christ to truly transform us into His likeness.  Since my ultimate desire is to look like Jesus, I must honestly look in the mirror and face the truth.

I pray that you will choose to be honest with yourself about the good, bad, and the ugly!  Ask yourself today:
 
What am I in denial about?

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