Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 30:10-11
When in pursuit of my own destructive appetites, I follow those voices that allow me to continue on my path. I don’t want to hear the truth – that I’m headed towards self-inflicted disaster – I only want to hear the lies that keep me going. Sometimes these lies come from others, but usually, I simply lie to myself.
I do this in one of two extremes. First, to protect myself from facing my sin, I convince myself that I’m not really doing anything wrong. I’m not that bad. It’s how I feel, so it must be right. I deserve this. I’m not hurting anyone. Everyone else is just uptight and should mind their own business. I can do whatever I want and get away with it because I’m indispensable. In this state, I dismiss the gravity of my destructive behavior.
In the other extreme, when I can’t hide from my poor choices anymore, I err in the other direction, embracing futility. I’m just a hopeless addict. I’ll never change. I’ll always be overweight, prideful, greedy, selfish, lustful and addicted. In adopting this fatalistic view, I acknowledge my mess, but still, I refuse to deal with it.
The truth I’m desperate to avoid, is that I can and should change. The lies I cling to are the ones that protect me from actually going through the discomfort of transformation. Getting sober is painful. Losing weight is hard. So, I manufacture whatever false truth that protects me from doing those things.
The truth I must embrace is this: I may be making horrible choices and I may be enslaved to my own destructive desires, but I do not have to live this way. I’ve failed repeatedly because I’ve not been willing to do whatever it takes to change. If I truly want transformation, I must ask God what to do – and then I must do it – to abandon myself and follow him every day. This will be tremendously difficult, but if I want to change, I must continually abandon my lies for his truth.