Honesty

Jeremiah 5:3 (NLT)
3 Lord, you are searching for honesty. You struck your people, but they paid no attention.You crushed them, but they refused to be corrected.They are determined, with faces set like stone; they have refused to repent.

The prophet acknowledges God is looking for honesty. God wants His people to be honest and truthful with their thoughts and words. Yet they have set their faces like stone refusing to be honest. Their dishonesty keeps them from acknowledging their sins and repenting.

I want to examine the life of an addict for a moment. An addict continues in a wrongful behavior despite the consequences they will face. The addict continues to tell themselves and others around them there is no problem. Even when their actions blatantly acknowledge there is an issue in their life their words will continue to say “I do not know what you are talking about; I can handle this”. We have seen this modeled in celebrities before the camera. While everyone notices their corrupt actions the person still refuses to admit the truth. Most of the time the addict knows what they are doing is wrong, but has a difficult time admitting it. To admit a failure in their life it to admit they are flawed and that is the last thing they want to hear. Jesus knows every action we take and can see the truth in our heart. Jesus understands the temptation and battles we face, but He wants us to be honest with ourselves and with Him. He always knows our flaws, yet He is willing to accept and love us. If was cannot admit our sin, our failures, our temptations then it leaves Christ little room to help. We are covering up our sin in order to preserve it and it keeps us from revealing the truth.