Fooling Ourselves

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today 

July 21, 2025

Fooling Ourselves

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves

and not living in the truth.

1 John 1:8 

Back when my daughter, Tammy, was in high school, she was on their dance team. One day I received a phone call to come and pick her up – she had wrenched her knee. I took her to the orthopedic clinic, and after an examination the doctor said her knee was swollen and he needed to remove the fluid around the knee. Tammy saw him reach for a large needle and called time-out. She hated needles. “Can’t you just put a bandage or brace on it?” she asked. No, that wouldn’t have helped, and I held her hand as the doctor used his needle and removed a substantial amount of fluid.

An issue I believe most Christians face is becoming too comfortable with our confession of sin, especially in liturgical services such as Holy Communion. We say the words and then the minister pronounces our absolution. Are we just hoping that our words and the minister’s absolution cover our sin? I suspect our Heavenly Father wants more from us. I suspect our Abba knows that sometimes we need to face the needle.

My Takeaway: I am seeking to keep Philippians 2:13 ever close to my consciousness: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”

God wants me to confess my sins. He also wants me to listen, intently, for His still, quiet voice instructing me how to live in His truth. When I do, I am firmly camped in His grace for today.

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2025 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.