The Nile is a River in Egypt, but Denial is a Different Story -- Jason Brown

The Nile is a River in Egypt, but Denial is a Different Story -- Jason Brown

Bill referenced this prayer of Augustine (church father who lived approximately 400 AD):  "I beg you, my God, to reveal me to my own eyes so that I may confess to my brothers in Christ what wounds I find in myself, for they will pray for me."  (p.247 of Augustine's Confessions).  

Seems like a solid prayer in its content and its brevity. It involves a private component -- prayer -- and a public component -- confession. I'm going to pray it.  I'm also going to share what the spirit reveals to a brother I confess sin to every week.  

Also, I've just been thinking about the stuff I act like isn't there for one reason or another -- not necessarily sin, but challenges/issues/things that need to figured out.  I have this incredible capacity to put things off.  Is procrastination a form a denial?  Is fear?  

Look forward to hearing from you.

Posted on Mon, September 28, 2009 by Jason Brown

4 comments (Add your own)

1. Bill White wrote:
Our family had a great time in our devos this morning reflecting on the sermon and each naming an area of our lives that we are not facing up to very well. I prayed about denial all last week as i prepped the message for sunday, and yet God is still revealing more to me about how i hide. I'm grateful to have some others with me on the journey who now know what i need prayer for.

Mon, September 28, 2009 @ 10:33 AM

2. Almita wrote:
I was informed of a very distressing fact concerning someone in whom I had always delighted. My first reaction was, "I don't believe it - it just can't be true." The temptation to deny the truth would, in some way, alleviate the pain of it. But in doing this, I would not be in a position to pray for the individual or those who are intimately affected by this sadness. Even though I want desperately to deny that such a thing could happen to someone that I admire and love, I must realize that I, too, am prone to failure in my walk of faith. Not only must I pray for this one who has failed, but I must not deny that I must pray for myself and all who love and serve our Lord Jesus Christ - for we are all just a prayer away from disappointing our Savior and those who look up to us. Our hope is that we do, as Scripture says, have the power to finish well because Christ has given us everything that we need for godliness and life. However, I cannot deny that I must choose to access this power through constant prayer and vigilance. Search my heart, O Lord, and show me my weaknesses and failures.

Mon, September 28, 2009 @ 11:23 AM

3. vashti wrote:
I listened to the sermon on line. (what a blessing!) God spoke to me about surrender. I have read this verse many times along with the one in 1 Peter 5:7 yet I always focused on God "taking the burdens" not on the fact that I have to surrender to Him so that he can take the burden and sustain me. I actually wrote "surrender" in the margin of my Bible. This is my prayer starting yesterday.... Lord I pray you make me "teachable" so I can learn & understand how to surrender.

Mon, September 28, 2009 @ 7:52 PM

4. Gaby wrote:
Just wanted to say that, while thinking about the sermon on Sunday, I realized that denial is so dangerous because it is so good at hiding itself. I find that in my life there are things that I think I am logically thinking and accepting, but in reality I'm just pushing down my real emotions. I will confess that somethings make me uncomfortable and...thats as far as I get. I pretend to myself that I'm being honest and think that, since I know that I shouldn't feel that way and rationalize other ways of viewing my situation, I'm okay now that I've "admitted" it.

Augustine's prayer is right on because it puts even the admition in God's hands. Lord, "reveal me to my own eyes". Sometimes we are so weakened by our pride that we can't look too deep inside. I pray the Lord keeps revealing these areas in me that I need to work on.

Mon, September 28, 2009 @ 9:42 PM

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