(Clip) Are You Defensive

Our perception is clouded, usually about ourselves. And when others who love us see us and speak into our lives about something, we better be sure to be honest and face the fact they're seeing what's probably true and I'm not seeing. Because they wouldn't be sharing it with you if they didn't love you. Faithful are the what? Wounds of a friend. Kisses and flatteries deceitful. Are you teachable? Are you approachable? Today are you possibly wrong in areas you don't see? Are you correctable? Men, when your wife shares something that they see, do you get self-defensive? Do you get defensive? I can't mark the year, but I was at least three decades into marriage before I stopped being defensible when Linda would share something with me. Grow up. I mean, come on. She loves me more than anybody. She knows me more than anybody. Why can't I just listen? She might be right. And I learned, yeah, she's right most of the time. I mean, I'm not saying anything other than those closest to you, your husband, your wife, when they share things, don't get defensive. Just listen. How defensive of a person are you? Are you open to others pointing out, to helping you with blind spots you don't see that are there? Or do you say, no, I'm good. And you avoid, you're in denial, you go on being needy, and your blind spot is nakedly clear to everybody but you. Romans 2 kind of talks about that, doesn't it? You who teach others. You who say, don't steal, don't commit adultery. So we can see needs in others clearly. We have 20-20 vision. And we have spiritual cataracts when we look at ourselves. We see others clearly, but do we see ourselves clearly? Others see clearly what is true about me. Others see us better and more clearly than ourselves. I have known and loved preachers who did not know when to stop preaching. Some of you have seen that. They didn't know when to stop. They didn't have it anymore, the clarity. And kept preaching, and no one had the courage or loved them enough to go to them and say, brother, it's time. I told my elders, don't you let me preach one sermon longer than I can deliver the goods. Don't let me preach. And if I get dementia, you've already heard me say it with a clear mind. Don't let me preach longer than I should. Christ has x-ray vision right to the deepest needs of our lives. Leonard Ravenhill helped write a book years ago. It was called Christ's Paralyzed Church X-ray. Remember that? And he was talking about the seven churches Christ sees right through perfectly, intimately, thoroughly. He sees every atom of your being in your DNA right now. Your deepest thoughts before they come, he knows them all together. He sees our motives. Why don't we face him about our blind spots? Do you know how you would excel and take off in joy and freedom? If you let God, by His Spirit, put His finger on your blind spots and let Him deal with them. It hurts, but it's going to hurt worse not to. This excerpt was taken from the full sermon, You and Your Blind Spots.