RUN LIKE A CHAMPION

There’s a price to being a man or woman of God. When we determine to be all God wants us to be, we must understand that with Him, there’s no cover-up. No sweeping our sins under the carpet. No hiding skeletons in the closet. His character is not only that of absolute purity, but also total knowledge. He knows. He loves. And He disciplines those He knows and loves.
Some Christian leaders have thought they could cover up their sins with their abilities or dynamic personalities. Some have thought that if they just did a good job, no one would ever suspect any impurities in their lives. But it never works that way. God has a way of exposing and dealing with sin in the lives of His people.
He doesn’t discipline us because He no longer loves us. Just the opposite. His discipline is because of His great love. He’s much more concerned about our character than our ministry — and often He will sacrifice our ministry to build our character. “The Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son” (Hebrews 12:6).
David thought he could cover up his sins of deception, adultery, and murder. But God, in His goodness, would not permit it. After David learned what had happened with Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, he attempted to act as a compassionate leader. He sent a message of comfort to the military leaders on the field. It was a perfect attempt at cover up. But there were several indicators that David had not yet repented.
First, he made no acknowledgement of his sin. Second, there was no grief in his soul over the horror of taking the life of a trusted soldier. Finally, he took Uriah’s wife as his own — as soon as her grieving period was over. Shamelessness. Deception. Lies. Cover-up. All were harbored in the secret corners of David’s heart.
David thought he was getting away with murder. But that’s impossible with God. The Scriptures say, “After the time of mourning was over, David had her [Bathsheba] brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord” (2 Samuel 11:27). David may have been able to fool men, but he could never dupe God.
God knew what David had done, and it displeased Him. God loved David so much, He wouldn’t allow such horrendous sin to remain a part of his moral fiber. David would have to be confronted. Until he came to grips with the evil tucked away in his heart, David could never again be described as “a man after God’s own heart.”
Truth, honesty, and purity. Those were the character qualities God desired to build into David. Lies, deception, and spiritual pollution couldn’t remain in David’s heart if he was to be God’s man. The flesh had to be rooted out — and replaced by the fruit of the Spirit.
If you want to be a man or woman of God, you must be willing for God to expose anything that displeases Him. He is light, and darkness is always exposed and shattered by light. Live in the light. Embrace the light. It’s good for you!