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    Lies We Tell Ourselves
    Lies We Tell Ourselves
    Lies We Tell Ourselves
    Ebook101 pages2 hours

    Lies We Tell Ourselves

    By Greg Laurie

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    About this ebook

    We all know what it's like to justify something we're about to do with a clever excuse. Temptation knocks at every door. No one is immune. But often we put ourselves in places of vulnerability and then wonder why we get tempted. So, wherein lies the problem? With the lies we tell ourselves and our resulting behavior. In this engaging book, Greg Laurie takes an honest and humorous look at the ways we fall into sin and how we frequently rationalize our actions. Drawing from the pages of Scripture and his own experiences, he shares practical steps we can take to effectively resist temptation and put an end to the compromises that will ultimately lead to our downfall.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBaker Publishing Group
    Release dateOct 6, 2006
    ISBN9781441223999
    Lies We Tell Ourselves
    Author

    Greg Laurie

    Greg Laurie, the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, one of the largest churches in America, has written more than seventy books. Featured on the syndicated radio program A New Beginning and on a weekly television show on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, he serves on the board of directors of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He and his wife, Cathe, have two children and five grandchildren.

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      Book preview

      Lies We Tell Ourselves - Greg Laurie

      KERR

      INTRODUCTION

      I'M GOING ON A DIET

      TOMORROW

      You never intended to become overweight.

      The problem seemed to overtake you in the night, like fog stealing into San Francisco Bay. You woke up one morning, looked at yourself in the mirror and suddenly it dawned on you—I have a weight problem! I'm overweight! I can't believe it.

      Denial, however, will only take you so far. Buying a new and more accurate bathroom scale probably won't tell you the story you want to hear. Difficult as it may be to admit, the evidence has been…well…expanding for some time.

      Your pants are fitting tighter.

      You find yourself tiring more easily.

      You take a shower and nothing below your waist gets wet.

      You get your shoes shined, and you have to take their word for it.

      The couch gets up when you do.

      Kids run to you to stay in the shade.

      You find yourself developing a dependence on the color black as a fashion staple.

      But there comes a point when even black can't cover reality. You have become a fat person—or at least you're well on your way. You might rationalize it by saying, Well, there's just more of me to love now.But you really aren't fooling yourself or anyone else. Lying to yourself only covers the truth for a little while. Eventually, reality emerges.

      You hate the idea of being fat, and you know you have to do something. So you actually start reading those e-mails about pills and amazing diets that will help you lose weight in 10 days or less. Those before- and-after pictures suddenly capture your attention.

      Yet somehow…it all seems so unattainable.

      Before I say any more, please understand that this isn't really a book about diets. It's more of a book about the lies we tell ourselves and how they get us into trouble in all sorts of areas in our lives. Becoming overweight? Well, that may not be an issue for you. But maybe telling little white lies is what you struggle with. Or maybe you wrestle with something more serious—such as abusing drugs or alcohol, viewing pornography, or cheating on your spouse.

      The good news is that before you reach the final page of this book, you'll be able to get a hold of a few timeless principles that will help you face down the rationalizations and excuses that have plagued you for years. You'll learn how to resist temptation of any sort—whether it pertains to calories or not.

      Let's face it: We all need a better handle on this whole matter of talking ourselves into destructive and self-defeating behavior. So why all the emphasis on food and diets? The topic of diets provides an effective picture of how I've had to confront my own lame excuses…and what I've learned about facing temptation, 'fessing up to procrastination, and discovering the power to start on a new track. I hope that what I've learned will help you with whatever temptations you're facing.

      THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE

      For some reason, it seems as though my pants size has increased with the passing of years. For the longest time, I had a 32 waist and weighed 155 pounds. Not bad for someone 5' 11 (and a half). I felt good. I looked good. And amazingly, I held on to that number despite many late-night meals and a developing pattern of bad choices. One of my favorite indulgences came from a taco joint I frequented: a wicked thing called a Macho Combo Burrito. Just about every night at around 10 o'clock, I would pound down one of those mother of all burritos.

      Today, of course, the nightly ritual of slamming down a Macho Combo wouldn't even be an option for at least two reasons. Number one, I'd be wearing my burrito the next day. Number two, my stomach would be taking revenge on me all night long.

      By the time I was tilting the bathroom scales at 188 pounds, I had to face the cold, hard truth that my metabolism was no longer what it used to be. I wasn't proud of my weight. Yet I couldn't deny it, because it had been memorialized at Nordstrom, of all places!

      At the Nordstrom department store near our home, parents had been invited to add their children's names and ages on tiles to be permanently displayed on the floor of the children's department. A so-called friend of mine decided it would be cute to put my name and weight on one of those tiles for future generations to see. Right there at Nordstrom—next to Amber, age 9 and Nathan, age 6 is my tile. It proudly proclaims Greg Laurie, 188. While a few people might wonder if I'm just a lot older than I look, most have probably guessed the sad truth.

      EXTREME MEASURES

      Once my weight had been immortalized for all to see while doing their back-to-school shopping for their kids, I decided that I needed to take a radical step. It was time to go on a diet.

      Since then, I've been on about every kind of fad diet you've ever seen on a magazine cover. I think that I've actually tried them all. Sugar Busters? Been there, done that. Atkins? Makin' bacon! The Zone? Tried that one, too. The South Beach Diet? Okay, so I haven't tried that one, but it looks like another meat-and-cheese regimen to me—with a palm tree thrown in for effect.

      Don't get me wrong—I believe that diets work. In fact, some work surprisingly well. The problem that most of us have is staying on a diet. The very word says it all: diet, as in die. In other words, deny yourself. Abstain.

      We don't like the sound of words like that. Especially when we're out to dinner at a nice place and the waiter comes around with a dessert tray…and flan cake.

      A while back, my wife, Cathe, and I were enjoying dinner with another couple at one of our favorite restaurants. After dining on some delicious and healthy grilled fish and vegetables, the server approached us with the inevitable dessert tray. Even the way restaurant employees approach the subject gives you a pretty good indication of where it will all lead.

      Can I tempt you with a dessert? she asked.

      Tempt? I replied.

      It's not a sin to be tempted, right?

      I listened to our server's memorized presentation. Servers often use words that should tip us off, such as decadent or sinfully delicious. Then there's the wicked devil's food cake.

      It just so happened that this particular restaurant had my favorite dessert of all time. It's a savory little dish called flan cake. My wife could explain how they make it, but it's basically a moist cake in custard sauce with freshly whipped cream and strawberries. Then…just to finish it off…a little caramel sauce is artfully drizzled over the top. It makes my mouth water just to write about it!

      I had already steeled myself for the approach of the dessert tray. So it really wasn't that difficult for me to say no thank you as the server went through the options.

      Until she came to the flan cake.

      Instantly, like a shark instinctively responding to the smell of blood, I was already imagining the flan cake in front of me. Yeah, let's order that, I said, feeling the eyes of everyone at the table, because I'm going on a diet tomorrow!

      At that, everyone

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