Jeremiah 2:22
"For though you wash yourself with lye, and use much soap, Yet your iniquity is marked before Me," says the Lord GOD.

I will never forget the day that I decided to find out if someone could tell if you were smiling when all they saw were your eyes. I was a young boy being scolded by my mother for failing to do some of my chores and, as most kids will do, I really wasn't listening. Instead, I decided, as she was lecturing me, that I would cover my mouth and nose with a dish towel that I was holding, and then smile as big as I could to find out if she could tell whether or not I was smiling. Guess what? Your eyes tell the story…I was a fool…of course she could tell I was smiling, and the empirical evidence I received was a smack on the head. We are foolish to think that we can ever hide anything from God…He knows absolutely everything. To the prophet Jeremiah He said, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;"Jeremiah 1:5. The author of Hebrews tells us, …there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:13. Oh, how much better off our lives would be if we would simply understand this about God. Instead of trying to hide things, pretending we are innocent when clearly guilty…or hope He hasn't seen our iniquity…we must accept the truth that He sees everything and can therefore give us strength and wisdom to stay away from iniquity… even before we enter into it. I find this to be most encouraging. When I walk in the reality that there is nothing I can hide from God or get away with, I am more apt to lean on Him and seek direction from Him. When we know that we cannot pull the wool over the Lord's eyes…we are more attentive to all of the things He wants to teach us.

Oh, Lord, forgive us for the times we have tried to fool you…for the times we have tried to put on an image that suggests to others we are righteous when in fact we are living a lie. Thank you Lord for loving us and being so kind to us that we are led to repentance. Thank you for your promise that no sooner do we confess our shortcomings, than we receive your forgiveness and acceptance. We love you Lord…thank you for your patience towards us. In Jesus' name…Amen.

I pray that you have a wonderful week walking in harmony with God's best for you. I pray that you experience the goodness of His forgiveness and the liberty that comes when we rest in the truth that we are always under His watchful eye. Never forget how very much He loves and cares for you!