What you see on the outside is not necessarily what's going on in reality.

Last night I had several dreams, each of them outlining that was looked like was going on on the outside was not what was happening in reality.
One was a business that said it was doing something but it was actually a cover up for fraud.
Another was a marriage relationship that lived in the same house, but lived separate lives in separate bedrooms.
And the last was a house that was being sold and it looked all good until you got up on the roof and saw the brick work falling apart in places.

Each of the pictures God showed me all pointed to things looking good on the outside but in reality things were very different.
As a Christian we are called to be people of integrity, of truth - why, because it benefits us.  All things that God asks us to live is actually for our benefit rather than His as he wants us living in freedom and not fear.  

I know it can be very difficult to live in truth sometimes especially if we can't make ends meet financially.  Or the marriage relationship we are having is going through difficulty.  How do we get out of the cycle in which you find yourself in?  We never want to find ourselves in these situations but things happen and that's where we find ourselves.  We can't go back, but how do we go forward?

For myself I have struggled in several areas and I find ultimately it comes from two things, a willingness to humble myself to others and ask for help and a lack of trust that there is a way through it.  Scripture says, the truth will set you free and truly it does, but in order for the truth to come we firstly need to acknowledge it and reveal the truth and that is the humbling process where we need to confess to someone the truth of our situations or our feelings.  The moment we actually share the truth with someone, the enemy no longer has the stronghold on your life that it had, allowing God to come in and others to help you work and walk through what it is.  The old saying that a problem shared is a problem halved and it is.  The enemy's stronghold comes as it keeps you in fear and bondage by holding onto it yourself.

Part of the reason why we don't share with others our struggles as we don't trust God in the outcome.  God is able to turn every bad situation into good.  God knows we struggle with trusting him and that is okay, just ask him for help in the area of your unbelief.  Even the disciples who walked with Jesus too struggled in this area.  There may be some things that need to be worked through but ultimately God works everything together for our good for those who believe.  Perhaps not the way we want to see it happening. And so no matter how mucky it might look, there is a way through.  We just have to allow for the process to work itself through.  God is able to do more than we think, ask or imagine.  He can turn that dark night to day.  There may be some consequences for our decisions but God will use that too as a part of your testimony that will bring hope to others.

So I want to encourage you, if you find yourself living a way in which truth is not a reality, ask for help, share your burdens with someone you trust that can help you.  And allow God to come and help you find a way through it.  He loves you and wants the best for you and the best is to living a life of freedom and truth and not of fear.

And please lets not be a people who judge those who are struggling in areas when they ask for help but rather be a people that help our brother/sister in need and help them come into freedom and joy because of the grace given to us in our time of need. :)  Blessings.