1 John 1:5–9 (NIV) “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all… If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus… purifies us from all sin… If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Every Christian man battles two deadly lies—lies that pull us away from purpose, purity, and power.

Lie #1: “God is like me.”

We start assuming God thinks like we think, tolerates what we tolerate, or excuses what we excuse.
But God says plainly: “in Him there is no darkness at all.”

We are made in His image, yes—but we are not His equal.
We are sinful by nature; Jesus was not.
The toddler’s selfishness grows into a man’s destruction when not checked by God’s truth.

When we shrink God down to our level, we become:

• Haughty

• Self-centered

• Self-gratifying

• Casual about holiness

This is the arrogance God will judge when He compares our lives not to other men but to the life and death of His Son.

Lie #2: “I’m not really a sinner.”

Men convince themselves they’re “good guys.”
We judge ourselves by intention instead of action, by comparison instead of truth.

But Scripture is blunt:
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves.”

To deny our sin is to deny God’s holiness.

Jesus—perfect, righteous, without sin—humbled Himself, taking the form of a servant, obeying the Father to the point of death.
The man who says, “I’m not that bad” simply has no idea who God is.

A real follower of Christ isn’t the man who pretends he has no sin.
He is the man who:

• Recognizes his sin

• Confesses his sin

• Runs to Christ for cleansing

• Walks in the light through obedience

• Pursues holiness because God Himself is holy

This man is part of God’s family.
This man knows real fellowship.
This man knows the joy of forgiveness, cleansing, and freedom.
This man lives what he claims.

This is the man God is raising up today.

Run Today’s Play: Step into the light. Stop pretending. Stop comparing. Stop excusing.
Confess your sin to God—specifically, honestly, humbly.

Then commit to walk as Jesus walked:

• No darkness

• No double life

• No self-deception

• No excuses

This is where freedom begins. This is where fellowship grows.
This is where real men of God are made.