Stuck in the Lies We Believe
For a Christian, the Holy Spirit within us uses the Bible to reshape our thinking according to the truth rather than what we tend to think based upon our fallen emotions. While the truth of the gospel ultimately sets us free for eternity and puts us in right relationship with God, we can still tend to believe many lies about ourselves, others, and even God that can hold us back from being effective or living for Christ fully. If we look at many of the New Testament letters written to the Christians of the day, we see the authors addressing all kinds of doctrinal and behavioral error - because any kind of lie is meant to keep us from growing. As we are being sanctified, the Word will press upon our normal, earthly way of thinking and will replace lies both large and small that are meant to hold us in bondage with truth which sets us free.
The more we know the truth of God, the more we understand His grace because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the more we can truly find our identity in Christ, the more we are free to RUN in humility and confidence and be effective for His kingdom rather than shrink back in confusion and despair. One of the main contenders for confusion when the New Testament was being written was the idea of ethnicity. Even after Christ’s atoning sacrifice, many considered being a descendant of God’s chosen people to be what brought salvific significance. The New Testament authors had to really hammer home that the people of God were no longer defined by ethnicity, but instead by who responded to Jesus in faith.
We can and do still fall prey to similar lies today. We can still become absolutely preoccupied with lies surrounding race, social status, what others think, our standing with God, our fears and insecurities, familiar sins, an overinflated ego, and even theological untruths that we’ve been taught. We can so easily believe lies about God that keep us from standing confidently before the throne of grace. Lies about ourselves that keep us from fully trusting Him with our everyday needs. Lies about others that perpetuate fear and disunity with genuine brothers and sisters. The only way to rise out of bondage is to replace lies with truth. The only way to replace lies with truth is to pray and read God’s Word. And the only way to pray and read God’s Word is to humbly realize that we have that constant need - even if we are saved! The LAST thing we need to do is rely upon ourselves day after day because we know we’re saved. A heart that’s unplugged from the Word and prayer is a mind primed for the enemy to imbed with lies.
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“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.”
2 Peter 1:3-12
