Telling myself the truth, is a daily, even hourly, process. It’s amazing the volume of mental traffic that travels through our minds each day, compounded by the accumulation from years past, the deep impact of whatever “traffic pattern” you were subject to. I was never taught to be aware of my thought life, until I became a follower of Christ as a young adult. Thankfully, I landed in the midst of a young adult fellowship that seriously embraced the lifestyle of living by God’s Word. Here I learned the importance of renewing the mind and telling myself the truth, agreeing with what God’s Word declared and resisting every opposing thought.
Remember the True/False tests in school? At least you had a fifty percent chance of getting the right answer. Multiple choice tests weren’t bad either, while essay questions, in my opinion, were the hardest. Naturally, we are not quizzed by God every day, but He knows that we’ll be facing a myriad of daily thought choices, and so He has provided us with the “answer key.” You would think that having the answer key would insure that I would never again believe a False statement about myself, because I know what the True answer is, right? Here is an excerpt from last week, just to remind us: Darkness seldom lies dormant and passive while being displaced. The Apostle Paul warned the church in Corinth of false apostles in their midst. “For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” 2 Cor. 11:13-14 Darkness, taking the form of light, leveraged against a cognitive or emotional liability within us, is a formidable foe.
Telling myself the truth is making the choice to believe what I know to be true, while also discerning the masquerade, which may be drawing energy from previous patterns of thinking. What feels familiar, more like a “fit” for me, is what I am drawn towards believing. If you are, or have ever been, a parent, think of the growth and maturity of your children. You may have made yourself very clear in regards to expectations, posting the family guidelines and chore charts in prominent places throughout the house. Surely that would be all the explanation needed for your children, right? Or was it necessary to continually renew, train, mold and shape? That being said, there are days, as God’s child, that I feel momentum from previous right responses and training, the wind at my back propelling me to think and act rightly. Other days, attempting to apply the truth that I know, somehow feels foreign and my skill set inept. Herein lies a secret about truth. It’s not simply identifying the right answer; it’s relating to the right Person.
“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. Heb. 1:1-3 We are called to know the beauty of God’s radiance and the sustaining accuracy of His Word.
Consider the glorious revealing of Jesus to the Apostle John on the Island of Patmos: “The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. Rev. 1:14-16 This was followed by Jesus speaking to the seven churches; a powerful revealing of their true condition. The comfort of His radiance is the anesthetic for the surgery of His Word.
I will not progress far in telling myself the truth, unless I am growing in experiential knowledge of the Person of God, while being rooted and grounded in the truth of the Word. The accuracy of God’s Word levels the playing field in my soul, enabling me to respond to His desire and direction for my life. God can speak through whatever means He desires, but nothing can eclipse nor should anything be exalted above, the person of God and His inspired Word. However, the more I am sourced in knowing God and being washed in His Word, the more I find revelation coming across my path from other sources. Inspirational biographies, novels, movies, these may all be sources of spiritual insights. It goes without saying, that scripture memorization is essential. Memorizing scripture is mastering truth for recall.
I recently committed a portion of Psalm 18 to memory, which included this verse: “It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.” I find it amazing the number of places where this verse fits; basically, any time I feel weak or insecure. Another small example of telling myself the truth.
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