|
BREAD FOR THE JOURNEY BLOG@ Rhythms of Grace: a Journey into RestSustenance for the journey into rest and peace
|
THIS SERIES: A HOPE-FILLED YEAR What we believe is important; believing a lie has a serious effect on the amount of hope operating in our lives. Anything which contradicts the revealed nature and principles of God is a lie. Keeping to the main and plain in Scripture--especially anything taught by Jesus--is helpful in this; we can all find isolated verses to support questionable behaviour, if we try hard enough! Jesus said: "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." [John 8:31] TWO GREAT DECEPTIONS The fundamental issue back in the Garden of Eden was one of truth, in particular the truth about the nature of God, and the truth about the nature of man. Satan’s first great deception was the temptation to believe that God is not good, and that He was withholding something important. This double-edged lie has continued through the ages and is a major root of unrest in the human soul. What is God like? Is He good all the time? The answer is found in Jesus… The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. [Hebrews 1:3] Whatever is true of Jesus is true of God the Father. If we want to know what God thinks about sickness, suffering, poverty, social exclusion, man’s sinfulness or any other problem we face, we look at Jesus. God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and…. He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with Him. [Acts 10:38] The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. [1 John 3:8] And does He withhold good stuff from us? Only things that will destroy us, if we receive them prematurely. He who did not spare his own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? [Romans 8:32] Recognising the truth that God is good, all the time, like Jesus was good all the time, is the most important thing we’ll ever do on the path to peace. The second great deception was to tempt man to believe wrongly about himself, and his purpose and destiny. Adam and Eve were tempted to want to be like God—but be independent from Him. In truth, they were already like Him, being made in His image, and had been offered the fruit of the Tree of Life, representing the Holy Spirit, as they walked in fellowship with Him. Sadly, their refusal to believe the truth meant not only were they cut off from God’s presence, they were also dislocated from their purpose and destiny. This second deception gave rise to a major root of unrest in the soul of man: the temptation to believe the Evil One’s lies about, and be prevented from, fulfilling one's God-given destiny. CHANGE YOUR WAY OF THINKING  The fundamental meaning of the Greek word for ‘repentance’ is ‘to change your way of thinking’. And that’s what Jesus urged people to do, ‘Change the way you think! Align yourself with God, for His kingdom, His rule and reign are at hand!’ Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is —His good, pleasing and perfect will. [Romans 12:2] And it seems that if we change how we think, we will also find our behaviour changes too… A belief system which is not aligned with God’s word holds us in bondage. So often our failure to gain victory over certain circumstances, habits or compulsions is the result of a faulty belief system. It is also worth noting in the present climate of ‘misinformation’—a euphemism for a lie—that we cannot partner with those who are known to lie and expect a good outcome. We need to be people of the truth. Let’s throw off all such deeds of darkness, and step into His light. Let's be seekers after truth! The truth will set you free. [John 8:32] THIS YEAR’S GRACE RHYTHM
Arm yourself with a notebook and pen, find a quiet place, become silent inside and turn your heart towards the Lord. Ask Him to show you which areas of your life are not ‘glistening with hope’, (See Hope Health Check), and which negative beliefs, lies or fears are causing the problem. As they come into your mind, write them down—without analysis at this point. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you choose one to work on and write it at the top of a clean page. Then, with Him, work through the following questions. It’s important to write out your answers, rather than doing them in your head, as it clarifies deeply held thoughts and feelings, establishes truth, and replaces negative mental images with ones which are positive and faith-filled. An internet search will provide Biblical answers regarding God’s truth in any area.
Spend some time on those last images—you’re picturing truth operating in your life! Then write out the new truths in your notebook, speaking them aloud as you go. Read your notebook entries, and write and speak the truth daily until the old thought pattern has given way to the new. Then follow the same procedure with another negative belief. GET IN TOUCH!
[Photo credits: Markus Winkler (thinking emoji); Brett Jordan (Scrabble pieces);
Estee Janssens (hello card) @ Unsplash, with thanks]
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
 |
