Sometimes we hear a lie so much that we start to believe it's true. I think Satan wants us to believe lies about ourselves so that we become ineffective for ministry. Maybe something someone told us a long time ago that we've never been able to shake off, or a truth about ourselves that we think will never change. Some of the lies I struggle with are, "I don't have value, and no one really cares they're just being nice". I have two choices, I can either counter these lies with the truth or dwell on them until I believe them and become withdrawn and useless. God should be the one who determines my worth; not other people. 1 peter 2:4 "Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but in the sight of God chosen and precious." Jesus' worth was not determined by what people thought of him. It was God that gave him value. He was chosen and precious. John 15:9 says "As the Father loved me, I also have loved you." I am valued and loved more than I will ever understand. One of my favorite passages of scripture is Matthew10:29-31 "Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." I love these verses because Jesus is like a father explaining something to his children and I always imagine Him smiling as he says, "Don't worry, you're worth more to me than a bird." That verse makes me smile and love Him more. The problem isn't that I don't think enough of myself, but that I don't think enough of God. Another of my favorite passages of Scripture is Romans 5:7-9 " For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrated His own love toward us, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.(I hate it when people only quote verse 8) My focus should be on Him, not what other people think or trying to gain approval. If our purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, we can't do that if we focus on ourselves and the lies. I need to understand and accept God's love and and purpose for my life and let His love come out in me. If only I could comprehend the depth of God's love!
There's a song called The Voice of Truth. It was what inspired me to write this post. The song talks about not listening to the voice that tells us that we have failed in the past and will never amount to anything, but to listen to the voice that is telling us to have faith and courage to trust God instead. We need to identify the lies we believe and fight against them with the voice of truth.
Thanks for your post, Lisa. I have loved reading Max Lucado's children's book "You are Special" to my kiddos for years. The Wemmicks give out gold stars to the "successful" people and gray dots to the people who don't measure up. The whole book is based on the fact that we have value in God's eyes, and the value man puts on us really doesn't matter. Love that my kids are hearing this message early in life. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tina. I'll be sure to check into that book. I'm always looking for good things to read to my children to help them understand biblical truths.
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