This means that anyone who
belongs to Christ has become a new
person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
There
are so many lies that we continue to believe, hold, follow and tell
others. We’ve been telling most of them
so long that we cannot tell what is true and what is false. Remember that our enemy, the Devil or Satan,
is a liar. That is his nature and is
part of his character, yet God cannot lie.
Who are we going to believe?
Distinguishing
between a lie and the truth ought to be easy, but it is not. Take a few minutes to look through some of
these lies that people often believe:
--- The life of a Christian should be easy, and if you’re having problems,
you must have really messed up or made God angry.
--- Your past is painted on your life in permanent marker.
--- Everyone else in your church is holy. You’re the only real bad sinner
in the bunch.
--- What you do in private doesn’t matter.
--- Your appearance defines your worth.
--- Keeping sins and pain secret is the only way to keep from getting hurt.
--- Nobody will ever accept the real you.
--- Serving and knowing God is really all about following a bunch of rules
and attending a ton of meetings.
--- God only uses perfect people. Broken
people need not apply.
--- You are all alone.
(These lies are from THIS
LINK.)
Lets
turn the other direction. What are some
things that God says are true about us?
We too often have a hard time believing these and turn to the lies
because they seem or feel easier to believe:
--- John 1:12 I am a child of God
(Romans 8:16).
--- John 15:15 I am Christ's friend.
--- Romans 3:24 I have been justified
and redeemed.
--- Romans 6:1-6 I died with Christ
and died to the power of sin's rule in my life.
--- Romans 6:7 I have been freed from
sin's power over me.
--- Romans 8:1 I am forever free from
condemnation.
--- Romans 15:7 Christ has accepted
me.
--- 1 Corinthians 6:19,20 I have been
bought with a price; I am not my own; I belong to God.
--- 2 Corinthians 5:17 I am a new
creation.
--- Ephesians 1:3 I am blessed with
every spiritual blessing.
--- Ephesians 1:7,8 I have been
redeemed and forgiven, and am a recipient of His lavish grace.
--- Ephesians 4:24 I am righteous and
holy.
--- Philippians 4:7 His peace guards
my heart and my mind.
--- Colossians 1:14 I have been
redeemed and forgiven of all my sins. The debt against me has been canceled (Colossians
2:13,14).
--- Colossians 2:10 I have been made
complete in Christ.
--- 1 Thessalonians 5:5 I am a child
of light and not of darkness.
--- Hebrews 2:11 Because I am
sanctified and am one with Christ, He is not ashamed to call me His.
--- 1 Peter 5:8 I am an enemy of the
devil. He is my adversary.
--- 1 John 3:1 God has bestowed a great love on me and called me His child.
(This truth is from THIS
LINK.)
The
choice is ours as to what we believe. To
make sure we hold on to the truth there is a fine balance of humility and
confidence. We must believe what God
says, yet all that God says is true about us comes on the basis of what God
does and not based on what we have done or what we are worthy of. That is where humility comes in.
When
we think too low of ourselves, thinking we are unlovable or unworthy, is the
point where Satan wins, the lies are believed and our lives head off in the
wrong direction. Thinking what God thinks, we are headed up with God in
control.
God,
help us, your kids, distinguish between a lie and the truth. Thank you for making us new through what
Jesus has done for us. May your truth be
what we lean on and may our understanding be built on only what you have
said. Thank you for your unending
acceptance and your unfailing love. In
Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
This
Sunday we continue the series called LABELS at The Community Fellowship. Pray with me that more and more people will
take in what God says about them!
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