Emotional problems result from believing lies. Since we were designed to function according to truth, any deviation from truth will cause us to malfunction, whether emotionally, physically, or spiritually.
So, the big question becomes What is truth? Truth is defined as "the actual state of a matter" (Dictionary.com). But herein lies the problem: Who determines what the actual state of a matter is?
For me, the actual state of a matter may be one thing; for you, it may be another.
What this means is that my truth may not be your truth, and vice versa. This way of thinking is called relativism and is a lie.
In our culture, man has taken it upon himself to determine the actual state of a matter. For example, it is common for people to say things like, "Abortion is not an option for me, but it may be an option for you". Many have determined that the actual state of the matter about abortion is that it is a viable option for terminating a pregnancy. Some have determined that the actual state of the matter about abortion is that abortion at any stage is murder.
The nature of Truth is that it applies to everyone everywhere, equally and indiscriminately. This means that Truth is absolute, just as gravity is absolute. No matter who you are, if you jump off a roof, you will go down.
Most people don't like the truth that Truth is absolute. In fact, they rebel against it. But what they don't understand is that by rebelling against absolute Truth, they are hurting themselves. That hurt may not show up right away, but it will always show up eventually.
Man was designed by God to function according to the laws of Truth. When man deviates from those laws and goes his own way, he will always suffer. There's no escaping this truth.
We need to understand that emotional problems result from rebelling against Truth and insisting upon creating our own truth. Any thinking pattern that deviates from God's thinking pattern will end up hurting us.
God's thinking pattern is found in His Word, the Holy Bible. If we want to learn how God thinks, then we must read His Word. As we change our thinking to align with God's thinking, we will be moving closer to the Truth and closer to emotional health.
Showing posts with label falsehood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label falsehood. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
How to Identify the Lies You Are Believing
In this week's post, I am assuming that you have already accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord and that you are a believer. If you have not yet accepted Christ, I urge you to read last week's post entitled "Lies and How They Hinder You".
Today we're going to discuss how to identify the lies that you are believing and that are keeping you in bondage. Here is a basic rule of thumb in identifying lies: Any thought you have that contradicts what God says about you is a lie.
So how can you know what thoughts contradict what God says about you? Great question! A question to which there is an easy answer. But first let me tell you a story.
When a person trains to become a bank teller, she has to learn to recognize counterfeit money. But, amazingly, she never handles counterfeit money to learn what it feels like. She handles only real money. And she handles real money so often and so well that if a counterfeit bill should pass through her fingers, she would instantly recognize it as counterfeit. Why? Because she knows what real money feels like, and she can immediately recognize when false money is in her hands.
The same is true with us. If we handle God's Word (the Truth) often enough and well enough, we will instantly recognize the counterfeit (the Lie) that Satan sends our way.
So the first step in identifying the lies you are believing is to study the Bible. Read it. Memorize verses. Meditate on the Word. Saturate yourself with it as much as you can so that when Satan throws a lie at you, you will instantly recognize it as a counterfeit.
If you have not formed the habit of reading the Bible every day, start today. Begin with the Gospel of John in the New Testament. Read slowly and apply what you read to your personal life. As you do, you will be handling the Truth and you will be getting to know it well.
Next week, we'll explore what it means to want to get well.
Today we're going to discuss how to identify the lies that you are believing and that are keeping you in bondage. Here is a basic rule of thumb in identifying lies: Any thought you have that contradicts what God says about you is a lie.
So how can you know what thoughts contradict what God says about you? Great question! A question to which there is an easy answer. But first let me tell you a story.
When a person trains to become a bank teller, she has to learn to recognize counterfeit money. But, amazingly, she never handles counterfeit money to learn what it feels like. She handles only real money. And she handles real money so often and so well that if a counterfeit bill should pass through her fingers, she would instantly recognize it as counterfeit. Why? Because she knows what real money feels like, and she can immediately recognize when false money is in her hands.
The same is true with us. If we handle God's Word (the Truth) often enough and well enough, we will instantly recognize the counterfeit (the Lie) that Satan sends our way.
So the first step in identifying the lies you are believing is to study the Bible. Read it. Memorize verses. Meditate on the Word. Saturate yourself with it as much as you can so that when Satan throws a lie at you, you will instantly recognize it as a counterfeit.
If you have not formed the habit of reading the Bible every day, start today. Begin with the Gospel of John in the New Testament. Read slowly and apply what you read to your personal life. As you do, you will be handling the Truth and you will be getting to know it well.
Next week, we'll explore what it means to want to get well.
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