Glorifying the Triune God by creatively declaring the relevancy and practicality of His timeless Word..
Worldview
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Psalm 19:1 ESV
Psalm 19:1 ESV
Fight Lies with Biblical Truths
Whitney Hopler
Lots of lies swirl around this fallen world. If you're not careful, you can just accept those lies and start telling them to yourself. That's why it's crucial to know the truth about who God really is, and who He has designed you to be.
Here are some common lies women tell themselves that you can overcome with truths from God's Word:
"God is out to get me." It's true that God is out to get you - but for a good reason. He pursues a relationship with you because He loves you. He doesn't want to break you down; He knows you're already broken and wants to heal you and give you the grace to grow.
"God is disappointed in me." God understands your struggles and accepts you just as you are. He doesn't expect perfection for you. All He wants is for you to believe in Him and trust Him.
"I can't be real with God." Actually, God wants you to be real with Him, because that will help you draw closer to Him. He is willing to meet you wherever you are and walk through any situation with you.
"God doesn't have good plans for my life." God has great plans for your life that will rock your world if you choose to discover and fulfill them. God's plans for you will make your life an adventure and transform you into a stronger person in every way.
"God will ask me to do things I don't want to do." Yes, God will ask you to do things you don't want to do, but if you follow Him, He promises to be with you every step of the way and use your experiences to transform you. God will take you to places in life that you could never imagine on your own. Spending your life following Jesus is much better than any other life you could ever fashion for yourself.
"God can't use me." God can use anyone. He isn't limited by your weaknesses. In fact, the less you have to offer Him, the more He shows that He is strong. Living a faithful life has less to do with being talented and more to do with being willing. So be ready for God to use you.
"God doesn't hear me." God hears every word you speak, and even the words you think. So fully express your thoughts and feelings to Him in prayer often - and believe that He will answer your prayers.
"God can't possibly care about me." In fact, God cares deeply about you - much more than any other person can. God is great enough to care for every human being He has created, and to provide for the needs of everyone who trusts Him.
"God caused my problems." The sin in this fallen world has caused your problems. But God is aware of them, and He promises to be with you in the midst of them. If you trust Him, God will use even your worst problems to bring about good purposes in your life.
"God doesn't know me." God actually knows everything about you. He sees the state of your heart at any given time, and He is always hoping that you'll join your heart with His heart.
"God owes me." God doesn't owe you anything, but He chose to give you everything through His Son Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross that made eternal life possible for you. In response, you owe God everything. Your gratitude should motivate you to live for Him.
"God doesn't care if I am thankful." God loves it when you choose to express gratitude to Him - for who He is, and for what He has done for you. So thank and praise Him often.
"God doesn't feel things like I do." God made you in His image, and He feels every emotion that you feel. Not only that, but He's willing to share in whatever you're going through by being even closer than a friend to you.
"I will never be enough." Even though you're not enough, God is enough. Whatever is lacking in you, God can fulfill. Whatever weaknesses you have, God can meet with His strength. Whenever you recognize your own insufficiency, that's an opportunity for God to show His greatness by giving you grace.
"I can love people at my convenience." You always need to love the people that God has strategically placed in your path. It's rarely convenient to love people. Loving people usually comes at your expense. But God calls you to love others who have been made in His image at all times. You can't truly do anything for God if you don't love people - true love for God expresses itself in love for people, too.
"I am in control of my destiny." It's true that you get to choose who you give your life t God or Satan. Every day, you give your life away gradually through the choices you make. Choose to follow God's plan - placing your destiny in the hands of the One who loves you best.
"I can't hear God's voice." God is always speaking to you, so if you can't hear His voice, you must be too distracted to hear Him. Slow down and listen.
"I only have to forgive people when I feel like it." God has forgiven you for your sins, and He expects you to answer His call to forgive others who hurt or offend you. You'll likely never feel like forgiving people, but if you choose to forgive them despite your feelings, God will help you through the forgiveness process.
"I don't need to serve people." God calls you to become more like Jesus, and an important part of that is serving others, just as Jesus did.
"I need to be good so that God will love me." God loves you even when you're not good. Absolutely nothing can diminish God's great love for you.
"I don't need to change." God wants to change you, because change equals growth. You need to be open to God's transforming work in your life in order to become more like Jesus.
"I don't need people." You definitely need other people in the body of Christ, because God has designed us to be woven into the fabric of each other's lives.
"I am never going to be free." If you rely on God's unlimited power rather than just your own limited abilities, you can indeed be free by overcoming any problem in your life.
March 4, 2010