Replace Lies with Truth
November 28, 2018
Search me, O God, and know my heart. Psalm 139:23 NLT
A quick browse of history will show that it is in the heart of man to believe lies. We shake our heads in wonderment to learn that even scholarly people believed centuries ago that the world was flat, and that they had seen all the world there was to see. The Bible had already centuries before that declared that the world was an orb, and part of the “heavens” God had created. But man’s wisdom, what he could see with his eyes, was greater to him. In similar fashion, there are people among us who do not believe that man ever stepped onto the surface of the moon. What they believe and think in their minds defines truth for them, not the compounded evidence.
In far more significant ways, we decide what we will believe. We all have a core set of beliefs. They influence the way we process information, react to life circumstances, and interact
in relationships with others. Our beliefs are shaped by our experiences, environment, and the influences upon us, especially as a child, but throughout life as well.
Some of these beliefs are true and line up with God’s truth (John 17:17). Others are lies that camouflage themselves as “common wisdom” or the cultural norms, but they all come from Satan, the Father of Lies (John 8:44). When our beliefs don’t line up with what God says, our emotional and spiritual health are negatively impacted. We will find ourselves in inner chaos and external conflict. Our interests, goals, and relationships are stressful. Changing our thinking is really the only way to transform our living. We need to ruthlessly uncover lies we believe and replace them with God’s truth (2 Corinthians 10:5). It requires discipline over time to form new patterns, but the joy of experiencing life transformed is well worth it (Romans 12:2).
Living in truth is the only way to a healthy, growing, and free life. If you are having trouble identifying the lies you believe (sometimes we can’t see the lies clearly because our family believes them too—perhaps our whole relational network), you can get help. Ask God to help you be willing to see truth and choose it, then get the assistance you need.
- Here is a pdf that will help you think through the lies you may be believing:
Mental Makeover - Seek God’s truth. The Lies We Believe, by Chris Thurman, will help you.