‘Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.’ Romans 12:2 NLT
Sometimes our culture sells us misinformation and half-truths. As a result we may have arrived at these three mistaken conclusions:
(1) There’s a special person out there who will make me happy. Only God can do that! Hurting people only hurt other people. ‘The mouth speaks what the heart is full of.’ (Luke 6:45 NIV)
(2) When I reach a certain position or accumulate a specific amount of kina, I’ll be happy. That’s the old ‘as-soon-as’ myth, and it breeds a life of discontent (see Luke 12:15).
(3) I can’t help it; it’s just the way I am. That’s the ‘I’m-not-responsible’ lie, and it will stop you dead in your tracks. If you want to be happy, examine the excuses you keep coming up with to justify your behaviour. Here are a few of them:
‘I’m not the only one!’ So what? If everybody does it, does that mean God doesn’t take it seriously? Like a kind of group-sin?
‘I don’t see any harm in it.’ And who gave you the authority to write the rules and play God?
‘I’ll just try it once.’ So if you just try it once, does that mean there’ll be no consequences?
What are the lies behind your excuses? Examine them. They’re keeping you in spiritual bondage, and they must be unearthed and removed! The Bible calls this ‘renewing of your mind.’ (Romans 12:2 NIV)
Jesus said once you know the truth, you’ll be set free (see John 8:32)—because your old belief systems will be exposed. Imagine being free to become all God wants you to be! Isn’t that worth pursuing?
SoulFood: Ps 51, Mark 8:34–38
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©