Two thoughts struggled inside of my head. It’s called ‘cognitive dissonance’ holding two conflicting ideas at the same time. A part of me that was tired and discouraged by circumstances of life thought “God is not listening or does not care about you or your work.” That idea circled at the edges of my mind looking for openings to become the primary thought! Knowing the Word and having long experience walking with God, another part of me held onto the thought that He is a faithful Father, that His promises are true, His purposes always prevail. It was a battle. Every part of me was involved – body, soul, and spirit. When those spiritual wars break out, I know I cannot win them alone. My confession is my weakness and His strength. Jesus’ words about His mission give me strength for He says, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:16-20, NIV)
There are public convictions, things “that I want other people to think I believe, even though I may not really believe them.” In politics this is called ‘spin.’ The public’s perception of what the politician thinks is more important even than what is true. How does this play in our Christian life? Christians universally claim to believe in life after death. We say we believe that Heaven is our true home. But does the way we live show that we are really living for eternity’s rewards? Or, are our words just ‘spin?’
There are private convictions, things that “I sincerely think I believe,” but that prove to be more illusory in real life. Peter, on the night of the Last Supper, heard Jesus speak of the coming defection of his friends. “You will all fall away,” He told. Peter thought he knew his convictions and replied, “Even if all fall away, I will not.” (Mark 14:29, NIV) He really thought, at that moment, that he was going to stick by the One he loved. But, Jesus knew otherwise. “Peter,” He said, “before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will have denied knowing me three times!” Jesus knew Peter better than he knew himself.
We may claim convictions but until they are tested we may not know the truth, even about ourselves. Thankfully, as we learn from Jesus’ restoration of Peter, even if our private convictions fail in the critical moment, He is a faithful Savior who pursues us. On the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus found Peter, a man of doubt and shame over his denial of the Lord. He led him back to that moment of failure, and on Peter’s confession He forgave him and commissioned him to go and ‘feed my sheep.’
There are core convictions that produce
life-changing spirituality. Ortberg illustrates this with the law of gravity! We
do not jump off cliffs because we know that severe injury or death will result.
We believe it to our core. Shaping core
convictions are those things we accept as Truth. Our minds must be fed, our
hearts must be open to the revelation that the Spirit brings. Our will must be yielded to Him. Those
choices, in the face of doubt, deepens our faith to accept what the Bible says
about God’s love and forgiveness, about judgment and salvation, about Christ
and the Cross, about the life of the Spirit – and as those beliefs work their
way to our core, processed and becoming part of who we are– our lives inevitably
change.
Are you wrestling with cognitive
dissonance today? Never forget that there is a Deceiver who hates God and good.
Evil’s strength is in dangling a half-truth or even an outright lie in front of
us, making it appealing. How do we defeat him and build faith that keeps us?
First – immersion in the Scripture!
The Bible shows us who God is, how the world works, and what is true. Constant exposure to the stories, doctrines, and promises of the Word changes our core convictions.
Second – confession of sin and repentance!
If we keep on living in ways we know are wrong, we slide into self-deception. We learn to rationalize and justify actions we once knew were wrong. As self-deception deepens, we are less conscious of hypocrisy. That is why we must own our failures and do what is necessary to turn from disobedience.
Third – intimacy with the Holy Spirit!
Ortberg writes, “If your Mom was in the room, watching you all of the time, you would avoid all kinds of negative behavior.” How true! Don’t we believe that God, the Holy Spirit, is always in the room with us? Don’t we believe that He sees what we’re looking at on the TV, knows what we’re writing in our email, knows when we’re lying, etc.? Apparently, for many, that is not a core conviction, because they sin quite readily when no human is looking! However, when we invite the Spirit to live in us, when we cultivate a consciousness of His Presence through worship and prayerfulness, we are changed because He here now.
Disciple, what is your true creed?
The answer is not necessarily what you learned at church from your pastor! The only way to really know what your core convictions are is to observe your life over the long term. The words you say at church, even the songs you sing to comfort yourself, are not always accurate revealers of what you really believe. What you do shows what you believe!
Here’s the word from the Word.
Jesus said “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad
tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are
never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes.
A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things
from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your
heart." (Luke 6:43-45, NLT)
You are not a captive of
doubt and fear. Jesus sets us free! He heals our vision so that we recognize
the Truth. So, resist the devil. Then, fill up that treasury with His Word.
Discard the clutter of sin. And, stay intimately connected to the Vine, being a
living branch. Faith, like muscle, grows stronger when it is exercised.
__________
My Faith Looks Up To Thee
(Olivet)
My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary,
Savior divine.
Now hear me while I pray,
Take all my guilt away.
O let me from this day
Be wholly Thine!
May Thy rich grace impart,
Strength to my fainting heart,
My zeal inspire!
As Thou hast died for me,
O may my love to Thee,
Pure, warm, and changeless be;
A living fire.
While life's dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread,
Be Thou my guide!
Bid darkness turn to day,
Wipe sorrow's tears away,
Nor let me ever stray,
From Thee aside.
When ends life's passing dream,
When death's cold threatening stream,
Shall o'er me roll!
Blest Savior, then in love,
Fear and distrust remove,
O lift me safe above,
A ransomed soul!
Lowell Mason | Ray Palmer
© Words: Public Domain
No comments:
Post a Comment