truth or lie?
August 11, 2010 | Faith: Knowing Christ, Feelings: Intentional freedom
I loved Shari Braendel’s devo [Beauty Wounds] today on Encouragement for Today, but it this powerful insight that I loved the most from my friend:
Scripture tells us words are powerful, but so are our thoughts. We often give too much value to the destructive dialogue that runs in our head from past wounds.
I wonder how many times we let words that carry no truth shape the way we view ourselves, or view others, or view life as a whole?
How could God love me when I am like this?
I’m such a screw up.
If my own mother couldn’t see my value, how am I supposed to?
The only person that ever said they loved me has walked away. What is wrong with me?
One of the most valuable principles I have ever made a part of my life is that I can’t fix others. I can’t make them say the things they should. I can’t make them feel better so they will stop lashing out at others. I can’t make them fill the gaps in my life just because they say they love me.
The only power I truly own is my response.
I can’t fix you, but I can pray for you. And whether you change or not, I fix my heart and eyes on the one thing I know to be true.
God loves me. His words are the words that I will embrace. Words like:
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us [Suzie], that we [Suzie] should be called [a child] children of God! And that is what [she is] we are! 1 John 3:1a
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we [Suzie] might live through him. This is love: not that [Suzie] we loved God, but that he loved [Suzie] us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for [Suzie's] our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved [Suzie] us, [she] we also ought to love one another. [Suzie] No one has [n]ever seen God; but if [she] we love one another, God lives in [her] us and his love is made complete in [her] us. 1 John 4:9-12
But God demonstrates his own love for [Suzie] us in this: While [she] we were still sinners, Christ died for [his much-loved daughter, Suzie] us. Romans 5:8
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for [Suzie] us, who can be against [her]us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for [Suzie] us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give [her] us all things? Romans 8:32-33
No, in all these things [Suzie is] we are more than conquerors through him who loved [her] us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate [Suzie] us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39
Maybe you’ve been listening to words from the past. Maybe they’ve seeped into your heart or the way you view life, and they have no foundation in truth, but are passed down in brokenness, spoken out of someone else’s pain or misguided intent.
Put your name in these scriptures. Truth or lie?
I choose truth.
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Wow… so many times your posts just speak so much wisdom right where I am and today’s no exception. I’ve ‘known’ for years that I cannot fix others, I can’t control others, I can only change myself. And for years I have not been able to get that knowledge from head to heart. nor be able to act as if I know that.
Over the last few months I’ve been hopefully trying to change my thought-life and how I deal with situations to reflect that truth that I can only control myself. I’ve never read those scriptures you quoted in this context before, but your devotional here has, for the first time shown me the link between God’s love, God’s power, God’s love and power in us and the power we have through Him to believe and act on the truth!
Old hat for some, but exciting discovery for me!
Thanks Suzie
August 11th, 2010 at 5:44 pmI love this, Jacqui. You are growing. You are discovering who He is. I love, love that. Grow, friend, grow!
August 11th, 2010 at 5:49 pm