Journey into Lightl

Did you know that you and I have many false beliefs and strategies for living that we do not even know we have? For example, we can be controlled by what certain people think of us, and reject the clear teaching of God about what he thinks of us, and not know this. We can be afraid of losing status with certain people, even though God has said that we will never lose status with him.

He says to us, “You are precious, you are honored, and I love you” (Isaiah 43:4). Yet, we can live as if the opinions of certain people trump God’s opinion of us, which it does not. Because this kind of false thinking and dependency often happens deep within our hearts, it is outside of our awareness and often goes unchallenged.

How can we deal with a problem that we do not even know we have? How can we “put off the old and put on the new” (Ephesians 4:22-24) if we do not even know what the old false thinking and dependencies are?

However, God warns us that we cannot really get to know ourselves without the help of the Holy Spirit. “The heart is more deceitful above all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)  He goes on to say that he alone really knows us and what makes us tick.

So, may we ask God to search our hearts and reveal to us any hurtful way (Psalm 139:23-24). This should help us to know ourselves better, and with God’s help, put off our old ways of living.