The Big 5Sample

Day 3: Why Belief Matters

During one particular season of my life, I found myself becoming defensive whenever someone asked a question or made a suggestion. I perceived it as criticism or as if I weren’t good enough. I began to notice a pattern: I would cut people off, I wouldn’t listen, or I would dismiss their ideas too quickly. I discovered a root of rejection that had been planted early on when my father left our family. Although I had worked through forgiveness and knew who I was as a believer in Christ, I had not permitted Jesus to truly heal me from rejection, and so I became a defensive leader.

There is a real spiritual fight vying to shape our beliefs. Our beliefs are challenged on a regular basis causing our beliefs to shift, leading us away from a victorious life and into a state of distraction and confusion.

But there is something else that shapes our beliefs: the Word of God. If you are a believer in Jesus, you have a decision to make. Is the Word of God true or not?

If God’s Word is true then fixing our thoughts on the Word of God will help us filter our experiences, the opinions of others, and the knowledge we gain through the Word. This filtering process will help us identify false information, lies, and line it up against Truth. The world redefines Truth every moment. It has caused chaos in so many lives.

Jesus said in John 8:32 (CSB), “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” If the Word of God is Truth, I have a decision to make about the Word. If it is Truth and I receive it as Truth, then according to Jesus, I can be set free. What does it look like to be set free? It means finding victory in life. It means I am not subject to experiences and opinions but rather His Truth.

In 2 Corinthians 10, the apostle Paul describes a great battle for our thought life, and living victoriously starts with bringing “every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5, NKJV). When we reject the lies of the enemy and receive the truth of God’s Word we find ourselves meditating on those things that are honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8), making our life consistent like a thermostat.

A thermometer simply measures the temperature of the environment. When things look bleak, our thermometer is hopeless. When things are looking up, our thermometer is joyful. We can’t live like a thermometer, simply responding to the craziness of the world we live in. We need to learn how to be a thermostat.

A thermostat sets the temperature of the room, and no matter how much hot or cool air is generated, the thermostat triggers its power source—the air conditioning unit or furnace—to work hard to reach the desired temperature. Taking our thoughts captive submits our beliefs to transformation by the Word of God. It helps us to show up as a thermostat.

Living our lives as a thermostat makes our home, our work, and our relationships with others much more enjoyable because the behaviors and opinions of others no longer define us. Instead, it is the Word of God that defines us!