Sin entered the world when Adam and Eve believed a lie about God. The devil came to them in the Garden of Eden and questioned them about the commandments God had given to them, subtly insinuating half-truths that painted God in a restrictive, selfish light. He flatly contradicted what God had told them would be the consequences of disobedience, and as a result of his sly ‘You will not surely die’, they gave in to temptation and ate from the forbidden fruit. (Gen 3:1-7)
Many of our problems come when we continue to believe lies about God instead of allowing the Bible to guide us into all truth. Whether we realise it or not, when we believe those lies – that God is narrow, restrictive, out to get us, a killjoy, only interested in making our lives a misery or that He is indifferent, complacent about sin, too kind to ever chastise us – we become slaves to sin (see Rom 6:11-18). Those beliefs become a prison from which we need to be liberated (see Ps 142:7).
The only antidote to lies is truth. In Ps 142:5, the psalmist says, “I cry to you, Lord; I say, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.’” It is vitally important that we learn to speak the truth about God, declaring aloud what God says is true about Himself. I love Matt Redman’s song ‘We Shall Not Be Shaken’, with its uncompromising emphasis that ‘our God, You are all that You say You are; You never change, You never fail, You never fade.’ It is not enough for us to know truths about God; we have to confess these with our mouths and declare to all who God is. When we do this, confident that God hears our cries (Ps 142:1-2,6), we will find our fears, anxieties, troubles and trials taking on their proper perspective. God is in control and has not abdicated His throne. We need to focus on who God is and allow this vision to shape how we live.
Matt Redman says of God, ‘When we really grasp the heights of who He is, and the depths of His heart for us, and the strength of His power in us, we can live a whole different kind of life. The way we view God will radically affect how our lives operate.’ I believe this to be true, and we start this process by confessing the truth of who God says He is. Find a truth about God and speak it out today. Your life will not be the same.