Faith is…Choosing Truth
FAITH Part 4
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31,32.
The God of the Bible defines Himself as love and He says that perfect love casts out all fear – it seems that knowing we are loved, oh so very loved by the God of Heaven is supposed to remove all fear from our lives – or in other words, if God loves me, what or whom do I have to fear?
As a good, good Father, He wants us to prosper, to be well, to live life to the full, to know joy even when it's tough, no matter where we’ve been, what we’ve done or who we are today. But so many of us don’t live like this - we worry, and we are stressed by many things. We try to read our bibles, we go to church, we sing songs about the goodness and faithfulness of God - we kind of know in our heads that we are loved and don’t need to be afraid, but when we come up against a problem, when we come face to face with our own failings, we slip into anxiety and fear, and all that head knowledge goes out the window.
Fear is a thief - it robs us now in the present, ahead of what has not even happened - it steals our peace and our joy. In the crisis it whispers that there won’t be enough, this will all fall apart, you won’t survive, it will all end badly, he or she, or even I, will die.
Fear and anxiety eat away at us, affecting mental and physical health. Jesus says to us in Matthew 6:31-33 ‘So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
And again, later in the New Testament, Paul says ‘do not be anxious about ANYTHING’ (Phil 4:4-7, my emphasis)
It seems to me that before us lies a choice…in these verses does Jesus speak the truth? Is Paul teasing? Will we choose to believe our feelings of fear and anxiety or will we make a decision to choose to believe what God is saying, in spite of our feelings?
These emotions are strong and powerful, even overwhelming. We know that we can’t fix ourselves, or our families. Sometimes life is out of control and we don’t know what to do. But in the midst of the noise and the chaos in our heads, there is the voice of One we can trust. He speaks the truth because He is the truth.
The words of Eleanor Roosevelt, former First Lady of the USA ring true here. She famously said, ‘In the long run, we alone shape our lives and we alone shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility…’
So…when the sky is grey and it’s threatening to rain, the day ahead looks bleak, and we feel lost and alone, will we choose to believe God who says to us, ‘I will never leave you…I love you with an everlasting love…I have plans to prosper you and not to harm you’?
In the difficult moments, let’s choose to hold onto the truth. To hold onto God’s words - they are truer than anything else.
Prayer
Father God, I want to trust you and the words you speak, but sometimes I feel overwhelmed and it’s so hard to believe you over and above the strong feelings of anxiety and fear. Please help me to choose the truth, in spite of what the circumstances seem to say. I believe that you love me and that you will take care of me and that you will help me with this. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.