What is Truth?

Last week I talked about how God keeps in perfect peace those whose thoughts are fixed on Him. Over the next several weeks I want to look at ways that we keep our minds fixed on God. Philippians 4:8 says “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (NLT) 

This week we are going to focus on the word true. When you look up the Greek for this word it is “an actual occurrence. Of God, or loving the truth and speaking the truth.” First I want to focus on the thought that truth is an ACTUAL occurrence. How often do we fix our thoughts on things that haven’t happened and might not happen? We play the what-if game. What if I start a new job and I hate it? What if my kids go out and forget everything I ever taught them? What if I tell my friends “no” and they get mad at me? We can say what if all day long. The thing is- those "what if’s" are not actual occurrences. I have heard that between 85%-90% of what we worry about never actually happens! Therefore they are not TRUE.

We spend our lives trying to control the what if’s and end up missing out on the truth that is in front of us. In Matthew 6:27 it says, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?” We waste our time in so many ways- binging Netflix, scrolling Facebook, etc., but I think worrying is the biggest time-waster of them all. The problem is that we are so accustomed to worrying that it seems impossible to stop. We think we are just worriers and so we have to accept it as our fate. I am blessed that worry is usually not my main issue (I have plenty of issues, but generally this one is not one of them), but I have had seasons in my life where worry felt like it was going to do me in. I had a family situation once many years ago that caused me constant anxiety. I wanted to fix the problem and make life better for several people that I loved. I fretted, planned, prayed, and just flat out worried. I couldn’t sleep at night because as soon as I would lay down all I could do was think about this problem. It was consuming me. I finally realized I was going to have to do something or else I would never have peace of mind again. In that season I just started saying to myself over and over “I cast my cares on Him because he cares for me.” EVERY SINGLE TIME I started to worry, I would make myself say this. Eventually, my mind did start to calm. It was hard, it felt useless at first, but it did eventually help.

I am not saying this is a magic wand to combat worry, but I am saying that we have to be intentional to focus on God’s truth instead of the devil's lies. Most of our worries are a lie from the devil. In John 8:44, Jesus was talking to the religious people of that day and he told them that they couldn’t hear His word because they were listening to the devil who was the father of lies, who has no truth in him. He went on to say that the devil’s lies make hearing his truth harder. I think that the inverse would also be true then. If we are so full of and constantly listening to God’s truth, then the devil’s lies would be harder to hear!

One way to combat worry could be to start a freedom journal. In this journal, you can write down your worry, but then also write down verses (truth) you can focus on every time that worry springs up. You can easily search verses on the internet that speak to whatever worry you are facing. Every time you start to have the worry, go and read the verses that you have written on that subject. Be purposeful to fill your mind with the word of God instead of your worries.

I am in no way trying to belittle actual clinical anxiety. Anxiety is real and it is horrible. It is an exhausting fight that so many deal with every day. I spent several years of my life trying to pray and speak my way out of depression and feeling like a failure because it wasn’t going away. I tried to be a better Christian and make sure I did everything that people say that you should do to be better. Instead of better, it often made me feel worse because I felt like it was another area that I was messing up. I am not saying that speaking the Word will “cure” clinical anxiety, but I do believe that as we saturate our minds and thoughts with the Word it will help to crowd out some of the anxiety we fight. When we are reminding ourselves that we are God’s masterpiece created in Christ Jesus, we are loved, we can do the things that God has called us to do, our children are a blessing from the Lord, and that God’s Word will not return to Him void- these truths will help to build up our armor against the lies of the enemy.

Sweet sister, I pray that you will be able to think about the truth. That God’s truth will permeate your mind and life so that you can do the things that God has called you to. That you will be able to walk in the unique purpose for which he has made you.