And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
1 John 5:20 ESV

Our emotions and thoughts tell us all sorts of things. I have a list that goes through my head sometimes. Do any of the following or similar thoughts sound familiar to you? “I won’t ever be the Christian God wants me to be. I’m so inconsistent.” “I’ll never lose weight.” “I can’t break my bad habits. I’ve tried.” “God can’t love me. I’ve done bad things.” “Look at the news. The world is spiraling out of control, and there is no hope.” “I’m overwhelmed. I feel like giving up.”

STOP!

We cannot listen to the fear and the lies that the devil puts into our minds. He wants us to focus on our failures. The father of lies wants us to give up. He does not want us to know the truth about God’s love for us. God has a plan for each of us. The Lord can help us!

*Let’s kick the devil’s influence out of our thoughts and emotions. Let’s find freedom.

Let’s focus on what is TRUE.

God is True.

The Lord is the One that you and I need to listen to. Jesus Christ came so we can know him who is the true God (1 John 5:20, above).

But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, and the nations will not be able to endure His indignation. Jeremiah 10:10 NKJV

God’s Word is True.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:17–18 NKJV

The Lord cannot lie.

Consider the following in the Old Testament book of Numbers.

God is not a man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? Numbers 23:19 ESV

Our Assurance:

Because the Lord is the true God, we can believe what he says about our salvation and eternal life. See John 3:33; John 17:3; I John 5:20; and the following passage from Hebrews:

So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have a strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. Hebrews 6:17–18 ESV

That is reassuring to us. We can hold onto God’s promises. We can know that God will help us, and that He is for us! He loves us!

* How can you hold fast to God’s promises? Do you write them down?

* When is it hard to ignore the enemy’s lies?

*Replace the negative thoughts with verses of how God views you. Commit them to memory so you can quickly turn to them in your mind.

I’m realizing that the times that I doubt God are more likely to occur if I’m sick, fatigued, or hurting. I do not recognize what is true, and I fall for the enemy’s traps when I am skipping my time with God in Bible study and prayer.

We need to keep in close fellowship with God so we hear the truth and recognize the falsehoods. We need to hold fast to the hope we have in Jesus.

*Let’s grab hold of the true God and His Word without letting go.

Dear Heavenly Father, I praise You for being the true God. Thank you that I can rely on You, for You are truthful in all of Your ways. In Jesus Christ, I come to You. Amen.

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Scriptures marked ESV are taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION (ESV): Scriptures taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION ® Copyright© 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission.

Scriptures marked NKJV are taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION (NKJV): Scripture taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION®. Copyright© 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.