Thinking TruthSample

THINKING TRUTH

Despite all the adventures I’ve experienced, I’m still afraid of heights. Something about even the remotest possibility of falling to my death freaks me out. This fear was manifested in high school when I joined a leisurely climb with friends that turned into something more. I got talked into ascending a mountain to explore an abandoned mine. We had to climb a high ridge to reach the final one hundred meters and finally enter the cave opening. Fall to the right, and you die. Fall to the left, and you’re better off falling to the right.

My buddies scampered up the narrow ridge like mountain goats. My turn! I dropped to my belly and hugged the ridge like a wet rag draped over a railing. I scooted slowly up, looking like a wimp but glad to be alive—my friends mocking me the whole way. Here’s the point: Scooting up and hugging that ridge is a picture of clinging to our identity in Christ. To think the truth is to be aware of who you are in Christ and how you move through life. Cling to your identity in Christ because believing the lies of this world will hurt you or kill you. It’s that simple.

Knowing who you are in Christ because of the new birth miracle and how to sort lies from truth is vital for discovering all that’s new and what God has for you. If thinking truth had a spiritual equation, it would be this: when God does the work of saving, and we do the right thinking, we’re on the path to abundant living.

What we think about most impacts the decisions and direction of our life. Think lies, and you’ll fall. Think truth, and you’ll arrive at God’s calling and promises for your life. In the next four days, we will learn how to fight off these natural inclinations, accusations, and temptations. Your mind will be renewed by truth and freed from destructive thinking to equip you to tear down lies you’ve believed and those to come.

BATTLE FOR YOUR MIND:

• Read through the list of Scriptures below.
  • I am loved as much as anyone has ever been loved. (1 John 4:10)
  • I am officially one of God’s kids. (John 1:12)
  • I am chosen by God. (John 15:16)
  • I am inseparable from God. (1 Cor. 6:17)
  • I am carrying the life of God inside me. (1 Cor. 6:19)
  • I am a vital member of God’s bigger family. (1 Cor. 12:27)
  • I am identified by God as a saint, not a sinner. (1 Cor. 1:2)
  • I am free from any condemnation. (Rom. 8:1)
  • I am a brand new creation. (2 Cor. 5:17)
  • I am sealed and secured by the Holy Spirit. (2 Cor. 1:22)
  • I can go straight to God with anything. (John 16:26–27)
  • I can receive wisdom for any trial. (James 1:5)
  • I am absolutely inseparable from God’s love. (Rom. 8:38–39)
• Choose one that resonates with you and begin to commit it to memory. Writing it out on sticky notes and leaving them around your house can help. By the end of this study, you’ll understand why this is so important to think the truth.