Who are you going to believe about it?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Take care of yourself”

Our Bible verse for today: “He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless. Youths may become faint and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:29-31 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Who are you going to believe about it?”

There is a scene in my mind, perhaps from a television show or movie, I can’t remember. What I do remember is there was a man who was just going about his business, apparently feeling fine and having a good day. Then two of his friends enter the scene, having conspired among themselves to play a practical joke on their friend. They approached him with looks of great concern on their faces and asked, “Frank, are you okay?” Frank replied, “Yes, I’m fine. Why do you ask?” The friends then said, “Well, you don’t look good. You look pale, drawn, and a bit haggard.” To that Frank replied, “No, I feel fine.” And the friends said, “Seriously, Frank, you don’t look good. You should go see your doctor and find out what’s going on. We’re concerned about you.”

After the friends left, Frank found himself wondering why they thought he was sick. Then he started wondering if perhaps he was sick. And soon, he wasn’t feeling so well anymore. The thing was, there was nothing wrong with Frank. But once the idea had been planted in his head, poor Frank began thinking that maybe he wasn’t well after all. And soon, he didn’t feel good anymore.

How we think about how we feel has a lot to do with how we actually feel. We can make ourselves feel better or worse depending on how we think about it. Even if we really do have some minor discomfort, we can blow it up in our minds by dwelling on it and soon convince ourselves that something minor is major, and we end up feeling a lot worse than our condition truly warrants. That’s true not just of how we feel physically, but also mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Self-talk matters.

A great remedy for negative self-talk about how we feel is found in Isaiah 40:29-31. There the prophet tells us to bring the subject of how we feel and lay it before God. Ask Him to relieve us of our feelings, and to renew and strengthen us. The promise we find there is that He will do it. So, if you believe God is good for His word, you can then embrace that truth, tell yourself that it is true, and make that the storyline that plays in your head. Tell yourself that God is renewing you and that you do feel better. Also, you can ask others to pray with you and for you about it.

Let me ask you, who are you going to believe about this – others, yourself, or God? As for me, I’m going to embrace God’s promise, believe it is true, then live like it is true. If I do that, pretty soon I will find that it is true. That won’t necessarily mean that the physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual thing that was dragging me down wasn’t real or no longer exists, it will just mean that God has helped me to rise above it.

If God says He will help me to rise above something, then it must be true. So, rather than believing what I say or what others say, I choose to believe what God says. How about you?

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Share this:

Related

Leave a comment Cancel reply