Beliefs: The Driving Force in Our Lives - Part 2

 

Blog Series:

Renew Your Mind ~ Transform Your Life

We made three main points last week.

1. Our beliefs control everything about us. If we believe something is true, we act on it. If we don’t believe something is true, we don’t act on it. If we believe something will make us happier than we are now, we do it. If we don’t believe something will make us happier than we are now, we don’t do it.
2. We get our beliefs the same way people get the measles, by being around others who have them: family, friends, teachers, classmates, culture and media. As a result, we end up believing things that aren't true.
3. What we believe might not be true, and if we act on it, it could turn out very badly. So, we need to be very sure that what we believe is true!

This week, we look at how we are deceived into believing lies. We don’t always believe what is true. Much of what we believe is true, of course. The world is round, the sky is blue, and water is wet. But we don’t always believe what is true. We often believe what we are told first (the “anchoring” bias) or most often (the “illusion-of-truth” effect). That is why the lessons from early childhood (family, education and culture) are so powerful. Because the world around us is so powerfully influenced by Satan (1 John 5:19), we often hear things early and often that are not true. As a result, we often go into adulthood, and even throughout life, embracing things that are not true, and even some things that are damaging and dangerous. To fight this, we must become a “truth sponge.” That is, we must be alert to the fact that things people believe are often not true, and become relentless in our pursuit of what is true. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). So, to the degree that we do not know the truth, we are vulnerable to ignorance and deception. Like Shorty, in last week’s blog, we jump off a barn roof because we believe we can fly, and we pay the price for our ignorance. So, we must become serious students of Scripture and other truth, filling our minds with truth to protect us from the deceit of the world and Satan. Satan deceives us. Satan’s central strategy against us is deception. Satan is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). He used deceit against Adam and Eve in the very beginning, convincing them that God alone was not enough to make them happy, that they needed God plus what they could provide for themselves that God’s will did not give them. The Liar tries to deceive us into thinking:

• As much of God as we want + as much good fortune as we can get by self-effort = our happiness. This was the lie he told Adam and Eve, which they believed.
• If God loved us, He would make our lives easier.
• If we suffer in life, either there is something wrong with God or something wrong with us.
• We ought to be able to understand everything about God. If we don’t understand something, we need to trust our own conclusions over anything else (Scripture, Christian authors, pastors, mentors, teachers, etc.).
• We can break the laws of God and get away with it.
• If we can get the right person or people to love us or like us, it will give us worth and make us happy.
• If we can get the the right stuff… clothes, house, car, job, etc… it will give us worth and make us happy.
• If we can be successful at something we accomplish, it will give us worth and make us happy.
• Feelings are a reliable basis on which to make decisions.
• Living for the moment and following your heart are the true path to happiness.

  These are all lies. And like Shorty’s wooden wings, if we jump off the “barn of life” believing they will enable us to fly, we fall to the ground with injuries. Satan’s deceit brings discouragement, defeat, and possibly even destruction into our lives Unless a Christian’s mind has been renewed by Scripture and truth, he or she typically lives for many of the same things the world lives for, has many of the same values the world has, and suffers the same level of dysfunction and unhappiness that the world suffers from. If we are unhappy with life, it is likely that we are living for some of the same things the world is living for. Like the world, our natural tendency is to be as happy as the positive circumstances in our lives make us. And as unhappy as the negative circumstances in our lives make us. Conclusion Why does God not make our lives go easier, more pleasant? Because that is for heaven. In the end, all will be well forever. For now, we are locked in a spiritual war that we cannot get out of. So, we (1) fight the war now, and (2) wait for heaven for the reward. John Newton, author of the classic hymn, “Amazing Grace,” also wrote a poem, sometimes called, “I Asked the Lord.” It has a message so powerful for me that I have memorized it:

I asked the Lord that I might grow in love and faith and every grace,

Might more of His salvation know, and seek more earnestly His face.

‘Twas He who taught me thus to pray, and He, I trust, has answered prayer,

But it has been in such a way as almost drove me to despair.

I hoped that in some favored hour, at once He’d answer my request,

And by His love’s constraining power, subdue my sin and give me rest.

Instead of this, He made me feel the hidden evils of my heart

And let the angry powers of hell assault my soul in every part.

What’s more, with His own hand He seemed intent to aggravate my woe.

Crossed all the fair designs I schemed, cast out my feelings and laid me low.

“Lord, why this?” I trembling cried. “Wilt Thou pursue Thy worm to death?”

“’Tis in this way,” the Lord replied, “I answer prayer for grace and faith.

“These inward trials I employ from self and pride to set thee free,

And break thy schemes of earthly joy that thou mayest find thy all in me.”

God wants to break our schemes of earthly joy, that we may find our all – our purpose, meaning, and joy – in Him. He loves us too much to allow us to find lesser purpose, meaning and joy, elsewhere - or never find it anywhere. Next week, we’ll look at Part 3 of “Beliefs: The Driving Force in Our Lives.” In case you're new here This blog post is part of a series titled "Renew Your Mind, Transform Your Life", introduced on January 5, 2021. As the series continues, each succeeding post will be added to and available in the blog archives at www.maxanders.com. If you know anyone who you think might enjoy joining us in this study, please forward this blog to them and encourage them to sign up for the free video, “Master the Bible So Well That the Bible Masters You.” This will put them on my regular mailing list and they'll receive my weekly blogs on this subject. I look forward to going through this life-changing journey with you. UPDATE: We are moving from this blog to a YouTube channel in early 2024. I’ll keep you posted regarding the transition. If you’re not already on my email list, subscribe here so you don’t miss any updates – you’ll also receive my free video, Master the Bible So Well That the Bible Masters You. In the meantime, while I’m getting the YouTube channel ready, all of the past blog posts are still available – and you know that “repetition is the key to mental ownership!” We recently finished a series titled “Moving from Checkers to Chess ~ 5 Steps to Unleashing the Power of an Eternal Perspective,” in which I “connected all the dots” from posts over the years and combined them into a “spiritual game plan.” That series is a great place to start. I look forward to seeing all of you on my new YouTube channel in 2024 to further discuss how to walk closer with God and live better in life. Two resources I’ve created to help build your biblical base for a closer walk with God: