[Faith-talk] FW: [thefamilyoffaith] I Need to Know the Truth | Encouragement For Today

[Eric Calhoun]

Original Message: 
From: "TONY_at_FloridaHealth" <FloridaHealth21 at verizon.net>
To: <thefamilyoffaith at yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [thefamilyoffaith] I Need to Know the Truth | Encouragement For
Today
Date: 
Mon, 02 May 2011 09:34:46 -0400

I Need to Know the Truth | Encouragement For Today | Proverbs 31
Ministries


           
               
           
                       I Need to Know the Truth
                        2 May 2011
                        Ginny L. Yttrup
                        She Reads Featured Author

                          "Then you will know the truth, and the truth
will set you free." John 8:32 (NIV)

                        The diagnosis was unexpected. Unsettling. And
followed by tears of.relief? I climbed into my car, fastened the seatbelt,
and wiped away the tears. Why am I relieved by difficult news? I wondered.

                        As my doctor's words ran through my mind, so did
a surprising phrase: I'm not crazy. The relief, I recognized, was founded
in the truth that the diagnosis revealed.

                        When did I start believing I was crazy? I
recalled the chronic pain I've suffered for the last two years. As I did,
familiar accusations ran through my mind: You're such a wimp. There's
nothing wrong with you. You're crazy. Ah, there it was, the lie that had
slithered unbidden into my mind and nested there.

                        I've spent many of my adult years uncoiling the
lies I've believed about myself. Venomous lies that poisoned my mind
following a dozen years of childhood sexual abuse: You're worthless. No one
will ever love you. And the heartbreaker. God doesn't care.

                        I'm not the only one who has believed the lies,
right?

                        You don't have to be a survivor of childhood
abuse to believe lies. I think they're part of the human condition. And
women seem especially susceptible. Perhaps that susceptibility is an
imprint of the fall when Eve believed that first untruth the serpent hissed
at her in the garden.

                        But good news comes with the truth. Not our
truth. But the Truth - Jesus Christ.

                        The Bible says, "Therefore, there is now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1). In other
words, when condemning accusations coil around my mind, I know - I can be
fully assured - they're not from God. And if they're not from God, they're
not worth believing.

                        I'm learning to combat the lies by submitting
them to the Truth, Jesus.

                        When the enemy says, "You're worthless."

                        Jesus says, "You are a pearl of great value."

                        When the enemy says, "No one will ever love you."

                        Jesus says, "You are My beloved."

                        When the enemy says, "God doesn't care."

                        Jesus says, "I gave my life that you might have
eternal life."

                        After my doctor's appointment when I recognized
I'd fallen prey to the lies again, another thought went through my mind:
You'll never get it right. Good grief! This time, I had to laugh. I was
aware of the crafty serpent and wasn't falling for another lie. Instead, I
turned to Jesus and thanked Him for the freedom found in Him, the Truth.

                        While the enemy will continue to try and thwart
God's truth, we can know he's already lost the battle. It's a done deal. In
Genesis 3 we read that the head of the serpent will be crushed under Jesus'
heel, defeating him for all time. He holds no real power over us.

                        The longer we walk with Jesus, and the more we
seek His truth, the more we'll recognize His voice and enjoy the freedom
found in Him. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. (Galatians
5:1, NIV)

                          Dear Lord, I pray that I'll recognize Your
voice above all others. Give me ears to hear You. Teach me how to live in
the freedom of Your truth and thank You for the gift of Your grace. In
Jesus' Name, Amen.

                        Related Resources:
                        Do You Know Jesus?

                        WORDS by Ginny L. Yttrup

                        Ginny Yttrup, a survivor of childhood sexual
abuse, shares her story in this month's She Reads fiction selection, WORDS.
Visit the She Reads blog today and enter to win a handcrafted sterling
silver necklace that reflects the message of her novel.

                        Application Steps:
                        Write down what you sense Jesus is whispering to
your heart?

                        Ask Him to show you what lies you need to submit
to Him, the Truth, today?

                        Join the She Reads online fiction book club as we
discuss the themes found in this month's featured selection, specifically
hope, healing, and redemption.

                        Reflections:
                        How would my life look different if I was living
in freedom?

                        Power Verses:
                        Romans 8:1-2, "Therefore, there is now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ
Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and
death." (NIV)

                        Galatians 5:1, "It is for freedom that Christ has
set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again
by a yoke of slavery." (NIV)

                        © 2011 by Ginny L. Yttrup. All rights reserved.


                        Proverbs 31 Ministries
                        616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road, Matthews, NC 28105
                        877-P31-HOME (877-731-4663)