In my own admittedly limited experience, I’ve found that one of the most important aspects in my walk with God is keeping my mind grounded in the truth of Christ. When I neglect to spend time with Him or begin to place my energy and focus elsewhere, I slowly begin to believe things about God, myself, and others that are not true. For whatever reason, I very easily forget the reality of God’s grace, where I stand in light of that grace, and the calling on my life to love those around me.
Perhaps this is partly due to the fact that God’s grace and its implications are completely counterintuitive truths – seemingly too good to be true, especially as I continue to struggle with sin. Nevertheless, the truth of His love endures, shining through our imperfections and shortcomings. In order to grow, we must be relentless in our fight against the father of all lies (Jn 8:44), while continually desiring a deeper knowledge of our Savior.
In the media-saturated, self-centered culture that many of us find ourselves in, we are literally bombarded by lies throughout the course our daily lives. A few years ago, I had the privilege of going to a one-year Bible school in scenic Estes Park, Colorado. One of the Bible professors was an advocate of an activity he called “Spot the Lie.” He would play a song or show us an advertisement and ask us to identify what false presupposition (i.e. assumed truth) lay beneath the given piece of media. It’s amazing what happens when you step back and examine what we are being spoon-fed as a culture. Listen to a radio commercial break next time you are in your car and see how many lies you can glean from the string of ads that play between the music. You need to buy our pre-packaged meal system in order to lose enough weight to be acceptably thin. You need to buy these car stereo speakers to get noticed. If you care about her, you’ll buy your engagement ring from us…
In addition to being aware the lies of culture and media, we as Christians must consistently be on guard against the schemes of the devil. Jesus asserts in John 10 that “the thief [Satan] comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” Having been saved by grace and secured in Christ, Satan and the forces of darkness aim to steal away the rest and joy that is found in Christ’s salvation. I find that I must constantly step back and ask myself if the thoughts that I harbor are true to the reality of God’s Word, while resting in the truth of Jesus words which immediately followed those quoted above: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Let’s continue to seek after the fullness of life in Christ while taking captive the lies that will most certainly be thrown at us. Let’s rest in the liberating truth of what He has already done!
For further reading on Satan, demons, and the battle of the mind, check out The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis