Letting Truth Transform Our Lives

It is so important that as Christian women we have a heart that is tender towards truth and willing and to accept truth when it pertains to our life.  There can be times when it is difficult for us to accept truth; especially when truth shows us something in our lives that is not biblical.  It is never easy to admit we are wrong.

However, if we never change - change never happens. 

It is easy for us as women to look at a difficult situation in our lives and see all that is wrong; but it can be incredibly difficult to accept truth (often times the solution to all that we see as wrong) when it requires us to admit or change something we have been doing wrong. As I have sat through different counseling classes I have heard of and seen the examples of people who realize that something is wrong – but then reject the solution to the problem. 

Truth must be received in order for things to change. 

Simply listening to truth will not change my situation.  Truth must be received and applied to my life.

So we must ask ourselves the question:  “What is truth?”

Truth is an absolute that will not change.  Our culture has accepted the lie of Satan that there are no absolutes.  However, the Bible is full of absolutes – and there is absolute truth.  God is the source of all truth.  Wisdom is learning to look at life as God looks at life.  We do that through the Word of God that He has given us.  It is FULL of truth.  God’s truth does not change.  When we take God’s truth and apply it to our lives we will experience spiritual blessing.  God has given us truth for our good – and because He loves us!    

We must place a HIGH value on truth.  If you read through Proverbs 2 you will see just how valuable God says it should be for us to seek wisdom (truth).   We must be willing to do anything to get truth; and then once we hear truth we place ourselves under truth and apply it to our lives.  When we value truth we are willing to admit we are wrong and change - even if it costs us. 

This will be a two part series on Letting Truth Transform our Lives.  Today, we will look at things that hinder us from receiving truth.  As I look through these hindrances I am able to see in my past where at one time or another all of these things hindered me from receiving truth and allowing my life to be transformed by truth.  Satan is the father of lies. Satan wants us to believe lies!   He does not want us to accept truth because truth can change us!  Accepting truth is vitally important in the Christian life. 

We must make it our motto that if God speaks to our hearts and gives us truth in regards to our lives we will respond to His conviction and apply the truth that He has shown us.  We continue in sanctification as we willingly obey the truth that He gives to us.  We also stop growing spiritually when we hear truth – but refuse to accept it, or fail to apply it to our lives. 

What are the hindrances in receiving truth?

1. It’s New

There have been many Christians who in their new found faith found things of God to sound different and wrong because they have never heard truth before.  When truth is new to you it may be difficult to readily receive it and apply it to your life because you are just learning.  God wants us to reason through His Word and learn; when we are hearing things for the first time there can be difficulty in accepting this new truth.  We must be aware that this can be a hindrance; but does not need to stop us from accepting truth – even if it is new to us. 

2.  Opinions Taught as Truth

Unfortunately, this has happened in Christian circles; and the results are that people become leery of accepting truth for fear that it just another man’s opinion that is given for self-serving reasons.  When a man’s opinions have been taught as truth, only to find that his opinion was faulty and incorrect, people are fearful to accept truth from others teaching the Word of God.

3.  Feelings are Viewed as Truth

How we feel is real.   Just because I feel something, however, does not make it true.  I can feel all alone.  Truly feel completely alone and that no one cares.  However, no matter how deeply I feel that – it is simply not true.  God is always there for me.  Even if every single person in this world walks away from me and leaves me – God will NEVER leave me.  I must place my feelings under truth when I find my feelings to be contrary to truth.

4.  We think that there are Exceptions

This I truly believe is a working of Satan in our thoughts.   I remember distinctly one time in my life when I was so overcome with how to handle a situation.  I had come up with my own solution for how to make it better – even though my solution went against Bible truth!  For some reason I had told myself that while I believed the truth – and knew that it was how it was supposed to be – my particular situation was an exception to that Bible truth.  I have are talked with several ladies through the years, who have this same mindset about their problem.  This happens often and I believe with my whole heart it is a work of Satan to cause us to think this way. 

5. We see a Dead-End

There are many ladies who do not accept and receive truth, not because they don’t believe the truth – but because they believe that the truth will not change their situation.

  I have heard it told how a Pastor and his wife were counseling a couple because of marriage problems.  The Pastor was talking with the husband and telling him he needed to be the leader in his home.  The husband looked right at the pastor and said, “Pastor, I would take the lead in my home if my wife would just submit .”  At the same time the Pastor’s wife was talking with the wife of this man telling her she needed to submit to her husband’s as the leader of their home.  The wife looked at her Pastor’s wife and said with all sincerity, “I would submit to him if he would just lead.”  Both that husband and wife had stifled their marriage relationship from moving forward because neither one saw where the truth was going to change the situation.  They were stuck – and unless one of them received truth and applied to themselves – nothing would ever change.

6.  Self-Gratification

Have you ever met a person who is always negative?  If the day is cloudy and rainy they complain about how they hate the rain.  However, you come to them on a clear and sunny day and expect to hear them joyful and happy about the beautiful day; but are met with only a negative spirit about how hot it is – or how the sun is too bright.  No matter what the weather is like – they will always complain because they derive some sort of gratification when they are being negative.  There are those who do that with truth also.  No matter what truth says – no matter how much truth will help them solve the problems that they are finding themselves in– they enjoy having the problems more than solving them.  Perhaps it is because they are able to get people’s sympathy; or perhaps it is because they have gotten so used to thinking lies that they almost are incapable of receiving truth.  This can definitely is a hindrance to accepting truth. 

7. Pride

A proud person has a hard time (and often time will not) admitting they are wrong.  Let’s be honest here, all of us have a hard time saying we were wrong.  It is human nature.  It’s a sinful part of human nature!  Pride is perhaps the greatest hindrance to accepting truth. 

The second part of the series we will take time to explore how we can accept truth into our lives; and look at examples of people who changed their lives because they received and applied truth to their situations.   I hope you will join me again next Wed for part two of Letting Truth Transform our Lives

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I am so glad you did.

Blessings,

~Martie