By Susie Larson
Our Enemy sees our potential long before we ever do. He starts when we’re young and not only targets our gifting and future calling, but he also goes after those tender places of vulnerability. All you need to do is look back into your childhood, and you’ll likely find a pattern of losses and hurts that conflict with God’s message of hope and redemption for you. A friend once reflected, “Our Enemy starts when we’re young and conditions us to believe his lies.”
Why does he do that? If we’re conditioned to believe lies, he can steal from us without us ever even realizing it. If you think you’re an outsider, you’ll assume God doesn’t have a community for you, and you won’t contend for it. If you believe you’re a reject, you’ll allow the Enemy to use every hardship and setback to confirm that you’re unacceptable. Those trials are meant to train you to be strong in battle and secure in your identity. If you believe you’re only a victim of your circumstances, you’ll never dare to imagine and fight for your victory. The truth is, no demon in hell can keep you from all God has for you!
If you believe God is the one who made you ill or caused you pain, you’ll feel conflicted about contending for your healing and restoration. If you don’t know all Jesus won for you, how will you know when it’s stolen?
In every way, the Enemy takes God’s ideas and counterfeits them. He has a history of conditioning us to believe his lies. Thankfully, God has a history of continually setting us free:
The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time. Psalm 34:19
The beautiful thing about Jesus is that He’s not impatient with us. He knows how perpetually we fall into the Enemy’s traps and how quickly we believe his lies. But He does intend for us to mature and grow. There are things He wants us to know—some of which we’re not ready for until we’ve won some victories and have gained new ground. Because our healing most often comes in layers, so does our knowledge of and capacity for the truth.
Every time you decide to hold fast to God’s truth in the face of contrary circumstances, you grow in knowledge of God and His ways. Every time you rehearse the truth about who you are because of who God is, you reinforce the truth in your innermost being, which is a good thing because that’s where most lies go to hide:
Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part [of my heart] You will make me know wisdom. Psalm 51:6
God is so good. He intends for you to gain wisdom, authority, and credibility where you’ve experienced loss, heartbreak, and messages that distort His love. Train yourself in the truth that sets you free.
Picture yourself tightening that belt of truth around your waist (Ephesians 6:14). It holds the rest of the armor in place. Imagine yourself walking through the ashes of your pain with your head high, your shoulders back, and your heart warmed by the fact that you belong to God—the Redeemer of your story. These things are possible with God.
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Adapted from Waking Up to the Goodness of God: 40 Days Toward Healing and Wholeness by Susie
Larson. Click here to learn more about the book.
For those who have been disappointed when the “good life” let them down or discouraged by life’s struggles, the goodness of God is trustworthy, life-giving, and everlasting. Jesus wants to lead you on a healing path to redeem your story and to make you whole.
The words we say and the things we pray matter to God and to our health. Where we rest our gaze and how we think about God directly impacts the condition of our souls. Proverbs 14:30 states, “A heart at peace gives life to the body.” God is well able to restore and renew us even when culture swirls around us. The world needs healing. But we can’t impart what we don’t possess.
Scripture highlights the significance of 40 days as a kind of pilgrimage or spiritual journey toward a deeper dependence and reliance upon God. Science highlights how 40 days of practice (of a habit, a renewed thought, a healthy discipline, etc.) directly impacts our brain’s structure and physiological health.
Join best-selling author, popular radio host, and Bible teacher Susie Larson on a 40-day pilgrimage to explore God’s invitation to flourish, heal, and know His peace in a way that changes us forever. Through this journey, readers will discover how to:
- Retrain their brains and renew their minds to notice God’s goodness and to make that their default setting
- Revive their faith by immersing in God’s promises, saying and praying them more than ever
- Restore a right view of God’s character based on His Word and stop drawing wrong conclusions about Him
- Redeem their story and renew their strength by following the Healer
Do you still believe God is good? Do you believe He cares about the condition of your soul? And that He still answers prayer? Are you ready to position yourself on the path of His promises and see what He might do in and through you?
Susie Larson is a bestselling author, national speaker, and host of the popular radio show Susie Larson Live. Whether behind a desk or behind a mic, Susie lives out her passion to see people everywhere awakened to the depth of God’s love, the value of their soul, and the height of their calling in Christ Jesus.
The post Is God Really Good? How to Be Trained in Truth appeared first on Bible Gateway Blog.