The Power of Belief
"This gospel unveils a continual revelation of God’s righteousness—a perfect righteousness given to us when we believe. And it moves us from receiving life through faith, to the power of living by faith.” Rom. 1:17
Throughout scripture, we are told that what we believe matters. Have you ever known the truth but struggled to believe it?
When we encounter hardships, we can lose sight of truth. The pain we experience in life through a divorce, loss of a loved one, health challenge, or trauma of any kind can overtake us. We encounter shame from past failures, all the "what ifs" we are afraid to live through again, the anger and resentment over pain that was inflicted upon us. These heavy emotions can crowd out the reassuring voice of God.
Even still, God is speaking. He is calling you out of the pain, the rejection, the disappointment. He is drawing you close to Him.
In John 8:32 it says "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." God wants you to be free! And this verse gives us the key to unlock the treasures God has for our life: truth.
When God’s truth comes in, it allows us access to the fullness of His love, grace, favor, blessings, and forgiveness.
The beautiful message of Resurrection Sunday is that Jesus paid the price for you and I by giving up his life as a sacrifice. He then rose from the grave, freeing us from the power of sin. Nothing could ever separate us from His love. The work God did on the cross is finished, and it’s available to us.
So how do we know the truth? The answer is to challenge what we believe against the truth in God’s word. When we read the Bible, we are allowing in life-giving truth that shakes off our old way of thinking. We take it in, meditate on it, recite it out loud and believe what God says, then our faith grows!
I want to encourage you today to meditate on God’s promises. His message today is you are loved, you are accepted, you are healed. Allow His truth to sink in and replace the lies you’ve been believing. As you do this, you will walk in new freedom. You will experience new joy. You will find there is new life waiting for you!
By Pastor Cari Stewart