If You Want to Change, Then Face the Truth
By Rick Warren
“You have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him.” Ephesians 4:21 (NLT)
The secret to personal change is not willpower. The secret is to know and face the truth. So, if you want to change, you must know and face the truth about yourself and your nature.
You need to face the truth about your weaknesses, your relationships, your successes, your failures, your past, and your future.
Nothing changes until you know and face the truth. And that truth is found in Jesus Christ.
Why is it necessary to learn the truth before anything can change in your life? Here’s why: Behind every self-defeating habit in your life is a lie that you believe.
If you’re in debt, it might be because you believed some lies like “I can spend and get away with it” or “I can always pay it back.” You might have overestimated how much you were going to make, or you believed the lie that you needed a much bigger house.
But do you? Are you sure it’s the truth? Can you prove it’s the truth? Are you absolutely certain that what you’ve believed about your finances is true?
What about your relationships? What about the things you say to yourself about yourself? Is the way you think about your past true? Or is the truth what God says about it?
The Bible teaches that personal change starts with truth. The truth sets you free. The apostle Paul says, “You have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him” (Ephesians 4:21 NLT).
Who is the truth? It’s Jesus. And because Jesus is the truth, he will always tell you the truth. His Word is the truth. The Bible is his Word, and that means the Bible is truth. (You can read more about that in 2 Timothy 3:16-17.)
What you hear on television or read in books won’t always help you—because it’s not always the truth. In fact, if you consistently listen to what voices around you are saying, you’ll find your life built on a foundation of lies, misconceptions, deceptions, and half-truths. And you will never change.
But what God tells you is always the truth. God’s Word shows you how to get back to the life you were created to live, and then it shows you how to stay on God’s path. This is why it is so important for you to have a daily quiet time in the Word of God. Nothing will change until you get the truth into your heart.
Choose today to face and respond to the truth. Then you’ll begin to see positive change in your life.
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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