A Powerful Exchange

Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; incline Your ear to me, and save me. Psalm 71:2 (New King James Version)

Sometimes I can easily see what I need to be delivered from and other times the realization can be slow in coming. When I don’t understand my own captivities, escape is illusive and imprisonment is long lasting. But I have a faithful God who is passionate about my freedom. I am not left on my own to wade through the issues of life.

At the present, the issues of life involve lies I have embraced and God’s desire to help me see, own, and walk in truth. I am astounded at the power and simplicity of how this exchange works. God has been using an individual in my life to help me see the necessity of identifying and renouncing the lies I am believing and replacing them with the truth. She had to say it a number of times before I could finally hear it and implement it. What she is sharing with me has opened my eyes to the potential for victory and freedom. God is using her to teach me the necessity of discernment.

I am learning to detect when a lie is being introduced to me and the evidence of my receiving it as truth. I recently read an email that was filled with wisdom and godly advice. But because I am use to reading between the lines and being suspicious of what someone might be thinking, I began to draw some wrong conclusions as to what was meant by the words. Part way through the email I felt an uneasy surge in my body and a lie emerged. I grew uneasy, felt shame, began to withdraw emotionally, felt a sense of hopelessness and condemnation, and wanted to retreat from the person who was really trying to help me.

God graciously intervened and let me know it was a lie! What I was thinking of myself and this person was a lie! The negative thoughts and reactions fled when I simply voiced the truth. This person was not criticizing me or telling me things to shame me. She was wanting to warn me of some dangerous thinking. I received her words as they were intended to be received and the negative thought process lost its grip. I slept well and woke up joyfully free!

Today I am on guard. I am aware the enemy has many more lies for me to embrace and I don’t want to receive any of them. I have a choice to believe lies or believe the truth. I am going for the truth. I invite others to join me. It really doesn’t have to be the way it has been for any of us.

Father, I have spent too many years not walking in the truth. Oh, the lessons, wisdom, and guidance I have missed because of it. You are the Truth and the source of truth for me. Keep showing me the way of escape! Amen.