Promise for Today - Under Attack

Be humble when you correct people who oppose you . . . They have been trapped by the devil, and he makes them obey him, but God may help them escape.

2 Timothy 2:25-26 (CEV)

When you face opposition because of your faith, you need to recognize its source. It’s not other people. It’s not your coworkers. It’s not a political party. It’s not a competitor. The pressure you feel to cave in or be quiet or sit down when you should stand up—that pressure is not coming from other people. It’s really coming from Satan.

In Revelation 12:10, Satan is called “the accuser of our brothers and sisters” (NIV). In other words, he’s the accuser of Christians. His number one job is to put you down.

There is an unseen spiritual battle going on all around you. The pressure to keep you from doing the right thing is not really coming from other people. They’re just weapons. Most of the time they don’t even know they’re being used. The real issue is spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6:12 says, “We are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world” (GNT).

Satan knows it’s ineffective to attack Jesus directly, so instead he attacks Jesus’ followers. He uses the media, music, popular culture, and anything he can to ridicule those who belong to Jesus. He’s behind the voices saying, “Those Christians are out of date. They don’t know what they’re talking about.”

Here’s what the Bible says you should do: “Stay away from stupid and senseless arguments. These only lead to trouble, and God’s servants must not be troublemakers. They must be kind to everyone, and they must be good teachers and very patient. Be humble when you correct people who oppose you . . . They have been trapped by the devil, and he makes them obey him, but God may help them escape” (2 Timothy 2:23-26 CEV).

God has given you the Holy Spirit to help you stand against the devil’s attacks. His Spirit gives you the power to grow in self-control, even over your moods. He helps you resist things like jealousy that Satan uses to tempt you. He gives you strength in seasons of depression and struggle. And He helps you overcome things like anger and rage.

You may think you’re strong, but you’re not strong enough to fight Satan’s attacks on your own. What you need to do is recognize the source—the devil, not that person—and treat the opposition the way Jesus did.

How did Jesus treat those who opposed him? Even on the cross he said, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing” (Luke 23:34 GW).

The people who attack you—who put down Jesus and church and Christianity—often don’t know the extent of what they’re doing.

That’s why, just like Jesus, you need to pray, “Father, forgive them,” so that you can show love even under attack. Then you’ll have more energy to fight the real enemy.

Talk It Over

If Satan is behind people’s wrong actions, why are they still held accountable by God for what they do?

What is the effect on you physically, emotionally, and spiritually when you are able to forgive your enemies?

What areas of weakness in your life does Satan attack most easily? Ask God to grow your faith in those areas and give you strength to stand firm.

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

          We come before You asking for protection and strength in spiritual battle. When we are weak, You are our strength. When we are under pressure, You are our peace. Shield us from every fiery dart of the enemy and strengthen our hearts for the battles we can’t see. Equip us with the armor of God: truth, righteousness, faith, and the sword of the Spirit. Let us stand firm, unshaken, and rooted in Your Word. Help us walk boldly, knowing You are with us. Be our defender and fortress today and always, according to Your Word. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen

Promise for Today - Lies, Lies, and More Lies

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.

“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
2nd Kings 6:15-17 NIV

Now and again, in the tough times of life (which everyone has experienced), we tend to feel outnumbered and often, alone. Looking at the circumstances, we begin to believe that LIE. Nobody cares. Nobody's there. We're all alone. Lies, lies, and more lies!

The Truth is found (always!) in God's Word. In Hebrews 13:5, God promises to never leave us nor forsake us (the writer of Hebrews is actually quoting Deuteronomy). And Jesus declared in Matthew 28:20 that He will always be with us - even to the end of the age. The age hasn't ended yet... So, you are not abandoned. You are NOT alone.

Prayer:

Father,
           We pray as Elisha prayed, that You would open the eyes of everyone who can only see the circumstances surrounding them. Light up their lives with Your Presence and holy fire. Shine the Light of Your Truth to dispel the darkness of satan's lies. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

They Say

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”
Matthew 11:18-19 NIV

Election years. The slanted spin that is spewed out; the pundits' rhetoric that gets passed as truth. I detest the lies and mudslinging and the mangling of made-up fact and fiction that occur during it all. Who can you trust? Only God, His Son, and His Holy Spirit - the Spirit of Truth. John 16:13 tells us He will guide us into all truth.

Non-believers will say anything even - or should I say especially when they don't know the whole truth. They just say the part that makes them feel good about themselves or curries public favor for their opinion. All that to say, they will lie about you, too. After all, they lied about John. They lied about Paul. They lied about Jesus, too. I'd say you're in good company there. 

Dear One, don't worry about what they say. You are who God says you are. Get into His Word so you'll know the Truth. Learn His Scriptures. Find out what THEY say. 

Prayer:

Father,

            Thank You for Your Words of Truth. Thank You that Your Words give us a firm foundation on which to stand, Truth that equips us and empowers us to withstand the enemy's lies no matter who is spouting them. Holy Spirit, bring to our remembrance every Word, every precept, every line we have heard and learned of You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Through the Bible in a Year

Reading for January 16th
Genesis 32:13 - 34:31
Matthew 11:7-30
Psalm 14:1-7
Proverbs 3:10-20

None of These

Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NLT

The world declares that we're all God's children. That's deception; it's a lie. The TRUTH is that we are all God's creation, but until we call on His Name we are NOT His children. It's not a right we inherit just by being born. It's a right we are given by being born AGAIN of His Spirit.

Romans 8:14 tells us, For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. Led by His Spirit - it means we're following Him. We are told in John 1:12, But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to those who believe in His name... It takes God-given power unto salvation to overcome our flesh and to live a holy life. 

The world has modified and homogenized, diluted and polluted a version of Jesus Christ until He is almost unrecognizable as the Bible's King of kings and Lord of lords. People think they can live any way they want to and still go to a better place when they die. Not according to Scripture - Verse 10 of our Promise for Today - none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. 

Prayer:

Father, 

           Open our eyes to see Your Truth. Open our ears to hear Your Truth. Open our hearts and minds to receive Your Truth so we are not deceived by the twisted subtleties of satan's deceptions and lies. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Forewarned

Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.
Colossians 2:8 NLT

There's a lot of nonsense and empty philosophies running rampant in our world today. satan - the great deceiver - is eloquent in his lies and twisting of the truth. Are we able to tell the difference between something that is Truth and something that has only an element of truth? 

You know that it can be very difficult to tell some knock-off products from the name-brand goods unless they're side by side with good lighting. The same is true with the everybody-feel-good-no-matter-what philosophies of life. They sound good, but are they Truth? The only way to know for sure is to hold them up against the Truth and Light of God's Word. In 2 Timothy 2:15, we are instructed to study the Word so that we are able to rightly divide the Word of Truth. 

Paul warned us in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NLT) For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths. 

How will we fight the lies of the enemy if we don't have the proper weaponry?

Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for giving us the heads up to the enemy's battle plans. Open our eyes to see, our ears to hear, and strengthen our hearts to fight courageously for Your Truths. Shine the Light of Your Truth into every situation. Expose the lies and subtleties of satan. In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen. 

Giving It Away

The sower sows the word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.
Mark 4:14-15 NKJV

I shake and shudder at Matthew 12:36 that says we will answer for every idle word we have spoken. Has your mouth ever gotten you in trouble or am I the only one? I have said some of the stupidest things and at the worst times... I cringe even now when I think about them. I should have been handed a pencil and paper from the very beginning and never allowed to speak. At least when I'm writing, I can delete or erase or rearrange and edit, and I would stand a better chance of getting it right before someone hears it or is hurt by it. 

You might be wondering what that has to do with our Promise for Today. How does satan take away the Word that was sown in our hearts? For the answer, we have to ask ourselves, do our words agree with Truth or lies? The Holy Spirit guides us into all Truth according to John 16:13, and satan is the father of all lies. Both speak into our lives constantly. And we speak, also. The question is - What is coming out of our mouths? With whom do we agree? 

As an example, when we tell ourselves (or others) I just can't get it right, I'm stupid, I'm such a loser, I can't win for losing, I can't get ahead, et cetera, we align ourselves with satan's lies instead of God's Truth. Whatever Word was sown in our heart to overthrow those lies is given away when we open our mouth and side with satan. 

Mark 4:4 tells us we live by every word that comes from the mouth of God. The writer of Hebrews instructs, Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. Proverbs 18:21a tells us that Death and life are in the power of the tongue... Stop giving it away.

Prayer:

Father,

          Your Word tells us we are snared by the words of our mouths, but You, O Lord, are the Lifter of our heads. You came to set the captives free. Open our eyes to see the Truth of Your Word, to walk in it and like Jesus to speak only what we hear You say. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Friends' Favorites - Myth Busters

And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.
Titus 2:12-14 NLT

MythBusters is an American pop-science TV show that tests the validity of rumors and urban legends that are generally believed to be true. Items such as: 

A penny dropped from a skyscraper lands with enough force to either kill a pedestrian on the sidewalk below or embed itself into the sidewalk.

It is possible to pick up radio signals through a tooth filling.

Holding a large sheet of plywood will slow a fall from a building enough to make it survivable.

All of which have been accepted as believable, but none of which are true, by the way.

With the aid of the Internet, myths and urban legends are detrimentally rampant because lots of people will believe almost anything they read in written form. It's astonishing to discover how often a myth or rumor is widely accepted as truth simply because someone has heard it, read it or said it so many times.

The verses from Titus jumped out at me today. How often do we buy the lie that we'll never be able to overcome a particular sin in our lives because we believe we were 'born that way' or we've 'always been like this' or 'that's just the way I am'? Verse 14 declares that Christ gave His life to free us from EVERY kind of sin. I don't see an asterisk that lists any exclusions. It doesn't read 'except for.' 

Let's bust a few myths today, shall we? It doesn't matter how many times you've tried and failed. It doesn't matter how many times someone has proclaimed that you will never be this or that. It doesn't matter how many times you've heard it, read it or said it... The Truth is this. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

God's Truth - His Word - is the original myth buster. Put it to the test. 

Prayer:

Father,
          Thank You for shining the light of Your Truth in our lives. Help us to understand Your Word and to overcome the myths and rumors and lies about our own lives and about You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Evening Reflection

How long will you love what is worthless and pursue a lie? Selah
Psalm 4:2b Christian Standard Bible

In several bibles, Psalm 4 is titled A Night Prayer or Evening Prayer. It is one of David's psalms. It contains a couple of the more well-known verses about being angry, but not sinning, and being able to lie down and sleep in peace because the Lord keeps us safe.

However, today I was struck by the second half of verse 2. The verse is also punctuated with Selah - which is commonly believed to mean to pause and reflect on what has just been said. And so I did...

In the second half of verse 4, same chapter, David writes, on your bed, reflect in your heart and be still. Selah... There's that word again.

So, in reflection: How many things in life do we "love" that have no eternal weight to them? How many things do we chase after that are worthless when compared to the eternal? If they are fodder for moths and rust, why are we spending our time and energy on them?

Prayer:

Father,
           As I sit and remember, thank You for ALL the many times You and You alone have provided for me and for my family. The provision, the protection. All You! I will not fear. I know You guide and provide, Father. Teach me Your ways, O God! Let me not waste my time or energy on what is worthless or not Truth. We want to know You. We want to know and heed Your voice. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Plan B

But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.
James 1:6-8 NLT

I've mentioned before that I grew up hearing "God helps those who help themselves." I heard it so often as a child, I thought it was Scripture. It is NOT. However, as all subtleties of satan, a thought that sounds good can really mess with your faith. We start thinking that God doesn't have time - or worse - doesn't care because He doesn't answer in our time frame or the answer is not what we wanted or expected. And surely, "we should do something about that..."

I have heard good Christian people actually say, "Well, I'm gonna pray about it and if that doesn't work, I'll do such and such." There's no evidence of faith in that statement. There's no ...prayer, believing... (Matthew 21:22). The Truth following such a statement would be, "Don't waste your breath." Our Promise for Today clearly states, Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. That's praying with a Plan B.

Plan B indicates a lack of faith; not believing that God is who He says He is. Plan B is declaring either that God can't or won't - I don't know which is worse. If you have prayed something according to God's Word, there isn't anything higher, better, wiser, richer, more profitable to your mind, soul, body and spirit! What Plan B could possible be better than God's Word?

Prayer:

Father,
            Forgive us for every time we made an alternate plan. Show us where we lack faith in trusting You and You alone. Expose the lies of the enemy of our soul and tear down strongholds that have been built on those lies of half-truths. Open our eyes and our hearts to receive Your whole Truth and nothing but Your Truths. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Are You With Me?

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.

“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
2nd Kings 6:15-17 NIV

Now and again, in the tough times of life (which everyone has experienced), we tend to feel outnumbered and often, alone. Looking at the circumstances, we begin to believe that LIE. Nobody cares. Nobody's there. We're all alone. Lies, lies and more lies!

The Truth is found (always!) in God's Word. In Hebrews 13:5, God promises to never leave us nor forsake us (the writer of Hebrews is actually quoting Deuteronomy). And Jesus declared in Matthew 28:20 that He will always be with us - even to the end of the age. The age hasn't ended... So, you are not abandoned. No! You are not alone.

Prayer:

Father,

           We pray as Elisha prayed that You would open the eyes of everyone who can only see the circumstances that surround them. Light up their lives with Your Presence and holy fire. Shine the Light of Your Truth to dispel the darkness of satan's lies. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Need a Break

Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!
Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
1st Chronicles 16:10-11 NKJV

At one time or another, for whatever reason, everyone reaches a point where they need a break. We can all relate to that. I read something today that struck me to the core in relation to 'needing a break'. It's from Secrets of the Secret Place by Bob Sorge; he wrote "The greatest lie satan attacks me with is, 'You deserve a break today!'"

[my examples] You deserve a break like sleeping in an extra hour instead of getting up for your quiet time. You deserve a break from journaling because it "takes time" and you need a break to not have to think after a stressful day or a long work week or whatever the case may be. 

Bob writes "...as though time away from the [Lord] is a break! It's not a break; it's a loss."

He goes on to explain that loss, "You missed drinking deeply of the Spirit's fountain; you missed being washed and cleansed and renewed in His presence; you missed getting fed by the illumination of God's word; you missed taking the time to calm your hectic heart and hear His precious voice... You was robbed!" [end quote]

Any time spent with God is life-giving (and life changing) whether it's 15 seconds or 15 minutes or an hour or hours. I know I can't do anything apart from God, let alone anything well. I can't love. I can't work. I can't create. The Truth of the matter is that the time I spend with God - ANY time I spend with God - is never wasted. Like Mary at the feet of Jesus, when Martha demanded Mary's help, I find that I don't ever feel guilty about the time I spend with God. It is the one thing that is needful (Luke 10:42). But I have felt guilty about time I've wasted elsewhere...

We all like to focus on the harvest of seeds we've planted. Time is no different. If you sow time to God, you will reap time - a clearer mind to complete tasks quickly. Time to spend with your loved ones. What will bring the greater harvest of good - an hour with Facebook or an hour with God? We all want bumper crops and ask God to bless us... but what are we sowing? Do we really want a bumper crop of THAT? If you've known me for very long, you know I like to collect quotes. One I read recently is from A.W. Tozer, a great Christian pastor, "If a man wants to be used by God, he cannot spend all of his time with people." Need a break?

Prayer:

Father,
          Thank You that You always have the time - that You literally make the time so we can have time with You. Change our perspective on our quiet time from duty to delight - from 'I've got to...' to 'I get to!' Forgive us for buying into the lie of the enemy of our souls. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Trading the Truth

They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.
Romans 1:25

I get angry when people take truths and principles from the Word of God, then pull them out and twist them and turn them and pervert them until they're hardly recognizable - and then want to claim them as The Secret or the latest, greatest discovery of THEIR OWN. How to do this and how to do that and how to live positively and on and on it goes, and none of it gives honor to Whom honor is due. None of them credit God as the Author and Creator. The credo of mankind today - worldwide - "It's all about me! It's all about what I want!" It's all about greed and greed, my friend, equals lust. In the King James Bible, it reads, lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, and the pride of life... 

1st John 2:15-17 The Message reads, Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity. 

Mark 8:36 warns us, For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

You need something? Go to God. You want to know something you've never known? Go to God. You want to live positively? You want true peace? Contentment? All that you truly NEED? GO TO GOD! Go to Him as your Father, the Creator, Almighty God. El Shaddai, El Elyonah, Adonai. 

Who are we that He is mindful of us? Let's get it in the proper perspective. He is God and we are NOT! Don't trade the Truth for anyone or anything. 

Prayer:

Father,
         You alone are God. You alone are the Creator! You are righteous and You are holy and merciful and full of grace!  You alone are worthy to be praised! Our lives and our only hope is in You alone! Break the scales off our eyes and the chains from our hearts! Help us to show those living in this lost and dying world who You are and that it's You they're really looking for. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Can You Relate

Quick, God, I need your helping hand! The last decent person just went down, All the friends I depended on gone. Everyone talks in lie language; Lies slide off their oily lips. They doubletalk with forked tongues. Slice their lips off their faces! Pull the braggart tongues from their mouths! I'm tired of hearing, "We can talk anyone into anything! Our lips manage the world." Into the hovels of the poor, Into the dark streets where the homeless groan, God speaks: "I've had enough; I'm on my way to heal the ache in the heart of the wretched."
God's words are pure words, Pure silver words refined seven times in the fires of his word-kiln, Pure on earth as well as in heaven. God, keep us safe from their lies, From the wicked who stalk us with lies, From the wicked who collect honors for their wonderful lies.

Psalm 12 The Message

If I didn't know better, I'd think King David had been listening to talk radio and the politicians of his day. Slice their lips off their faces! Pull the braggart tongues from their mouths! Boy, howdy - I can relate to that feeling! I don't want to offend anyone, but I have to admit, there are many times throughout the Psalms that I can relate to the general theme of "Kill 'em all - let God sort 'em out."

However, just when I've worked myself into a self-righteous lather, in my heart of hearts I hear, "His mercy endures forever" and "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy" and I read how God built the mercy seat for us in the holiest because of His great love for us...

And it's then that I want to relate to David in a whole new Light. I related to him in his sin and flesh nature, but I want to be just like him in his role (as the Lord Himself described) as a man after God's own heart. Can you relate?

Prayer:

Father,

        I pray Your Word in Psalm 5, But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple. Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight before my face. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* No Charge

 He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.
Acts 7:60 NLT

Stephen was one of the original seven deacons chosen to take care of the 1st Century church. Almost every Scripture translation defines him as a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5) who, by the power of the Holy Spirit, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. A Godly man. A righteous man who lived his life above reproach.

However, one day, he got into a debate with some men and because they could not stand up against his wisdom and knowledge, they conspired with others to lie about Stephen and charge him with blasphemy. Liars all and yet it was their voices that were heard and believed, in spite of the Truth spoken by Stephen. 

How many of us would have been angry at the lies? Filled with disbelief that they actually won their court case through deceitfulness? How many of us would be angry at God because we had been doing His work and been falsely accused, but were charged as though we were guilty?

How many of us, in the middle of being stoned to death, would have cried out as our last words, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!”?

I'll just tell you straight up that I would want to be exonerated. I would want to know what good this could possibly serve. In my mind, if there is great suffering, it should be the cost for some greater good that will come of it. But the Truth of the matter is, we don't always see it or live long enough to know about it. It's not our right to know everything. The hard truth is, it's not our business. We are not God. Our business is to be about HIS business, in spite of what anyone else thinks or does and despite the consequences. 

Prayer:

Father,
          We want to be full of faith and the Holy Spirit. We want to be like Jesus and like Stephen. We want to walk in such love that we cry, "No charge!" when someone sins against us, in Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Myth Busters

And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.
Titus 2:12-14 NLT

MythBusters is an American pop-science TV show that tests the validity of rumors and urban legends that are generally believed to be true. Items such as: 

A penny dropped from a skyscraper lands with enough force to either kill a pedestrian on the sidewalk below or embed itself into the sidewalk.

It is possible to pick up radio signals through a tooth filling.

Holding a large sheet of plywood will slow a fall from a building enough to make it survivable.

All of which have been accepted as believable, but none of which are true, by the way.

With the aid of the Internet, myths and urban legends are detrimentally rampant because lots of people will believe almost anything they read in written form. It's astonishing to discover how often a myth or rumor is widely accepted as truth simply because someone has heard it, read it or said it so many times.

The verses from Titus jumped out at me today. How often do we buy the lie that we'll never be able to overcome a sin in our lives because we believe we were 'born that way' or we've 'always been like this' or 'that's just the way I am' ? Verse 14 declares that Christ gave His life to free us from EVERY kind of sin. I don't see an asterisk that lists any exclusions. It doesn't read 'except for.' 

Let's bust a few myths today, shall we? It doesn't matter how many times you've tried and failed. It doesn't matter how many times someone has proclaimed that you will never be this or that. It doesn't matter how many times you've heard it, read it or said it... The Truth is this. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

God's Truth - His Word - is the original myth buster. Put it to the test. 

Prayer:

Father,
          Thank You for shining the light of Your Truth in our lives. Help us to understand Your Word and to overcome the myths and rumors and lies about our own lives and about You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen