You know, I think one of the toughest things about being a wife and mom is trying to actually do what I know I should.
For instance, I have studied much about nutrition so that I can feed my family properly. I care about having healthy kids and a healthy husband. However, those candy bars and French fries still call to me…
“Just this once, Anne. It really won’t hurt.”
Why is it so difficult to turn beliefs into action?
The Bible says that we are to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22). I know that I fall into this trap easily. I was raised in a Christian home, and my head is full of biblical knowledge, but it can be really tough to apply what I know to my actions each day. Even worse is when I deceive myself into thinking that I’m a good Christian, just because I know what to do. Do you have this problem, too?
Don’t get discouraged. First, remember that Yeshua is our ultimate example. Remember His weakness when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness? No food for forty days, alone all that time. Then Satan tempted Yeshua with things that must have been very dear to Him, being the Son of God. Things like ruling the world.
However, Yeshua knew that Satan was only lying to Him. He defeated those lies by simply reciting the Truth that is found in the Scriptures.
It might be helpful to make a list in your notebook of areas in your life where you tend to believe Satan’s lies. Ask God to bring them to mind so that you can change your thinking and believe the truth. Maybe you could compare yourself to some lists in Scripture such as the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23 or the list in 2 Peter 1:5-9.
Take your journal, and list out verses that are filled with Truth. Repeat them throughout the day, so that you know them from memory. A concordance can help you, or maybe you could ask a godly woman you know for suggestions. One of my favorite possibilities for verses to memorize is located on my friend Christine’s blog.
When depression, fear, anger, worry, or any other lie starts to chase you down, you will want to replace that lie with truth right away. Here my friend Christine explains this simple method:
Be sure to download the handout she gave away, and especially pay attention to the chart on page 6. For myself, I took a screenshot of page 6 on my phone, and I keep it in a special album in my phone’s image gallery. Then I can look at it whenever I need to, such as in the middle of the night.
Screenshot of Page 6, Kept in My Phone’s Photo Gallery
After making your list, it might be helpful to write the verses on 3×5 cards and keep them with you. (If you prefer, download memory verse images to your phone and store them in an album to scroll through.)
Scripture Pictures in My Phone’s Photo Gallery
Remember what David wrote:
“How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:9, 11).
Finally, as you begin to work on your problem areas, remember to take it easy on others. Everyone has a weakness (or two… or three…). Yeshua instructed his disciples to remove the plank from their own eyes before trying to remove the speck from others’ eyes (Matthew 7:1-5). That’s tough! We look at others and wonder why they don’t just shape up! Can’t they see? Well, no, they can’t. Or maybe they can see, but like us, they just have a really hard time turning knowledge into action. Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Messiah forgave you.”
As a parting word of encouragement, take the time to read what the Apostle Paul wrote about his own personal struggle in Romans 7:7-8:1. He finishes, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Yeshua the Messiah our Master!”
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture in this blog post taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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