What You Believe Matters

What you believe matters because what you do follows what you believe. In other words, your actions reflect what you think is true. Therefore, it is vital that what you believe is based on truth and not a lie, an empty illusion.

Accordingly, the Bible is the Christian’s only reliable source for faith and practice because it is the revealed Word of Holy God. And God, who cannot lie, promises that those who receive His word of truth by faith will never be ashamed.

Jesus told God the Father:  Sanctify them by the truth; your Word is truth. John 17:17

God’s Word is truth, yet sadly, Bible study is not a priority for many Christians. So consequently, they are easy prey for Satan’s lies because they believe them. And when people act on lies, the results can feel like this: Lost, shamed, defeated, guilty, broken, miserable, hopeless, empty, insecure, angry, addicted, anxious, lonely, and fearful.

Indeed, these negative emotions quickly become a downward cycle. So, if you have lost your way, the first step is to humbly admit your sins of independence and ask God to deliver you. Moreover, ask God to help you prioritize the study of His Word. Because then, you will begin to replace the lies you believe with the truth from God’s Word.

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ Matthew 4:4

Believing God Forgives You Matters

Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?  Are you so foolish?  Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?  Galatians 3:2-3

Do you remember how you became a Christian? First, you acknowledged that you had sinned against God, and then you believed that Jesus Christ died for your sins on the cross and rose from the grave three days later. Finally, as a result of your prayer of faith, you received God’s forgiveness in Christ and were born again by the Spirit of God. So, remember this because it is easy to get off course and rely on yourself instead of God.

In addition, recall that Jesus did not just die for your past sins but also for your present and future sins. Indeed, the sinless blood of Jesus Christ paid for every sin you have ever committed or will commit. And this means there is no condemnation for those who believe. Thus, believing God’s Word matters because faith is what pleases God.

Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him. Romans 4:7-8

Believe What God Says, Not Satan

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Romans 5:1

Assuredly, you have peace with God, yet Satan loves to drag your past guilt into the present as if Jesus’ death was in vain. But do not allow the enemy to resurrect your sins. Instead, believe Jesus’ death on the cross paid for all your guilt and shame forever. And when you believe God’s Word by faith, you won’t allow your past to dictate your future. Rather, you will believe God’s Word and live your new life in Christ by faith in Him alone.

Faith in Jesus Alone Matters

Clearly, no one is justified before God by the law, because “the righteous will live by faith.”  The law is not based on faith: on the contrary, “the man who does these things will live by them.” Galatians 3:11-12

Christ’s death and resurrection did everything for you, so why are you now trying to live the Christian life as if everything depended on you? But of course, Satan loves this scheme because you will surely fail, and your focus will be on yourself instead of Jesus. The Bible provides the remedy.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9

Do you believe God’s promises? Remember, Jesus delivered you from the penalty and the power of sin, but not from the presence of sin. So, when you sin, acknowledge it to God and claim His promise to forgive and cleanse you. Then, continue to put the deeds of the flesh to death by relying on the power of the Holy Spirit and not yourself.  Indeed, the perfect life of Jesus lives in you, so continually rely on Him by faith.

Jesus said, “I am the vine; You are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; Apart from me, you can do nothing. John 15:5

Believing and Obeying God’s Word Matters

Satan is the father of lies and the prince of this world. Thus, God warns believers not to conform to the world’s ever-changing thinking and opinions that oppose God’s revealed will.  Instead, replace the lies you believe with the truth from God’s Word. And He will transform your thinking because faith comes from believing God’s Word.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is; His good, pleasing, and perfect will. Romans 12:2

Unquestionably, believers in Jesus Christ are cherished sons and daughters of the King, so stop believing and acting on the devil’s lies. Instead, stand firm by faith in the Word of God that declares you “not guilty.” Indeed, Jesus purchased your salvation from sin with His life so that you could have peace with God. And this truth matters because Satan’s condemning lies and accusations lose their power when you believe the Word of God. 

Believing You Are Justified Matters

And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness. Romans 4:5

God canceled your debt of sins when you received Jesus Christ as your Savior by faith. But Satan wants you to forget the truth that you are justified by faith, especially when sin defeats you as a believer. Indeed, the law demands punishment for your wrongdoing. But when you believe God’s Word that you are justified (just as if you never sinned), you will stop beating yourself up when you do sin.

Instead, confess your sins and trust Jesus to cleanse you of all unrighteousness. Indeed, God never condemns or shames you; only Satan does that. So then, it matters that you believe God’s promises and see your debt of sin stamped with “Paid in Full.”

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2

Believe that Jesus is Your Righteousness

Believing that Jesus is your righteousness is a biblical truth that matters.

God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

When you trusted Christ as your Savior, God took all your sins and gave you the righteousness of Christ in return. So, no one should ever accuse God of being unfair.  Assuredly, God has clothed you with the righteous life of Christ, and that is what He sees when He sees you. So, out of a grateful heart, serve Jesus Christ by faith, and you will glorify Him.

For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last. Just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:17

Assuredly, the pressure to perform for God or conform to please others lifts when you believe Christ alone is your righteousness. Moreover, you will refuse to allow Satan to bring you down with accusing and condemning thoughts. Because now, you no longer strive to live the Christian life on your own. But instead, you live by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.  t is for freedom that Christ has set us free, so, indeed, what you believe matters!

Cleansing a Guilty Conscience

I Believe

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Bible study for “What You Believe Matters”

Week 1:  Numbers 23:19; Psalm 103:1-22; 107:10-22; 119:25-37, 67, 73-74, 89-92, 105, 114, 130-133, 147, 160, 169-170, 176; Isaiah 40:8, 11, 28-31; 61:1-2, 10; 66:1-3; Matthew 4:1-4, 10-11; Luke 4:14-21; John 1:10-14; 10:1-18, 27-30

Week 2:  John 15:3-5, 9-17; 17:3, 15-18; Romans 1:16-17; 2:13; 3:20-28; 4:1-8, 18-25; 5:1-11; 6:4, 23; 8:1-2, 26-39; 10:1-4, 8-13; 12:1-3; 1 Corinthians 1:4-9; 10:13; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; 3:4, 17-18; 4:4, 7-12, 16-18; 5:15-21

Week 3:  Galatians 1:3-5; 2:15-21; 3:1-14, 26; 5:1, 4-5; Ephesians 2:1-10; 3:14-21; 4:17-24; 6:10-20; Philippians 1:6; 2:13; 3:3, 7-14; 4:6-7, 13, 19-20; Colossians 1:21-23; 2:6-10, 13-15; 3:1-4

Week 4:  2 Timothy 1:7; Titus 1:1-2; 3:4-7; Hebrews 4:14-16; 8:10-12; 9:22, 27-28; 10:10-18; 23-25, 35-39;11:6; 12:1-3; 13:5-8, 20-21; James 1:22-25; 1 Peter 1:3-9, 23-25; 2:9-10, 24; 5:8-11; 2 Peter 1:1-4; 1 John 1:8-10; 2:1-2; 3:1-3; 4:4, 9, 13-16; Jude 24-25