Does It Matter What You Believe?
Ephesians 4:11-16
Our Christian beliefs form a mental grid through which we determine the validity and usefulness of what we hear. We know that a filter with large holes would not be very successful in keeping out impurities and unwanted material. The same is true with our mental filter – it needs to be tightly woven with scriptural truth in order to separate out ungodly values, unbiblical opinions, and erroneous thinking.
Knowing what we believe prevents us from being misled by error and false doctrine. Remember how the Adversary has made our minds his battlefield? He wants to create holes in the helmet of “biblical thinking” that protects us. If we allow our mental grid system to include worldly thinking as well as scriptural truth, then there will be weak spots or openings the Enemy can penetrate with his deception. Satan fooled Adam and Eve by disguising his lies with partial truths. (Genesis 3:1-7) He tries to deceive us in this way too. The more we understand God’s character and plan, the quicker we will recognize error, no matter how it is camouflaged.
Our beliefs also protect us from fear and intimidation. By being grounded in God’s Word, we will be able to stand firm when someone aggressively challenges our convictions. But without the protective covering of faith, we will find ourselves fearful about discussing our beliefs and intimidated into silence when the “hard” questions get asked.
It is essential that we know what we believe and that our faith is based on God’s truth alone. How well protected is your mind?
Daily Devotions with Dr. Charles Stanlley, InTouch Ministries