Many times we can easily want to look for evidence for things we already believe. This is for a number of reasons. We don’t want to think our beliefs have been wrong. And we also want to believe things we’re comfortable with believing. However, this can be dangerous, as our belief systems are what guide our lives. If we’re going to believe something, it need to be in line with the truth and not in line with something we only want to believe.
The things we believe guide our lives every day. They do this without us even realizing it. We can say we believe a lot of things. But we may not really believe them. Do you know how to know if you believe something? If you do it. That’s the true measure of belief.
Often times we can sound like we’re in agreement with something that we know we should be doing. Yet, at the same time, we don’t do things that are in line with that very belief. In fact, many times we do the very opposite. There seems to be a disconnect between belief and action—a disconnect between head and heart. Sometimes the trickiest part is for us to first realize we are doing this. I can say that I believe exercise and eating right are good things. But when I don’t do them, do I really believe them? Probably not very much. That’s when my belief system gets put to the test. We have to decide how much we truly believe something. Just nodding our heads in agreement isn’t enough.
Still, other times we admit that we don’t believe something. But the reason we don’t believe it is because we’re afraid to believe it. We tend to gravitate towards ideas and belief systems that make us feel good. We don’t want to believe something that is unpleasant, even if it is the truth. This is what I’ve often observed: People are often willing to believe a lie they’re comfortable with vs. a truth that makes them uncomfortable.
We need to have the courage to believe something that we might not necessarily like. We need to make a concerted effort to seek and believe the truth regardless of whether it makes us feel uncomfortable sometimes. We need to know the truth is there for us if we really want to know it. This does take effort. However, a life lived in line with the truth is the one that’s truly productive.
We often wonder why our lives end up the way they do. We wonder how we got in this place we are in. How did I end up in such a mess? Well, somewhere along the line, our belief system got messed up. We either, knowingly or unknowingly, ended up letting go of truth and grabbed onto a lie, at some point. But the good news is we don’t have to. Our lives don’t have to end up in a mess. If we truly want a change for the better, we can adjust and get our belief system back in line with the truth.
If we come to find that our actions aren’t in line with the truth, then we need to readjust. We need to first find out what the truth is. Then we start aligning our lives and our action with that truth. God has given us the truths with which to align our lives through His word.
AV James 2:18: “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” James makes clear for us the importance of our works going along with our faith. We often are quick to say we believe something. Then when it comes time to take action we hesitate. James was making it clear that our faith needs to be evidenced by works.
AV James 2:24: ”Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” Again James, a little later in that same chapter, explains the importance of our works. Stating our beliefs is a good start. However, our faith isn’t fully realized until we act on those beliefs. So, we get our beliefs in line with the truth, and our actions in line with our beliefs. So, where do we get faith and our belief system from?
AV Romans 10:17: “So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Our belief system not only comes from the word of God, but our faith is also built by the word of God. We not only find out what we believe, but our faith is also strengthened when we hear the word of God. It not only builds the foundation, but it strengthens the entire house. Our faith will grow as we hear and study His word more and more.
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AV Matthew 3:8: “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:” It can be disheartening when we realize we have a belief that isn’t in line with God’s word. But this is when we need to be humble and contrite, admitting our sins and turning the other way towards the truth. That’s what repentance means. A repentant heart means we are truly sorry and want to reject our wrong beliefs and grab onto the right ones. It means we are turning the other direction.
AV John 15:8: “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” The point at which we begin to bear fruit is when our faith is in line with the word, and our actions are in line with our faith. We can bear the fruit Jesus talks about by abiding in Him and His word abiding in us. Like Jesus said, ‘He is the vine and we are the branches’. When we are bearing fruit, we can have confidence and know what we truly believe. We can have confidence because we not only say we believe it, but also have evidence that we believe it.
AV James 2:18: “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.”
AV James 2:24: ”Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”
AV Romans 10:17: “So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
AV Matthew 3:8: “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:”
AV John 15:8: “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.”