Before we go on studying the next piece of the armor of God, I want to
park here on truth again today. Not a bad parking spot, is it? :-) It's
a safe one, for sure! Yesterday I touched on truth on a somewhat larger
scale in the way the lack of it is obviously affecting our nation and
the body of Christ as a whole. But what I want to look at today, is how
the lack of truth in our personal lives affects our view of ourselves,
our husbands and our children and the damage it can bring to our homes.
Are you really girting yourself up with truth?
First of all, in John 8:32, the Bible says, "And ye shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free."
Would you consider yourself a woman who is free? Free from guilt, condemnation,
anxiety etc.? What is your view of yourself? You see ladies, if you
don't have the proper view of yourself from the point of truth as found
in God's Word, you will not be free from the 'father of lies' and the
oppression he uses to personally defeat you with! Our identity or sense
of worth as women must first be found in Christ, rather than in worldly
accomplishments or pursuits. Seeing ourselves as God sees us is the most
important perception we will ever have! We think we are of value if we
are built like a Barbie doll. We think we are of value if we can work
outside the home as well as inside the home and juggle both lifestyles
successfully. Some of us may think we are valuable because we bake bread,
homeschool and have babies every year.
Some of us may think we are valuable because our children grew up to serve
the Lord successfully in the ministry or somewhere on the mission field...
But is all this what we are to rely on for our self-worth?? Are we to
base our identity on such external guidelines? Is this the truth?? Are
we guilty of playing the "How do I look?" game instead of standing on
the truth of God's Word of who we are and how we are really doing?
Psalm 51:6 says, "Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and
in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom."
God wants us to girt ourselves about with truth, completely surround ourselves
on the outside and the inside! Why? Because our enemy, the devil, the
father of lies, Satan himself, will whisper subtil lies to your heart
and mind to subtract from your security as a child of God. A person who
knows he is a child of God is a person who does not struggle with an identity
crisis. When you realize that Christ is actually living within you, and
you are in Him, you can be free from those lies that attack your self-worth,
significance, acceptance, and security as a woman. There are many different
areas in our hearts that the enemy tries to get into and destroy with
lies, but as Psalm 86:11 puts it we can pray,
"Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to
fear thy name."
God's truth in the inward parts will reveal those hidden places that we
are believing lies about ourselves - perhaps even the lie that we are
doing fine, that we are holy based on our performance. Then there are
also the areas of our hearts where we are under continual unwarranted
condemnation. God's Word will unite both places, cause them to meet together
at the point of truth exposing the lies and adding internal wisdom to
our hearts about ourselves, about who we really are and how we are really
doing. As we properly respond to the truth, we become secure in our
identity, in who we are in Christ. Satan can't stand seeing a secure,
joyful child of God! He would prefer to mess up our thinking with a lie....
Has that happened to you, dear lady? Any hidden places in your heart
that the truth needs to be applied to? John 3:21 says,
"But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made
manifest, that they are wrought in God."
Ladies, don't be afraid of the truth, it has a freeing power! Be afraid
of the lies, they are enslaving and more damaging, not only to you personally,
but also in your relationships. It is a natural response for a true child
of God to bring everything in life to God and lay it at His feet, asking
Him to make your every deed manifest, whether they are good and whether
they are right.
Psalm 139:23-24, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know
my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in
the way everlasting."
Once you have a grasp on your identity in Christ, you need to express
your godly character to your family, live out who you are in Christ beginning
at home. As the truth molds and shapes your character and behavior, you
then will be able to respond to your husband properly as a wife. Chances
are if you didn't have a proper view of yourself, you don't have a proper
view of your husband either!! What is your perspective when you look
at him? When you speak to him? When you think of him? When you pray
for him? Is it a Biblical view? Is it a view looking through the eyes
of truth? The truth is, he is your head....
Ephesians 5:22-24, "Wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as
unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ
is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore
as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own
husbands in everything."
Once you read the truth, you can see where you need to adjust your view,
amen? Your husband's authority as your head is established in God's Word.
Many women make the mistake in viewing other men as their head and willingly
submit to them, without a problem. But the truth is ladies, we need to
submit to OUR OWN HUSBANDS. This is where Satan's lie comes in and distorts
our view of our husbands - and ourselves, as we begin to think we are
better than them! Ladies, we need to cultivate a better view of our husbands,
a higher view - GOD'S view! God's view is that
submission is a positive thing, yet the devil whispers that it is a negative
one. The truth in God's Word exposes the lie and we are left therefore
with the choice to respond properly by submitting, or respond sinfully
by rebelling. How have you been doing Christian wife? Have you been
girting your loins with the truth in regard to your husband? When you
do, you will find yourself living in a home where truth reigns supreme
and fills the atmosphere with peace.
Psalm 33:4, "For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are
done in truth."
By the way, your children will share God's view with you as they view
their father with the same respect that you do - or don't! You never
lose esteem in your child's eyes when you do what God requires you to
do. You gain esteem because you are a truthful person, and in the process
are modeling what they need to do. How do you like your modeling career?
:-) You might not be able to model perfection, but you can model growth,
amen? Ladies, your precious children need to see how you handle failure
as well as success. Own up to your wrong doings and ask for forgiveness
if the situation calls for it. That is DOING truth! You in turn teach
them how to have a healthy spiritual identity as you show them by your
life that God still loves us when we fail because of who HE is, not because
of who or how we are. Yes, God hates sin, but not the sinner. Real love
is not based on performance.... The truth is, "But God commendeth his
love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
(Rom. 5:8) It's the grace of God in our lives that should enable us to
properly love our husbands and children the way Christ loves us, amen?
We can love the unloveable. What freedom can fill our hearts, homes and
relationships -all because of truth! Surround yourself with it and enjoy
security in the Lord.
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
Back to Top
