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Daily in Christ 12/9
December 9
What We Believe
You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder
We all have some beliefs about the world we live in. Whatever we think will make us happy, satisfied, successful, etc. is what constitutes our belief system. We are walking right now by faith according to what we already believe. Be assured that the world system we were raised in didn't establish a biblical belief system in our minds. Because we came into this world separated from God, we learned to live our lives independently from Him. We were conformed to this world. Unless we were raised in a perfect Christian home, much of what we learned to believe didn't reflect biblical truth.
If you believe that you will only be satisfied by possessions, then you will probably never be satisfied. Jesus revealed that satisfaction does not come from materials things: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" (Matthew 5:6). If you believe you are successful because of status or the amount of toys you accumulate, you will certainly be at odds with Scripture.
God has a different standard by which we are to evaluate and achieve success. Joshua 1:8 states, "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success." We can't make up our own definitions of satisfaction or success or determine what we want to believe. Faith must have an object, and for the Christian, that object is God and His Word.
The only difference between Christian faith and non-Christian faith is the object of our faith. To think that we will get what we want if we believe with all our hearts is a faith based on selfish desires. It originates within ourselves and depends on our own definition of faith. It's a form of religious self-hypnosis. It's like the Christian who says, "I don't know the Bible, but I have faith." For that person, faith is a substitute for knowledge and a compensation for ignorance.
Prayer: Lord, I choose to believe today that You are the source of everything I need in life. I place my faith in You alone.
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