Andy Stanley wrote a best-selling book several years ago titled The Best Question Ever. He says the best question you can ask yourself when facing a decision is, “In light of my past experiences, my current circumstances, and my future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing for me to do?”
I’m not sure anyone can top that. I agree with Andy. When you’re facing a decision, that’s the best question you can ask yourself in order to determine your best course of action.
The question I shared last week that my pastor asked a few weeks ago is also an excellent question. It’s probably not the best one to ask when you’re making a decision. But if you continually find yourself making wrong choices or just not living life to the fullest, this is a great question to ask yourself: “What lie am I believing and how is it affecting my life?”
Here are some lies a lot of Christians have believed at one time or another that can be very detrimental to living the abundant life God created you to live.
– God is mad at me.
– God is disappointed with me.
– God is not in a good mood when I fail.
– God gets impatient with me when I repeat mistakes.
– God gets annoyed and exasperated with me sometimes.
– God is not interested in the details of my life.
– God doesn’t have time to listen to all my prayers.
– God is not approachable.
– God expects me to be more spiritually mature than I am.
– God wants me to figure things out on my own.
– God is waiting for me to “clean up my act” and then come back to Him.
Believing one of these lies for just a little while can drastically affect your ability to enjoy life, to live the abundant life God created you to live, and to fulfill the purpose you were created to fulfill.
So just in case you need a reminder . . .
– God is not mad at you.
– God is not disappointed with you.
– God is always in a good mood.
– God does not get impatient with you.
– You do not annoy or exasperate Him . . . ever.
– God is interested and involved in every detail of your life.
– God listens to every syllable of every prayer you pray.
– God is always approachable because Jesus’s blood is interceding for you 24/7/365.
– God knows exactly where you are and exactly why you’re there.
– God has given you Holy Spirit to teach you everything you need to know.
– God is pursuing you. He wants a close relationship with you. And if you have walked away from Him (like the younger son in Luke 15), He is eagerly watching and waiting for you to turn around and take one step back toward Him. As soon as you do, He will run to meet you, embrace you just like you are, and celebrate your return.
Don’t waste another moment believing any of the lies designed to keep you from an intimate relationship with God. It’s what you were created for!