There is a lot of fake news out there. And I am not talking about politics, social media or the news. I am talking about the counterfeit life the enemy sets out for us. Counterfeits are variations of the truth, close enough for us to believe and yet are destructive lies.
From the very beginning of human life, the enemy has been feeding us lies. He questioned God’s motives with Adam and Eve. We are all experiencing the destruction believing that lie brought.
And here we are thousands of years later, still letting the enemy rob us of the full life God has planned for us. That is the deceptive nature of the fake news. It leaves us vulnerable to the next lie, that one to the next, and so on. We all see the destructive pattern of this in our own lives.
Jesus brought the Good News.
In Acts 3, there is a man who was crippled from birth. His family and friends had to carry him to the Temple gate everyday so he could beg. Peter and John didn’t have any money to give him, but they healed him in the name of Jesus Christ. The crowd was amazed. They knew the man and knew it was a miracle. Peter told them how to respond to God (see Acts 3:19):
- Change the Way You Think (basically, quit believing the fake news) – The lies we believe cripple us from experiencing everything God has for us. They rob us of God’s peace, joy, hope, etc. We need to recognize the fake news. After all, fake news is just bad news. Once we see the fake news we are believing, we can open our minds and hearts to the Good News (see Mark 1:15). What fake news are you believing? What lies are crippling you?
- Turn to God (believe what God says) – God loves you unconditionally, period. There is nothing you can do that will make Him love you more. There is nothing you can do that will surprise Him so that He will love you less. You are loved! God says that He has plans for you. Plans to prosper you not harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future (see Jeremiah 29:11). Believe God. He is the Author of life. Jesus lived it and knows it. His principles, precepts and commands are not to rob you of life (that is the fake news). He simply knows the best way to live out the human experience to enjoy life to the fullest. What truth do you need to believe? How do you need to change your life to align to the truth?
- Receive Grace (let Jesus forgive you) – God so loved the world, He sent Jesus. Not to condemn the world but to save it. Jesus died so our sins could be forgiven and we can be reconciled to God (see John 3:16-17). Forgiveness comes by faith, not by works. You simply need to accept that you are forgiven through Jesus. What do you need to ask Jesus to forgive you? What do you need to forgive yourself for?
- Find Hope (experience the full life God has planned for you) – Peter actually said the result of letting go of the fake news, believing God, and receiving forgiveness would bring “times of refreshing from the Lord.” Jesus said that He came to give us a full and complete life (see John 10:10). How will you align your life to the Good News? Who can you share the Good News with?
Here is hope, here is Good News: God’s plan for your life is to live life to the fullest now and to enjoy eternal life forever in heaven!
If you are ready to let go of the fake news and receive the Good News, contact me today.
Inside HIS Grace 