John 8:31, 32 - True Freedom is in A Relationship with Christ!
John 8:31, 32 (NLT) Jesus said to the people
who believed in him, You are truly my
disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And
you will know the truth, and the truth will set
you free.
COMMENTARY PEARL
Jump on the Truth Train: He Healed My Mind.
When I was a university student, I caught
the train every morning at 7:30 a.m. from Seven
Hills station in the western suburbs of Sydney
where I lived, to Redfern station in the center of
Sydney where my campus was located. The commute
took forty-five minutes, and I was grateful for
each one as I normally caught up on my
assignments during this time.
One particular morning I was running late
and had a lot on my mind because of an important
exam that day. When I got to the top of the
stairs leading to the various platforms, I skipped
one habitual step: checking the destination
board for delays or platform changes. I heard a
train pull up to platform 4, and immediately
rushed down the stairs and jumped on board as the
doors closed. Just made it, I thought, and relaxed
into a seat.
As the train pulled out of the station, I
immediately saw it was not headed toward downtown
Sydney. In fact, it was going in the exact opposite
direction " toward the mountains. I began to panic
as the train picked up speed and an
announcement came over the loudspeaker telling us to
enjoy the ride on the express train to Katoomba,
the beautiful Blue Mountains. I felt sick as I
realized that I could not get off this train. I was
going to miss my exam, and I had no idea when
there would be another train scheduled to take me
back to where I started out my journey this
morning. It was the longest ride Ive ever taken...
to the wrong destination.
When the train stopped, I rose, still
numb from my mistake. When the doors opened I
stepped onto the platform " and moaned aloud,
How did I get here?
The stationmaster happened to be standing
nearby. He looked at me with a grin and said,
Well, young lady, you got on the wrong train,
didnt you?
It was that simple. I did not check the
destination at Seven Hills station, boarded the wrong
train on platform 4, and ended up in Katoomba
instead of downtown Sydney. I had gotten on the
wrong train and ended up at the wrong place.
Isnt that exactly our experience at
the end of many days? We look around at where we
ended up mentally and wonder, God, how did I
get here?
Were angry again. Frustrated again.
Lonely again. Disillusioned again. Heartbroken
again. Anxious again. Hurt again. Defeated again.
Fearful again.
I sometimes imagine that God wants to say
to us, Well, young lady, you just got on the
wrong train of thought, didnt you?
Our thoughts, like a train, take us
somewhere.
Ive discovered that if I do not manage
where I want my thoughts to take me on a daily
basis, then I will end up jumping on any train of
thought, often ending up where I do not want to be.
Ive found that, like a bullet train, I can
quickly go from shame-free to shame-filled
thinking.
And I dont just mean every day. I mean
every hour of every day. Why? Because I have the
wrong trains of thought pulling into my mind on a
regular basis. Our tormented minds need healing if
were to love the Lord our God with all our heart,
soul, and mind (Luke 10:27).
If I do not make up my mind ahead of time
that I am going to refuse to board the wrong
train of thought, then I will end up at a place in
my head where I do not want to be.
One of the most important lessons I have
discovered is that nothing is as powerful as a mind
made up. A mind made up ahead of time has the
power to control the way your day goes, the way
your life goes. You have the power to control who
you become, because you are literally what you
think " whether you choose to learn how to
consciously control that or not. Proverbs 23:7 says,
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
(AMP)
How crucial then for us to manage our
minds. If we dont, our minds will manage us.
This has been an ongoing battle for me in my
journey from shame-filled to shame-free living, and
it will likely be for you as well. If we
disregard the destination board and jump on any train,
well go anywhere. But if we carefully choose the
train we really want to be on, well only go
there " and thats what we want to learn to
do.
Those of us with a history of shame are
at the top of the enemys hit list for waging
war on our minds and derailing our very lives.
But God has a solution. Unlike the express train
I was trapped on that day, we can get off the
wrong train of thought at any point on the journey
" by pushing the emergency stop button and
choosing to board a different train of thought. And
the way we learn to do this is by renewing our
tormented mind.
Renewing your mind empowers you to be the
one managing your mind " and it brings peace.
It brings healing.
God reveals this transforming power in
Romans 12:1"2:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and
sisters, in view of Gods mercy, to offer your
bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to
God " this is your true and proper worship. Do
not conform to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will
be able to test and approve what Gods will
is " His good, pleasing and perfect will.
(emphasis added)
Even when I turned my life over to
Christ, I didnt know anything differently than to
believe the lies and accusations the enemy suggested
in my mind. I had no idea what God said or
thought about me " that I was fully loved, fully
known, and fully accepted " because I had been
listening to the enemy whisper lies to me my entire
life " lies that limited my life and werent
based in truth. Thats what he does. He makes up
lies and spreads them nonstop. I heard a constant
barrage of, You cant, you wont, youll
never be, or, Youll always be...
Our wounds of worthlessness are
constantly poked by these accusations and never allowed
to heal because we believe them and repeat them
to ourselves. We hear these shame-filled
thoughts in our marriages, our mothering, our
friendships, at work, and as daughters, even if no one
else is speaking them aloud.
Because I never knew all those thoughts
were lies, I jumped on those trains without ever
giving any of them a second thought. I never
questioned what rolled through my mind " No one will
ever love you. Youre a failure. Youre
damaged goods. You blew it big-time. I never asked
myself: Who sent that train " God or the enemy?
Where will that train take me " into Gods
mind and will and purpose, or into shame " the
enemys mind, will, and purpose?
Satan is the father of lies and the
accuser of us all.
When he lies, he speaks his native
tongue. Thats right, his native language is lying
(John 8:44)! He doesnt know how to speak
anything but lies... and for years, I didnt know
how to do anything but believe those lies.
Wherever my mind went, all of my emotions
and feelings followed uncontrollably " like a
runaway train. Not smart enough, fit enough,
pretty enough, thin enough, good enough, holy
enough.
Never enough. Of anything.
Just as God had begun to heal my broken
heart and bind my wounded soul, He began renewing
my mind with his truth.
By attending church regularly, joining a
Bible study group, and becoming a part of a
community of Christ-followers, I eventually learned
that not everyone thought the same way as I
thought, especially God. In fact, the more I studied
the Bible, the more I realized that my thoughts
about myself and so many areas in my life were
about as far away from Gods thoughts as I was
when I ended up in Katoomba instead of Redfern.
It was life-changing for me when I
realized that I should not believe all my feelings
and thoughts " especially when they
contradicted the Word of God, which is the absolute
truth. As Jesus said:
If you hold to my teaching, you are
really my disciples. Then you will know the truth,
and the truth will set you free. " John
8:31"32
Knowing the truth can profoundly impact
how we process the facts of our circumstances.
The realization that I was not who I thought I
was (when I found out I was adopted) shocked me
beyond words, but even though my understanding of
the facts about my history changed that day, the
truth never changed. God knew about my adoption
all along; He had still knit me together in my
mothers womb; He had a plan, purpose, and destiny
for my life. A change of facts on my end
did not change the truth about who I was from
His end.
My birth certificate states the fact that
I am UNNAMED child number 2508 of 1966, but
the Word of God states the truth that from the
womb of my mother He has named my name (Isaiah
49:1).
The facts can change, but the truth has
the power to change things.
When my mother told me I was adopted, I
made a decision in that moment to stay on the
train of thought based on the truth. It was one of
the single most defining moments of my life.
This one decision and an ongoing commitment to
stay on the train of thought based on truth of
Gods Word has saved me years of turmoil and
torment. I renewed my mind by replacing my thoughts
about myself with Gods thoughts about me. I
learned that I could control what thoughts I jumped
on and which ones I did not. You can too.
We have to mature in choosing our
thoughts. I know all of this is a tall order for our
minds that have spent years tormented by shame "
years of hearing and responding to the voice of
shame making accusations against us. Years of
shame-induced thinking that we were broken or a failure.
That there is something wrong with us. That we
always mess up. Thoughts that cause us to become
perfectionists and people pleasers, or to be overly hard on
ourselves. Years of fighting for our own significance.
But as always, God doesnt leave us
alone to fight such battles. He gave us his Word.
He gave us the power to exchange the enemys
lies " and everything anyone else has ever said
about us " for His truth. From Unashamed by
Christine Caine, Devotionals Daily
https://www.faithgateway.com/jump-truth-train-healed-mind/#.XWGtXehKiUk
ONE LINER
The truth of verse 32 - the truth will set
you free - is the fundamental basis of Cognitive
Behavioral Therapy. David D. Burns M.D.
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
John 8:31, 32 - Why Read the Bible?
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20190806-0648.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio (currently live):
https://bible.awr.org/the-warning/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
The Last Day of Prophecy by Pastor Doug
Batchelor:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmGvdtMCf1aJTiC59-lPtuUMEq_uEn0BK
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
