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The Good News Applied



In case you haven’t heard the best news ever, Jesus Christ died for you. Yep, YOU. Despite having full knowledge of your past sins, your future mess ups, and your present imperfections, He willingly gave his life so that you could be free from sin and restored to the Father.


While many of us have heard this good news and believe it to be true with our minds, I’d suggest that far fewer have experienced the full power of the gospel, that which comes from believing it in our hearts and allowing it to come alive in our everyday lives. So often, we find ourselves in this awkward tension between listening to the truths of God and succumbing to the lies of the enemy, a constant tug of war between walking in freedom and being stuck in bondage.


From observing my own life and the lives of those around me, there’s so much we encounter on a daily basis that if we took the time to examine, we’d recognize that Jesus’s blood has already provided the life-giving solution. So many present battles we are fighting have been stamped with a past victory. For a lot of us, this shows up in our lives while we're battling things like:

  • Shame and guilt: being bound by the weight of our mistakes, despite the truth that Jesus paid the price for ALL of them

  • A lack of faith in our circumstances: being stuck in constant cycles of worry, fear, and anxiety about the future, despite the truth that we are guided by a good and loving shepherd

  • Insecurity in our God-given identity: being plagued by a constant fear of rejection, low self-esteem, and comparison, despite the truth that we are chosen and dearly loved children of God

Given that Jesus's sacrifice was once and for all, the question is not necessarily IF victory exists for the battles we face in our lives, but HOW can we better walk in the fullness of this victory? How can we nurture the belief of the gospel in our hearts and apply it in our day-to-day, so that we can abandon the lies of enemy and fully embrace God's truth? For me, the most practical piece of scripture that I run to consistently for this is 2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV.


We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

By dissecting this scripture, we learn 3 practical steps for applying the gospel in our everyday lives by using God's truth to fight against the lies of the enemy:


Step 1: Meditate on God's word to know the difference between the voice of the LORD and the arguments of the ENEMY


By staying in God's word, we learn His character and how He speaks to us, so we can more easily discern what we need to tear down. Watch out for the ways that satan will turn small facts into big lies. It may be true that you sinned this morning, but that does not mean that God thinks you are a failure. It may be true that your relationships haven't worked out in the way you wanted, but that does not mean that you're unlovable. It may be true that you've experienced depression this entire year, but it does not mean that you will experience it for the rest of your life.


Step 2: Believe that when you speak God's truth over your life, the strongholds against you are actually DEMOLISHED


As a joint heir with Christ, YOU have the power and the victory! When you speak God's truth to satan's lies, you can find peace in knowing that those lies are ruined, destroyed, wrecked, and ended. Don't give too much credit to a defeated devil. When Jesus is for you, the power is in your court.


Step 3: Fight satan's lies with God's truth CONSISTENTLY


Notice that Paul writes that we are to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. Not some, but ALL. This is a 24/7 call for us to let truth wash over our minds. While it sounds exhausting, the great thing is that as we meditate on God's word, it becomes easier to quickly disarm the lies of the enemy and even better, we have the Holy Spirit as a helper and mind regulator.


By using these practical steps, we allow the blood of Jesus to fall fresh over our circumstances, break free from the tug of war with the enemy, and we enable the true freedom, love, and joy of the gospel to come alive in our lives.


Now your turn...


Use these journal prompts below to help apply today's devotional in your daily life:


1. What battles are you currently facing (could be those listed above or something else)? How has the gospel provided the solution for that battle?

2. Which step from 2 Corinthians 10:5 can you aim to improve this week: learning the difference between God's truth and satan's lies, believing that you have the power to demolish strongholds, or speaking truth consistently?

3. What lies of the enemy have been floating in your head? Write them down. Then, find a scripture that speaks truth over this lie. Remind yourself of this truth by writing it on a sticky note or saving it in your phone.



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