THE Problem

This is a blog my wife and I wrote for her website. I'm putting it here, too.

Things are not right. Everything just feels a bit off. We only need to look around and know this is true. We don't need a therapist to tell us there's some sort of problem with the world. So, what's the problem? What happened to this world? The Bible answers, and experience affirms that the problem; THE problem is the lie. Not just any lie. Notice i did not say that LYING is the problem. No. Instead the problem is THE lie. Everything that's broken and wrong in this world stems from this lie. All sin, grief, heartache, despair, or greed stems from this lie. We have all believed it or still believe it right now. THE lie is this; I Am God.

In Genesis 3, Eve is tempted to go against what God had said. The tempter lies to her and says, " For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:4) Did you catch the lie? "...you will be like God." Satan frames this lie in between two truths. Yes, your eyes will be opened. Yes, you will know good from evil. No, you will not be like God. It is this lie, however, that has since been woven into relationships and thoughts and continues to weave itself into every nook and cranny of our lives. More simply put, the lie is, "I am the most important being in the world." Because of this thought, all kinds of sin and evil come about. For example.
A husband cheats on his wife because his sexual needs are not met. She then uses that action to justify an obsession with losing weight. Because of her obsession, she neglects her son who then grow to resent her and uses her inattention to justify his experimenting with drugs.
The husband puts his sexual needs above his marriage because he is most important.
The wife neglects her son because of her need to be attractive because she is most important.
The son uses drugs in light of his mother's neglect because he is most important.

We can't all be the most important. We can't all be God.

This lie manifests itself in so many different ways and yet, when each issue is traced to its root, there we are in the center, believing that what we know or feel is best. This is simply not true. How many times have we made impulsive decisions based on an emotion or whim? How many times have we immediately regretted that decision? Woven into our DNA, we cannot escape the cycle of the lie which we call sin...at least not on our own.

Romans 12:1-2 says this. "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world,but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
The way out of this cycle of lies is to concern ourselves with THE truth. Not just truth in general. We don't need to meditate on the fact that chickens lay eggs, 2+2=4, or the sky is blue. Jesus tells us that He is the truth. The only way to combat THE lie and all the lies that grow from it is to focus wholly on THE truth, namely Jesus. We renew our minds by thinking about and meditating on the book about Jesus, namely the Bible. When we confront the lies about ourselves, Jesus, our status before God, or many others, we must do so using scripture. If you want to know God's will for your life, open the Bible and read. Renew your mind. Stop believing the lie that you're more important than God. Believe the truth that ALL things were created by Him & for Him and in Him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:16-17) More simply put, the way out of this cycle is Jesus. Knowing, serving, and loving Jesus.
When speaking about the things that most people hold dear (money, food, relationships), Jesus says this. "But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you." When we give our lives to Jesus, we acknowledge the root of our issue. When we sacrifice our daily living to Him, we recognize THE problem and begin that relationship with THE solution. It's as simple as this. Jesus really is the answer.

This is so much easier said than done, but it is a starting place. Once we understand the root of our issue, we can then dig it out and live free. THE problem is the lie that you're the center of it all. THE solution is understanding that God is the center of it all and loves us enough to give us His very life.