Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Where do you turn to when you look at your life and all you see is loss, pain, despair, and hopelessness? I know I've been there, and the temptation for me is either to numb myself or to distract myself.
So Many Voices
When I'm going through a hard time, there's so many different voices around me. I have my buddies trying to tell me one thing. Then I have the world. I have social media. Then there's my self-talk—that's what I tell myself. Then there's the voice of the devil as well. Then there's the voice of God.
What I love about our verse is it tells us that "Every word of God proves true." Let's stop there for a minute. It doesn't say some of God's Word is true. It says every word of God proves true. If I'm not full of the Word of God, I'm not going to know what's true.
When I'm going through a tough time, I have to ask myself: whose voice am I listening to?
Take Every Thought Captive
Because here's what I do know. The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 5: "Demolish every argument and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive."
There's going to be thoughts in my mind when I'm going through a hard time. Thoughts like, Val, you're a failure. God doesn't love you. He's tired of you. You're not a good dad. You're not a good pastor. All these thoughts that keep coming at me.
I have to identify the lie and I have to replace it with the truth of God's Word. Why? Because every word of God proves true. No matter what season I'm in, my circumstance may change. My feelings may change. But the Word of God never changes. That's why I have to ask myself every day: Val, whose voice will you choose to listen to?
God Is a Shield
Then the writer says this: "He is a shield to all who come to Him for protection." Not only is God's Word true, God is a shield to those who come to Him. Here's the thing—a shield is only effective if we run to it.
I want to get to a place in my life where, when I'm going through a tough season, the first place that I run to is God, because He's a refuge. Here's what I learned in my life: sometimes God will remove crutches in my life—people that I leaned on, my abilities, my connections. He'll just strip me of those crutches so that I could finally learn to run to Him as my refuge.
Two Questions for You
Whatever it is that you're wrestling with today, two questions. One: Whose voice are you listening to? The second one: Is God your refuge?
