Unka Glen

Anonymous asked: Hi Unka Glen. I’ve been feeling so down lately and I noticed that it affects my christian life (prayer & devotion). How can I restore it again? How can I make my christian life more lively? 

Unka Glen answered: There are two schools of thought on this kind of situation. The first is that people are sinners, so when they feel bad, or do something bad, it’s because of the sin in their life, and they need to stop sinning, and know that Jesus is the answer to everything. 

The second school of thought is similar, but perhaps a bit more evolved. Yes, we are all  imperfect sinners who constantly feel the pull of temptation from our flesh, but on a deeper level, it’s about a struggle between the lies we’ve been sold, and the truth. Moreover, there is also a constant pull from the Holy Spirit, drawing us closer to Himself. 

Thus, if we break down the lies, it’s like casting off a hindrance and ridding ourselves of those things that entangle us (Hebrews 12:1), and then we can better respond to the pull of the Holy Spirit.

In this second school of thought, sin (and lots of our suffering in general) is the result of buying into those lies. Think about it this way— if I open a person’s brain and implant a lie that says that God doesn’t love you, what would be the likely result? Well, they wouldn’t go to God for strength or comfort because they’d figure God wouldn’t want to give it to them.

So they’d turn to the things of the world to comfort themselves, and they’d have no strength to resist becoming addicted and dependent on those things. But here’s the important part, you can get someone over that addiction, they can confess their sins with bitter tears, but if the lie is still there, then this whole thing will just play itself out again.

At the heart of every struggle, there’s a lie. That struggle could be an emotional struggle, a lifestyle struggle, or a relationship struggle. Dig deep enough, and you’ll find a lie from the enemy (no wonder Jesus called him the “Father of Lies”). Replace it with the truth, and the truth will set you free. 

Here are a few common lies you may have bought into:

• It’s never going to be any better than this
• How can you be saved? Look at what you’re doing!
• God is not impressed with you (and He needs to be impressed)
• You aren’t what God is looking for
• If I changed for the better, I’d be invisible
• I’ve got one good chance to get this right
• Yes, God technically loves me, but…

Your life should be about finding these lies, and replacing them with the truth of God’s Word. Every time you beat up on yourself, you’re feeding a sin-producing lie in your life. Every bad body image thought, every insecurity, all the self-pity, they’re all symptoms of lies that are spreading like a cancer, and taking things from bad to worse.

Know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Here are some truths to focus on:

• You are God’s treasured possession  (Deuteronomy 14:2)
• You are awesomely and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)
• You are a child of God. (John 1:12) 
• You will not be condemned by God, you have been set free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1-2) 
• The Son of God gave His life to ransom you. (Mark 10:45)
• You have been accepted by Christ. (Romans 15:7) 
• You have been chosen by God to obtain an inheritance. (Ephesians 1:9-11) 
• You are no longer a slave but a child and an heir. (Galatians 4:7)
• You have bold and confident access to God through faith in Christ. (Ephesians 3:12) 
• You are joined to the Lord and are one in spirit with Him. (1 Corinthians 6:17) 
• You are like a living stone, built into God’s house (1 Peter 2:5)
• You are a citizen of heaven. (Philippians 3:20)
• You have been made complete in Christ. (Colossians 2:9-10)
• You have been raised up with Christ. (Colossians 3:1) 
• You have been chosen of God, and you are holy and beloved. (Colossians 3:12)
• And You have been set free in Christ. (Galatians 5:1)