Soundtracks – Part 2

As people, we think a lot. There are a ton of thoughts we entertain each day of our lives. Just like movie soundtracks that play in the background and set the tone for certain scenes, these thoughts can set the tone for our lives and even determine our life’s direction. These thoughts can be good or bad, but if we aren’t careful, they have the potential of doing amazing damage. For most of us, the soundtracks in our mind need to change. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this wold, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” God wants to help us change the way we think so that the playlist that’s looping in the background of our lives reflects His love and care for us.

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” – Colossians 3:1-3 NLT

We all have those moments in our lives where we’ve made a dumb mistake. It could be an embarrassing moment, a broken promise, a mental lapse, or any other situation where you look back and feel regret, guilt, and shame every time. Share one or two of those moments from your life.

Read 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 and Colossians 3:1-3. Satan knows that if he can dominate our soundtrack, the loop of negative thoughts in our mind, he wins. (“I am the sum of my mistakes.”) It is a war in our mind that, with the help of Christ, we need to win. And this begins by realizing what is reality and what isn’t. Some our negative thoughts about ourselves that are not grounded in reality have been shaped by different experiences, relationships, and emotions. Where do you see this in your life? Why is it so easy to be shaped, according to the words of Paul in Colossians, by the realities of earth versus the realities of heaven?

Recognizing these earthly realities is one thing…but then we have to replace them with the reality of who God says we are as believers in Christ. Here are some key truths…

• “I mess up, but I am loved.”
• “People reject me, but I am chosen.”
• “I try to change and fail, but I am holy.”
• “I am not the sum of my mistakes, but God sees me without fault.”

  Which of these truths speaks to you the most? Is there a truth that’s not listed above that hits home? Have you been able to replace some of the old soundtracks Satan wants you to believe with the reality of how God sees you?

We need to embrace the truth that God already knows about us…that we are not a sum of our mistakes. As a follower of Jesus Christ, you are made in the image of God. You are the adopted child of the One True King. You are set apart for God’s unique purpose. As a next step, read through Ephesians 1. As you read, circle everything that the Apostle Paul (the author of Ephesians) says about how God sees you. Choose one to focus on this week.