Above the Noise: A Personal God

As an individual who is diagnosed with anxiety and depression, I know the power that negative thoughts can hold over my life. Once a destructive idea sneaks its way into my head, it’s nearly impossible to change my internal dialogue and recognize that idea as a lie. One of the recurring thoughts in my head is that I’m “too much” and “not enough” all at the same time. Too emotional, too complicated, too broken. Not organized enough, not productive enough, not successful enough. The noise of these thoughts pervades my mind on an almost subconscious level. It has taken the right medication, a few therapy sessions, and a lot of support from my husband to reach a point where I can even recognize these negative thoughts for what they are: lies.

While my particular experience with believing lies might be extreme compared to most, it is an example of how our doubt, fear, and misconceptions can grab hold of our beliefs and twist them in our own minds.

Genesis 3 tells the story of how the woman (Eve) believed the lies from the serpent and allowed them to influence her mind and her actions. The serpent planted a seed of doubt in her mind when he asked, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” This simple inquiry led Eve to question what she believed about God. Rather than focusing on her personal relationship with the Lord God (a person), she let her doubts alter her view of God (as an idea).

And just like that, a wedge was created in her relationship with God. And so Eve listened to the noise of the serpent when he told her that, “You will not certainly die… For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5). Again, the crafty serpent drove the wedge further between the woman and the Lord God by suggesting that God was keeping something from her—the knowledge of good and evil.

Often in our own lives, we are tempted by things that deep-down we know aren’t in accordance with the Lord God’s will, but our human curiosity gets the best of us, and we just want to see what would happen IF:

·         if we continue our habitual sin for just a little longer

·         if we cut corners just a little to get that promotion

·         if we tithe just a little bit less in order to afford that new car

Can you fill in the blank for yourself? Does something come to mind right away? If so, consider adjusting your idea of God and block out all the other noise, doubts, and temptations. Instead, focus your mind and energy on your personal relationship with the Lord God. After all, we are loved by the Lord God not because of what we have done, but because of who He is. Our very personal God sacrificed His own Son to cover our sin and shame in order to continue to have relationships with His children.

We serve a God that can speak to us above all of the noise—doubts, fear, disbelief—that the world throws at us. Choose to listen to His voice only and trust that God is who He says He is.

Jeremiah 9:23-24

This is what the LORD says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the LORD, who exercise kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD.

[Megan Stephenson is a proud new mom to her eight-month-old son August and spends her days trying to figure out how to take care of her tiny human. She also works for a private education group in Grand Rapids as an Assistant Registrar. Megan loves spending time with her husband, Ben, trying out new breweries, restaurants, and local attractions. She also self-identifies as a crazy cat lady, despite owning no cats of her own, thanks to her loving and allergic husband.]