Daily Devotional

December 29th, 2022
by Pastor Wil Staley

Does the Behavior Match the Belief?

"And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” Genesis 3:8-11

By now I'm sure we've all heard the New Year's resolution stats right? Most people don't keep up with their resolutions past February. I personally have been hit-and-miss with mine. One of the strategies I've implemented is actually starting my resolutions in mid-December to try to gain some momentum leading into the New Year. However, no matter when you start, I think a key factor in creating lasting change is belief. For example, we don't actually believe that we want to get healthy, we just know that it's a good idea. Therefore, it's easy to give up on something we don't truly believe in. So, whatever you truly believe in your heart, has a strong influence on the decisions you make.

Adam and Eve were sinless but fell into sin and their response to their sin was shame. Instead of their focus being on what God had given them, they focused on what they did not have. As a result, their belief in God also shifted from being a gracious provider to asking themselves, "what is He keeping from us?" Eventually, their focus went from God to their sin, and it caused them to hide. Shame became their stronghold.

Have you ever believed in a lie? I remember I ran from my call to preach for a very, very long time. Forever, I thought I was just a good speaker. At one point, I even thought public speaking was going to be my profession. I spent countless hours working on my brand, trying to find speaking engagements, and marketing myself as the Millenial Marine. All the while, ignoring the sinking feeling that the Lord was calling me into ministry. I look back at that time as being so silly but my belief in the lie affected everything I did. I think every now and then we all should check our behaviors and make sure they align with what we believe. As we enter into a new year let us pray that everything we do reflect our belief in our Lord Jesus Christ.

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English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

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