Truth, or Consequences
The Word is steady—even when our emotions are not.
📚 Devotional Credit: Abide Above
📸 Photo Credit: Unsplash
Today’s devotional from Miles Stanford invites us to distinguish between truth and experience. Experience may echo truth—or distort it—but the Word of God is unchanging and speaks from the heart of a faithful Father. When we mistake our fluctuating emotions or spiritual struggles for indicators of God’s heart toward us, we sink into confusion and self-evaluation. But Scripture speaks from His unchanging love, not our changing moods.
C.A.C. reminds us that if we think God’s love depends on our performance, we’ll drift into a bondage of self-assessment. J.N.D. adds that real peace is found not in our progress, but in God's testimony to Christ’s finished work. Our experience of spiritual growth is important—but it is not the ground of our peace or our identity.
In practical terms, this means trusting the Word more than your emotional weather. When insecurity or condemnation rises, we don’t need to feel better to believe better. We believe what is already true—and in that truth, our hearts begin to rest. For example, let’s say if this morning, I hesitated before replying to a message that stirred my old approval-seeking patterns. But rather than rehearsing my anxieties, I remembered: God’s view of me hasn’t changed. So I paused, turned my heart upward, and responded from peace instead of pressure. That would be Christ living in me, not me managing myself.
🕊️ Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I am not waiting for you to feel worthy before I declare you My beloved. I have not tied My love to your spiritual performance, nor have I adjusted My affection according to your assessment of yourself. My Word speaks truth that does not bend with the winds of your emotions. You are strong because My Word abides in you, not because your feelings confirm it.
Let Me anchor you today—not in the shifting tides of inner experience but in the immovable truth of who I am and what I’ve done in you. When the accuser points to your weakness, let My voice remind you that Christ is your life. When doubts rise, let the testimony of My Spirit bear witness with yours: you are Mine.
I never consult your past to determine your position. I only look to My Son—and I see you in Him. Trust not in what you feel, but in what I’ve declared. My love is not a mood—it is a covenant sealed in blood and confirmed by My indwelling presence.
(Scriptures: 1 John 2:14; Romans 8:16; Galatians 2:20; John 15:9; 1 Timothy 4:6; Hebrews 13:9)
🧠 Real-Life Analogy
It’s like hearing your name called out by someone you love in a crowd—above the noise, your heart recognizes the voice. I’ve had mornings when my mind was already tangled before I left bed—accusations about yesterday’s tone in a conversation, doubts about how I handled something at work. But then, I remembered who I am in Christ. It was like someone called my name from across the noise. I didn’t argue with the lies; I just listened for His voice again.
🙏 Prayer of Confidence
Father, I rest in Your Word today. You have spoken, and Your Word is final. My peace doesn’t come from how well I perform—but from who Christ is in me. Thank You that my standing in Your eyes is never at risk. I live today nourished by the truth of Your heart, not the tremors of mine. I trust the testimony of Your love more than the commentary of my emotions. And in that truth, I walk free.