Command 8 : Keep Your Word | Day 51

Tell Yourself the Truth!

The most important conversations we have every day are not those we have with other people, but those we have with ourselves! Your spirit talks to your soul, and your soul, which involves your mind, will, and emotions, responds back to your spirit. When your spirit is in communion with God, it speaks truth to your soul, but your soul usually responds with resistance, unbiblical ideas, or discouragement. David gives testimony to this inward dialogue:

“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance” (Psalm 42:5).

We will never be able to make the right kind of promises, or keep them, until we have inward agreement between spirit and soul. For example, when Satan tempts us to lie in order to escape the consequences of wrong behavior, the conscience, which is a function of the spirit, should declare to the soul, "Thou shalt not lie."

In response, our souls may find reasons to justify a lie or a half-truth with the conclusion that we could not possibly admit that we were wrong, because then people would think less of us. The truth is that people will think more of us when we confess our faults, because they realize how difficult it would be for them to do the same thing. This is one of the reasons that God warns, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).

David describes the requirements of a close walk with the Lord when he writes, “LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart” (Psalm 15:1-3). Inward truth comes through meditation on Scripture.

“Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom” (Psalm 51:6).

The only way that we will be able to speak the truth to ourselves is by making sure that our minds, wills, and emotions are under the control of our spirits, which in turn are under the control of God's Spirit and God's Word. Then we will be able to resolve inward tension and experience the wisdom that God promises when truth reigns within us.

If you have not yet submitted your soul to be under the control of God's Spirit, I urge you to do so now by praying, "God, I now submit my mind, will, and emotions to the control of Your Holy Spirit and to the authority of Your Word." With this surrender, you can expect a new freedom in your soul and harmony with your spirit.