Arresting the lies of a criminal nature

David F. Stevens

Who says that our lives have to be full of "bad guys," victims, or fighting, with little hope of changing anything! Taking the attitude "That's the way things are!" tends to justify feelings of hopelessness that can lead to senseless acts and bad behavior. Unfortunately, lots of people have jumped on this sorry bandwagon, expecting, believing in, or even unthinkingly acting out, the worst. But we don't have to be or feel this way. There is a choice to be made. Moment by moment, we each have the opportunity to see the true nature of God and man, which the Bible conveys. And this spiritual view of God and man gives us hope. It empowers us to break destructive patterns of thought and to find lasting peace and security.

Christ Jesus' life and works show that we are all actually the sons and daughters of God—that we are good, whether we realize it or not. And he proved that freedom, dominion, safety, and supply are the natural outcome of our eternal, unbroken relation to God, who is perfect, changeless Love, infinite good.

In college, when some of my most valuable possessions were stolen, I was challenged to choose what I would accept as true about man. First, some mountaineering and camping equipment was taken from me. I was furious and tried every way I knew to track down the person who had stolen it. I did give prayer a try, too, but was unable to get over my anger at "these people" and my frustration at being a victim. The equipment was never seen again.

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