Pastor B.J. Knefley

The lies we believe, have you ever thought that we all hold beliefs that might be false? Is it possible that some things we assume are true are actually false? Where do these beliefs originate, and how can we identify what’s untrue? 

There was a time in my life when I believed that country music was bad, even evil. I taught this belief to my children and reprimanded them whenever I caught them listening to it. One day, my oldest challenged my faith. She wanted to understand why I thought it was bad and why I considered it evil. I tried to give her every reason I could think of to justify my stance, but none of them held up. Eventually, I discovered the true reason I held this belief. So, where did I get it from? From my mother. Yes, when I was a child, my mother told me it was evil and that I would go to hell if I listened to it. That was all the truth I needed, and I accepted it as my own. Sadly, I was only repeating what I had been taught. It had no basis in truth, only opinion.

Sadly, at some point, we all let the opinions of others influence what we believe. Even our sense of identity and values can be shaped by the words and views of others. The names we were called on the playground can stay with us deep inside. I’ve realized that we can hold many false beliefs, and these false ideas become the way we see life. Challenging these false beliefs can be freeing and empowering for those willing to face them, but it often brings up painful feelings and requires relearning truths we once accepted.

I’ve realized that many of us wear masks. We create personas for the world so we can hide who we truly are. We don’t want others to see the lies we tell ourselves. So we wear masks to cover what we believe. We want others to think well of us, that we have everything together. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work, but we keep trying. What would happen if we started to challenge some of our own thinking? You might be surprised by the results. Think about it.