Search for Significance Chapter 2: The Battle

Sep 7, 2015

There is an unseen battle going on and we are at the center of it. Since Adam and Eve, Satan has sought to destroy us and our relationship with God. He does this in many ways, but one of the main ways is to get us to forget what God says about us. I forget all the time.

I see a picture of myself on Facebook, and I forget I’m “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalms 139:14).

I’m short with my kids and yell at them, and I beat myself up and forget I am forgiven (Col. 2:13-14).

I look around me and see the disaster my house has become in a few short days, and I forget I am fully acceptable to God (Col. 1:19-22).

I drop the ball on a project, and I forget “there is no condemnation” (Rom. 8:1).

I forget.

Satan loves it when I forget. When instead I believe what he says about me:

I must meet certain standards to feel good about myself.
I must be approved of by certain others to feel good about myself.
Those who fail (including myself) are unworthy of love and deserved to be punished.
I am what I am. I cannot change. I am hopeless.*

Satan wants me to stay stuck in the race to keep up with others, to keep up with my to-do list, and to base my self-worth off what I see in the mirror. He wants me to look at my days and see less than, and to believe it. He wants me to stay stuck in my old patterns of behavior and thinking instead of letting God’s truth transform me.

In this chapter, “The Origin of the Search,” McGee shows us where this search for significance began in the garden with Adam and Eve. Then he shows how we don’t have to stay stuck in our false beliefs Satan feed us and reminds us through Christ we are forgiven, a child of God, a new creation, declared righteous, and accepted by God.

McGee also shows us that which beliefs we accept about ourselves determine our behaviors. He says:

Our behavior is often a reflection of our beliefs about who we are. It is usually consistent with what we think to be true about ourselves (Prov. 23:7). If we base our worth solidly on the truths of God’s Word, then our behavior will often reflect His love, grace, and power. But if we base our worth on our abilities or the fickle approval of others, then our behavior will reflect the insecurity, fear, and anger that comes from such instability. (19-20)

Beginning this week and throughout the rest of the book, McGee shows us how we can begin to allow the truths of God’s word to affect our lives and lead us to freedom instead of living under Satan’s false beliefs.

As we begin this week, let’s discuss in the comments:

Which of the four false beliefs listed above seem to affect you most? Why do you think that is?

Beginning to identify these beliefs in our lives will help us to recognize the control they have over us, so we can know where we need to instead begin believing God’s truth about us.