“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17
There is a popular saying that states, “If the shoe fits, wear it!” The meaning of the saying is that if something applies to you and your life, accept that truth. Don’t deny or reject that truth about yourself or your situation.
The Word of God is an entire book of guidelines and instructions for living a good life upon the earth. It points out the good things we should strive for, and the bad things we should avoid or remove from our lives.
John 8:32 tells us, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The truth applies to the gospel and salvation message of Jesus Christ, and it additionally applies to many other areas of our lives.
Ephesians 4:31-32 talks to us about our inner man: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
This scripture is a good example of wearing the shoe if it fits:
Bitterness in our hearts: does the shoe fit?
Wrath and anger in our hearts: does the shoe fit?
Quarreling and slandering others: does the shoe fit?
Do these feelings and actions fit what is inside our hearts? Are we bitter and angry with a heart that thrives on fighting and talking bad about others?
If these feelings are not true about us, great! But if they are true, this is when we must allow the truth to be acknowledged in our lives and make the effort to correct what is not good in our hearts.
When we are faced with the areas of our lives that are not pretty, and we know that God wants us to change and overcome those flaws, we must always remember why. Our God is not an overbearing dictator that makes demands for the sake of just making demands for His desires. The God we serve is actually our loving Father who sets guidelines for our own good, knowing it will make our lives more prosperous. His motives are not selfish. He loves us enough to want us to have the best we can have while journeying on Earth.
A few examples have been mentioned above, but many other scriptures work to tweak and mold us as a child of God. Our perfect and loving God wants His Spirit to show through us, and in order for us to become more like Christ, we must grow spiritually and decrease in our carnal, fleshly ways. The closer we draw to our Savior, the greater power and strength we have to overcome the works of our flesh that hinder us.
When we become aware of our sins and carnal ways through the Word of God, we must admit that “the shoe fits” in our lives, and we must decide whether we will work to overcome those things that rob us from having our best life in Christ.
Are any of us bound with bitterness? Are we ready to acknowledge it and work toward being set free by the truth?
Are any of us struggling with anger, hatred, perversion in the mind, unforgiveness, jealousy, envy, or any other works of the flesh? Are we ready to admit it so that we can be set free?
Admission-when the shoe fits-is the first step to freedom, victory, deliverance, and having an abundant life through Jesus. Let us make sure we apply the Word to our lives, that we may be all that Jesus wants us to be.
