Commitment to Freedom

Appendix B Faulty Beliefs and Freedom Facts

If you find yourself wrestling with any of the following faulty beliefs, look at the corresponding truth of Scripture and apply the principles from Key 2: Renewing the Mind to vocalize the “Freedom Facts.”

Faulty Belief: I am alone, and no one really cares how I feel or what I do. Truth of Scripture: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1Pet. 5:7). “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deut. 31:8). Freedom Fact: God is always with me. He sees how I feel, and He comforts me.

Faulty Belief: I’m not worth much. I don’t deserve anything good. Truth of Scripture: “Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay” (1Pet. 1:3–4, NLT). “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ” (Eph. 1:3, NLT). Freedom Fact: I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. Because I am a child of God, I have an eternal inheritance in heaven.

Faulty Belief: My looks don’t measure up to what the world says is attractive. I am ugly. Truth of Scripture: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Ps. 139:13–14). “He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Eccles. 3:11). “God created human beings in his own image” (Gen. 1:27, NLT). Freedom Fact: All of God’s works are great and wonderful, and that includes me! I am created in the image of God Himself, and He has created me beautifully.

Faulty Belief: Because I have lived a lie, I am unable to speak truth. Truth of Scripture: “When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come” (John 16:13). “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Freedom Fact: I can speak truth because the Spirit of God leads me. There is freedom in living an honest life.

Faulty Belief: God is going to have a hard time forgiving me for the things I have done and wrong choices I have made that hurt people. Truth of Scripture: “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy” (Mic. 7:18). “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1John 1:9). Freedom Fact: God delights to show grace. His forgiveness is endless, and His mercies are new every morning.

Faulty Belief: I will only be satisfied and happy in life if I succeed in my career. My worth is in my achievements. Truth of Scripture: “What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows” (Matt. 10:29–31, NLT). “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession” (Deut. 7:6). Freedom Fact: My value and my worth do not come from temporary worldly success or achievement, but from the fact that I am a child of the King and am fully loved and treasured by Him.

Faulty Belief: Not even God could love me after what I have been through. Truth of Scripture: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness” (Jer. 31:3). “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38–39).

Freedom Fact: God loves me unconditionally, and nothing can separate me from His unfailing love.

Faulty Belief: I will never amount to anything because I was used and abused. Truth of Scripture: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13–14). “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world” (1John 4:4, NLT). “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jer. 29:11). Freedom Fact: I am more than a conqueror through Christ and have overcome the shame of my past. God has an amazing plan and purpose for my life, and He will give me the strength I need as I press toward it.