Rick Warren Daily Devotional (February 20, 2025) If You Want to Change, Then Face the Truth.
“You have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him.” Ephesians 4:21 (NLT)
The secret to personal change is not willpower. The secret is to know and face the truth. So, if you want to change, you must know and face the truth about yourself. You need to face the truth about your weaknesses, your relationships, your successes, your failures, your past, and your future. And that truth is found in Jesus Christ.
Nothing in your life can change until you know and face the truth. Why? It’s because behind every self-defeating habit in your life is a lie that you believe.
If you’re in debt, it might be because you believed a lie like, “I can spend and get away with it” or “I can always pay it back.” You might have overestimated how much you were going to make, or you believed the lie that you needed a much bigger house.
But did you need that bigger house? Are you sure it’s the truth? Can you prove it’s the truth? Are you absolutely certain that what you’ve believed about your finances is true?
What about your relationships? What about the things you say to yourself about yourself? Is the way you think about your past true?
Or is the truth what God says about these things?
The Bible teaches that personal change starts with truth. The truth sets you free. The apostle Paul said, “You have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him” (Ephesians 4:21 NLT).
Who is the truth? It’s Jesus. And because Jesus is the truth, he will always tell you the truth. One of the ways he’ll most often tell you the truth is through his Word. Because the Bible is his Word, the Bible is truth. (You can read more about that in 2 Timothy 3:16-17.)
What you hear on television or read in books won’t always help you—because it’s not always the truth. In fact, if you consistently listen to what voices around you are saying, you’ll find your life built on a foundation of lies, misconceptions, deceptions, and half-truths. And you will never change.
But what God tells you is always the truth. God’s Word shows you how to get back to the life you were created to live, and then it shows you how to stay on God’s path. This is why it is so important for you to have a daily quiet time in the Word of God. Nothing will change until you get the truth into your heart.
Choose today to face and respond to the truth. Then you’ll begin to see positive change in your life.
Talk It Over
- Where, other than God’s Word, have you looked for the truth about your life? How has that failed you?
- When did God’s Word help you understand a truth about yourself?
- What changes do you need to make to your schedule and priorities to spend time daily in God’s Word?
