Annette ChesneyMurphy’s Law states, “If anything can go wrong it will”. But is Murphy’s Law a reality in life? It just might be, if you believe it’s true.
Two factors are always at work here to make it seem like truth:
- We act upon what we believe, regardless of the accuracy of that belief. Therefore, we bring about what we believe.
- Satan will do whatever it takes to make you believe Murphy’s Law is true
What’s really at stake here is faith, and every positive blessing that flows from it.
We desperately need to walk in present-tense active, living, believing faith. It’s what fuels us to press forward, to dare to pick ourselves up and try again, to not settle because we know we’re called to something greater, and to rise above the pain of toxic relationships and life’s failures.
When we learn to walk in this kind of faith, it gives us strength and helps us stand in the authority that is already ours in Christ, over all that seeks to thwart us from fulfilling our mission.
The stakes are indeed high.
Just believing in God is not enough. Even the demons believe in God.
The kind of faith we need to walk in is the kind that takes Him at His Word. This is a day to day, moment to moment active, living, believing faith. It says, “I believe what you say is truth and I choose to step out in that truth over the appearances of the moment.”.
We’ll know when we start to live in that zone because we’ll experience a sense of security. Peacefulness, and automatic positive expectation of our situations becomes our new normal. It not a Pollyanna, head-in-the-sand denial of reality, and it has nothing to do with circumstances. We can be all too aware of the reality of our situation, while choosing what “truth” we’re going to believe in the heat of the battle.
That choice is critical, because we act upon what we believe, and we bring about what we expect as a result.
Are you familiar with the concept of the “placebo effect”? In the mid-1950’s, Dr. Henry Beecher published the results of research he conducted in the Journal of the America Medical Association. He used the blind study research method to document that 35% of patients felt improvement in their condition when given a placebo. More recent research suggests the placebo effect may be even stronger than originally thought!
PET scans and MRI’s have shown that belief in a placebo treatment has the power to change our brain chemistry! The implications of this are staggering. Our thoughts produce a physical reaction within the brain that can make changes for the better. The reverse is also true – our thoughts can produce negative changes in our brain chemistry that makes things worse.
We flippantly ignore this principle at our own peril.
Consider the infamous words of Jesus in Matthew 17:20 (NIV):
“…I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Now look at something else he said in Matthew 9:29 (NIV):
“…According to your faith will it be done to you”
Combine those principles with the truth from these two well-known verses:
“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.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NIV)
Let’s be honest with ourselves – are these verses just warm, fuzzy platitudes? A feel-good thought for the moment? Or do these verses hold a treasure capable of transforming life as you know it?
That all depends on who you’re believing – Murphy and Satan, or the Lord God.
It will show up in your life in one form or another. We get what we expect because we act on what we believe is true.
Take a moment to reflect…
What are you really believing and consequently expecting?
How is that manifested in your thoughts? Your words? Your actions?
What kind of “fruit” has that been producing in your life?
How might the outcomes you’ve been experiencing change if you reevaluated the “truths” you’re embracing?
