People can free themselves from lies they have believed

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Somehow in life we pick up false beliefs that drag us down and keep us from being happy and reaching our full potential. These lies run through our minds as negative thoughts or spill out of our mouths when we cut ourselves down. Sometimes events or circumstances seem to reinforce a lie because our view is distorted.  We come to believe that failure makes us a “loser” when that isn’t true. Failing is just part of life. Everyone loses sometimes. By getting up and trying again, being persistent, we can reach a goal, celebrate successes, no matter how big or small they are. The only true way to lose is to quit.

How can we get past these life-sucking beliefs? We need to replace the lie with a truth.

There are four lies that many people believe: I must meet certain standards to feel good about myself (the performance trap); I must be approved by certain others to feel good about myself (the approval addict); those who fail are unworthy of love and deserve to be punished (the blame game); and I am hopeless (shame).  Robert S. McGee tells us step by step how to overcome these four lies by replacing them with God’s answers in his book, The Search for Significance (Seeing Your True Worth through God’s Eyes). He explains what justification, reconciliation, propitiation, and regeneration mean. There is a workbook for readers to use to apply what they learn and to work through their own struggles.

“When Christ told His disciples, ‘Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free’ (John 8:32 KJV), He was referring not only to an intellectual assent to the truth but also to the application of truth in the most basic issues of life: our goals, our motives, and our sense of self-worth,” McGee says in his introduction.  He then goes on to share with us valuable information and tools that help us overcome the lies to find the freedom to be who we were created to be and to find satisfaction and joy in living our life.

I found this book and accompanying workbook encouraging, refreshing, and life changing if applied. We each have so much potential. If we could just not be concerned with perfectionism, approval, fault finding, and failure, we could find the peace, joy, and purpose we all seek. Reading the book is just the beginning. Applying what we learn takes time, perseverance, and patience to make a new habit.

I discovered this book while reading Jeff Gerke’s book The Art and Craft of Writing Christian Fiction. In Chapter 1, Gerke challenged me to consider who I was writing for and why. He also said, “Anything we are unwilling to let go of is an idol.” He recommended McGee’s The Search for Significance so, of course, I purchased it. I figured there was a lot at stake. I wanted a fulfilling career. I didn’t want to be writing for the wrong reasons because doing so would not bring the results I desired. I’d just have to quit if this wasn’t what I was supposed to be doing. You can say that you are writing to honor God, but you can’t please God if deep inside you’re seeking value or validation in this world through fame, money, honor, or whatever it is you seek by completing the goal.

Working through The Search for Significance takes time. In fact, I recommend going through it more than once because there is so much in this book to learn and apply. It’s well worth the investment of time to do this because through the process, you will learn how to replace the lies with truths such as you are deeply loved by God; you are completely forgiven and pleasing to God; you are totally accepted by God; and you are a new creation, complete in God. McGee sounds like he’s talking directly to you as you read this book. He’s friendly, understanding, knowledgeable, and encouraging. If you need or want a pep talk, you’ll find it—and so much more—here.

This book can be life changing. I hope you’ll discover its value for you.