Four Key Beliefs From Scripture

The beliefs of your heart usually come from your parents, or you may pick them up from culture. Thus we are likely to be as happy or unhappy as our parents were or as our culture is as a whole.

But I don’t want my happiness to be dependent on others, whether it’s my parents or the culture in general. I know that God created me to be filled with joy, peace and love, and therefore, I have been learning to base my beliefs solely on Scripture. It is in Scripture that I have found the four major beliefs I am basing my life on today.

These four beliefs will become the foundation for the plan you and your children can develop. These are the key beliefs I have been diligent to embed, or hide, in my heart so that they become guiding principles for everything I do in life. And I have found that they work. If we will conform our minds to these four key beliefs that were designed by our Maker, they will put us on top of everything that matters in life.

These beliefs need to be established firmly in your life so they can in turn be included in your plan and impressed on the hearts of your children. Here is just a brief outline of these four beliefs:

1. Humble Yourself. You are promised by Jesus that if you humble yourself before God and think of yourself as a helpless person or as a beggar, unable on your own to create His type of love and power, you will become “poor in Spirit.” Then, as this sense of powerlessness grows into a huge belief within your heart, He will give you the kingdom of heaven as a reward today and forever (see Matthew 5:3; James 4:6).
2. Love God. If you humble yourself before God and cry out as a beggar for His love and power, He’ll reward you so that you in turn can use His love and power to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength (see Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37).
3. Love Others. If you remain humble before God and cry out as a beggar for His love and power, He’ll reward you so that you in turn can use His love and power to love others as you love yourself (see Galatians 5:14).
4. Rejoice in Trials. If you remain humble before God and cry out as a beggar for His love and power, He’ll reward you so that you in turn can use His love and power to give thanks to Him and even rejoice during all circumstances, good and bad (see Romans 5:3-5; James 1:2-4).

I’m 70 years old and more excited about today and what the future brings than at any other time in my life. I live with great hope about today and tomorrow. What will He inspire me to do today? Help someone I don’t even know? Grant forgiveness to someone? Use me to bring others to Him? How will He use me tomorrow? Even the littlest things I do can be used mightily by God. All things are possible through Him (see Matthew 19:26). I get to discover His dreams for me and what He wants to do through me.

Nothing has changed my life more than these four beliefs. As I review and think on the Bible verses that support these four beliefs every day, my friends and family are finding that I complain less and serve more.

Learning these principles will help you reap the wonderful consequences of a much closer walk with God and harmony with others. You’ll be thrilled at the growing compassion in your heart toward all people. It all comes as a gift from God when you learn to adjust your deepest beliefs to only a few of the most powerful living words from Scripture. Just think of it: God’s Word is truth (see John 17:17), and you will know this truth, and it will set you free (see John 8:32).

You may be way beyond me in this journey. You may already have these four beliefs firmly hidden in your own heart. If so, that’s great. If you already know and live by these principles, you will be able to influence your children so that these amazing beliefs can spread throughout the world.