Eldership Sunday
About this talk:
This sunday, the elders will be appointed and prayed for by Guy Miller, who provides apostolic oversight for Citygate. We’re also pleased to welcome Segun Oladokun, lead elder at King’s Church, Epsom. Originally from Nigeria, Segun has over 20 years of church leadership experience and will be speaking on church eldership and leadership.
Audio only
Devotional: How to Silence the Lies in Your Head
Psalm 13
One of the reasons we believe the Bible is trustworthy is its honesty. Scripture does not polish its heroes. God’s people are not painted in glowing colours, and neither are its great characters. Adam and Eve fall. Abraham lies. Moses falters. Kings fail. Disciples doubt. Churches struggle. The Bible tells the truth about humanity—and that very honesty gives us confidence that it is a reliable record of God’s dealings with mankind.
King David is a prime example. A military hero, the great king of Israel, and the forerunner of Jesus—yet also a deeply flawed man. His affair with Bathsheba, his broken family, and the rebellion of his son Absalom are recorded with undiluted candour. Psalm 13 gives us something even more personal: a window into David’s inner world. Here we overhear the noise inside his head and heart.
Reflection
Psalm 13 opens like a cry from the depths:
“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?”
Four times David asks, “How long?” He feels forgotten, as if God is hiding. He is anxious, fearful, and unsure of the future—so overwhelmed that he fears for his life. This is not polished worship; it’s raw, honest prayer. It even seems likely this psalm was meant to be sung. When was the last time you sang something like this?
David is facing real danger, yet somewhere his feelings have passed through a filter of lies. The lie sounds like this: “God has forgotten me.” And that’s the danger for all of us. When feelings pass through a filter of lies, they can lead us down a slippery slope until we begin to live the lie.
Sometimes the loudest enemy isn’t “out there” but inside our heads:
“I’m not enough.”
“God can’t be trusted.”
“This will never change.”
Scripture shows we’re not alone. Elijah wanted to die. Job questioned everything. Peter was crushed by regret. Paul spoke of torment. Even Jesus, in Gethsemane, was overwhelmed with sorrow. In each case, the battle included what was happening in the mind—how suffering was being interpreted.
Paul later calls these deeply rooted lies “strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4–5). They feel true, even when they’re not—like a pilot whose senses lie to him in the dark. Survival depends on trusting the instruments.
David does exactly that at the end of Psalm 13. With the noise still swirling, he deliberately changes the filter:
“But I trust in your unfailing love… for he has been good to me.”
Literally, “I have trusted.” David looks back. He remembers God’s proven faithfulness. He chooses a truth filter—God’s goodness and love—and through it he recalibrates his heart. The song ends not because circumstances have changed, but because perspective has.
Discussion Questions
If a friend asked why you believe the Bible is trustworthy, which of these reasons resonates most with you:
internal coherence, historical integrity, self-authenticating nature, textual reliability, or honesty? Why?What stands out to you about David’s honesty in Psalm 13?
What “How long?” questions are loudest in your own heart right now?
Can you identify any lies that may be shaping how you interpret your circumstances?
How does David model a healthy way of processing pain before God?
Application
Listen: Pay attention to the internal noise this week. What messages keep repeating in your mind?
Test the filter: Ask, “Is this thought aligned with what I know to be true about God, myself, and the gospel?”
Take it captive: Don’t let thoughts run riot. Bring them to Christ and replace lies with truth from Scripture.
Remember: Recall your own “Ebenezers”—moments when God has clearly been faithful.
Respond: Like David, choose to trust and worship—not because everything is resolved, but because God has proven himself good.
Prayer
“Lord, help me to recognise the lies that distort my thinking. Teach me to see my life through the filter of your unfailing love and faithfulness. Recalibrate my heart to trust you again. Amen.”
