“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, ESV)
The Battle for the Truth
The truth! Not everything you read on the Internet is true. I hope you know that. We’ve learned about this new thing called “Fake News.” But it’s not a new thing. There has always been “Fake News.” The “True News” is something that has been convoluted, manipulated, and outright assaulted since the beginning of time.
It started in the Garden of Eden. Satan took the truth about the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and twisted as a means to his own end. He was “crafty” in devising a scheme. Adam and Eve were deceived, and it led to sin entering into the world (see Genesis 3:1-13).
It’s disappointing to see believers fail to exercise discernment when it comes to the truth. It compromises our witness in regards to the real truth. The next time you hit “share” on your Facebook account check, double check, and triple check if what you are sharing is indeed true. The next time you are about to exaggerate about one of your accomplishments, bite your lip. Exercise the truth that God has entrusted to you. It is better not to share than to share something which is false or misleading.
Satan is described as the Father of Lies (John 8:44). In Ephesians 6 we are told to put on the full armor against the devil and his schemes and that we will be able to stand. Realize there is a battle for the truth. The very first thing we are told to put on before anything else is the belt of truth (Ephesians 6:14). There is a reason the belt of truth is listed first. If we don’t have the truth, all the other armor will be useless. We will fall without the truth. If we don’t have the truth, what do we really have?
There is one truth, and he has a name. He is Jesus! He is the way! The only way! And the truth! Nothing but the truth! And as we live in the truth, we will experience abundant life! When we fail to walk in the truth, we are left in a world of hurt.
The Truth about You
The starting point of discernment is discerning your relationship with God and your standing with him. I find so many people struggle in life because they fail to discern God’s word of truth about who they are. They failed to grasp that they are a child of God. They think that they’ve got to work, earn, or do something to win God’s love. God does not love you because of what you do. He loves you because of who he made you to be in Christ.
When we fail to embrace the truth we are vulnerable to the lies of the culture that tell us we need to make more money, be more beautiful, buy the latest gadget, or have a greater following. The truth is God made you who he made you to be and you are loved and special in his eyes. The is nothing more you need to be.
Right thinking leads to right living. Wrong thinking leads to wrong living. If we misunderstand the most important relationship we have in life (our relationship with God), we are going to fail to get much else right. It’s like a domino effect. Discern the truth!
Reflection
- When was a time you failed to discern the truth and got burned?
- How can you be more discerning of the truth?
- What are three deeply held untruths you are holding on to about your relationship with God?
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