Truth or Lie?

 

"Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come.   This is how we know it is the last hour.  They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us.  For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.  But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.  I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth."  I John 2:18-21

The enemy of your soul is constantly working, trying to find some entrance into your life to shipwreck your faith.  He tries to discourage you, deceive you and flat out lie to you.  He will, too, if you let him...

It is our job to hold fast to the truth that we know and to add to our knowledge base daily.  The Bible is a wealth of information, wisdom, knowledge and direction for your life.  When we neglect to invest in knowing the Word of God, we swing wide open the door of our hearts and mind to our enemy to come in and deceive us.  No matter how much you respect a teacher, preacher or evangelist, if their words are not based on the Bible, in their entirety, you cannot afford to accept their message.  There are false teachers out there and we must be armed with the truth to disarm a lie. But not only that, there are men and women who are honestly confused or deluded and believe that they are sharing the truth, the whole while propagating partial truth or a whole lie.  The only way to discern those teachers is from knowing your Word.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but the Word of God will stand... will you be standing on the Word of God?

A few years back I had some really important prayers answered differently than I had prayed.  That caused me to begin to question things I had always believed and even some passages of the Bible.  (Don't judge me too harshly, I was walking through a horrible season of death on every side.  I believe it was seven loved ones in one year.)  When I would read passages about God's healing, I would find myself saying, "unless he decides not to..."  There came a day the Lord called me on the carpet about my unbelief.  I had to reach a decision that the Word of God  would be truth and everything else a lie.  I refused to exalt my experience above the Bible.  Do I understand why things don't always work out as I hope and pray?  Of course not!  But I have decided to hang my hat- all I believe- on the truth of the Word of God.  From that,  I will not be moved. You know the truth.  Guard it.  Hold on to it.  Do not allow the enemy or anyone else to move you from those precious words!

Dear  Lord, thank you for sharing your Word with us.  Thank you for directing our paths and illuminating our way.  Help me walk all of my days upon the strong, immoveable foundation of the Bible.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Sherri

Liar, Liar!

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.  But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense- Jesus Christ, the righteous One.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but for the sins of the whole world.  We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.  The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”  I John 2:1-4 

I well remember being a little girl and my Grandma hearing me say someone was a liar.  She scolded me strongly about it, explaining it was ugly to call someone a liar.  She talked in terms of “telling stories.”  I remember too as a young mother telling one of my little ones not to lie.  Once again, Grandma reminded me it was ugly to call someone a liar.  I remember that day telling her (respectfully) that lying was a sin, not confronting a lie.  A truth she had to agree to. 

Here the Word of God is rather strong.  But it really is a right or wrong scenario.  Either you do what he says, or you don’t really know him.  You can know he is God. You can know historical facts about his son, Jesus.  But you cannot really “know” him until you know him as Lord.  That means that you exalt him to his rightful place in your life and allow him to call the shots.  You know him when you cannot stand the idea of breaking his heart by rebelling against his Word.  You know him when you recognize his holiness to the point you have a right amount of reverential fear and awe of the Righteous Judge.

Friday we discussed how we know we know him if we obey his commands.  Today’s verse is just the flip side to that verse.  Don’t you just love how the Bible is so well-balanced?  We can know him and obey, or we can not obey and realize we do not know him at all.  That is the two choices laid out before us in Scripture.  But to not obey, and claim to know him?  That just make you a hypocrite (an actor/actress) and a liar.  The trademark of any true believer is a love for Jesus, his Word, and a desire to please him. 

Where are your affections today?  Are they on pleasing God or pleasing yourself?  Do you know him?  Do you love him?  Find out what the Bible says and do it.  Do you claim Jesus, but live however you see fit?  Repent!  He wants you to know him and be in close relation with him.

Dear Jesus, help me not to just be a hearer of your Word, but a doer of it. I want to know you, Lord.  Remove the mixture in me.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

Unfounded Claim

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched- this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim what we have seen and heard, so that you may have fellowship with us.  And our fellowship is with the Father and with his son, Jesus Christ.  We write this to make our joy complete.  This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light and in him is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.  If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and purify us from all unrighteousness.  If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”  I John 1:1-10

 

 

We are all sinners.  Ever since Adam and Eve made the choice to defy God, we have all been subject to an inherent tendency to sin.  Any religion or philosophy that tells you otherwise, stands in direct opposition to the Word of God.

We have made life such a relative thing.  But there are still absolutes in this world.  There really is a black and a white; a right and a wrong; a correct action and a sin.  Regardless of extenuating circumstances and our preferences, the truth remains. 

If we deny the absolute authority of the Bible, every choice thereafter is skewed.  God knew we needed absolute truth and he laid his will out for us in the Bible.  If we want to live righteously, and avoid making God out to be a liar, we have to hide the Word of God within our heart.  We have to read the Word, study the Word, and memorize it. That way we know what is true and what is false.  When we listen to our own advice or opinion, we are likely to fall short of the mark.

I challenge you to begin to delve more deeply into the Bible, every day.  Life, wisdom and direction are found within its pages.  If you choose to make the Bible your foundation, the enemy will not be able to lie to you and shake you, you will stand firm!

Dear Lord, give me a deeper love for your Word.  A stronger passion for righteousness.  A greater desire to walk holy before you.  Forgive me for making you out to be a liar by my actions.  I am sorry.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri