Resisting the Truth

Can you imagine someone who would actually resist knowing or believing the truth? It happens all the time. In fact, people say that truth in its first form is always negative. We often react negatively the first time we hear a truth.

This occurs especially if the truth is contrary to what we were taught, or have heard all of our life or falsely believed in our past. We may resist or reject the person speaking the truth, as well as the truth itself.

Timothy knew people like this. He described them as men of corrupt understanding and reprobate in the area of faith (2 Timothy 3:8). People in the 21st Century have this same problem.

We want to escape judgment or punishment, so we tell a lie. We cause other people to believe lies; and in the process, we often prevent them from knowing the truth. We tell a lie so many times that we start to believe that it is actually true.

We resist the truth of God's Word because Satan already polluted our mind with his lies. Even books, novels written for entertainment, are used by the devil to prevent people from believing God's Truth.

In today's world, comedians make a living poking fun at truth and touting lies as the more logical belief. They convince the weak in heart and mind to believe these lies as if they were truth (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).

Some people regard godliness as a means of gaining material wealth. They go into the ministry as a job rather than a calling. They pretend to have an intimate relationship with God, but their actions deny any authentic union between them and our Savior.

They are devoid of God's truth and do not devote the hours of service required by the position of pastor or teacher, but do the bare minimum of work and spend the rest of their time in leisure (1 Timothy 6:5). They are actually detestable, unfit for the ministry and disobedient to God's Spirit (Titus 1:16).

Even if we have to apologize or admit that we are or were wrong, it is worth walking in the light of God's Truth. God has a place for liars in the pit of hell (Revelation 21:8). Resisting His Truth determines our eternal destination (John 3:18).

Prayer:

Father God, it is easy for humans to lie to maintain our false image or to justify our actions. Your truth tends to convict us, and many people run from conviction. They avoid admitting their faults and resist walking in Your Truth. They manufacture reasons to excuse their sin and to convince themselves that they are righteous.

You call us to walk in Your Truth in order to gain Your blessings (1 Kings 2:4). Help us to walk in Your Truth, so that as we fear You more than people, we will walk in Your ways (Psalm 86:11). Remind us to walk in Your Spirit at all times, and we will never resist Your Truth (Galatians 5:15-25).

Thought for the Day:

We delight in knowing that our children are telling us the truth and know that we can always trust them when they do; God feels the same way. - 3 John 1:4

God is Not Our Co-Pilot

Photo by Mike Rickard: http://lightsportrayal.zenfolio.com/

When the phrase, "God is my co-pilot" first hit the scene, it caused us to focus our attention on God being a huge force in our life. The popularity of this phrase grew over the years.

It gave me comfort to think of God next to me, traversing the issues of my life and ready to back me up if necessary. However, something always bothered me when I heard this phrase.

God showed me that He wants more intimacy and control over our life than a co-pilot. He does not want to function only during an emergency, which we find too challenging.

God wants to reign as Lord and King of our life. He is much better suited to Pilot our life than we could ever hope to be. He knows the end of our human lifespan from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10).

He saw us in our mother's womb and knit our bones together with His special purpose in mind (Psalm 139:13). He has a unique plan to provide for each one of us.

For instance, God chose to leave out four of my permanent teeth. Then He proved His love for me by allowing those baby teeth to serve me for several decades into my adult life.

He has a perfect will for each life, including yours (Ephesians 2:10). As we totally surrender to His Spirit's direction for every moment of our day, He guides us from one divine appointment to the next.

God uses us for His glory and blesses us in the process. We help to further His Kingdom on the earth and to contribute to the population of Heaven for eternity.

Complete capitulation to God's Spirit is our best recourse in life. We never feel concern over the past, or fear of the future or stress in the moment, because we cast all of our worries on our Father God, who cares about us (1 Peter 5:7).

This helps us to lose our temporal mindset and to focus on the eternal instead. Satan's temptations no longer appeal to us. We rise above the carnal cares of this life, because we trust God to supply all of our needs with His glorious riches (Philippians 4:19).

Prayer:

Father God, as we submit our life to you, there is no event, which will ever occur in our life, that is not already part of Your plan for us. We trust in Your loving kindness, because You have our best interest in Your heart. 

You weave the moments of our day into a perfect tapestry, which turns the focus away from us and puts it fully on You (Matthew 5:16).

We give You all of the praise and glory for the successes of our life, and we know that You will turn the ashes of our failures and suffering into a beautiful experience in Your time and way (Isaiah 61:3; Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Thought for the Day:

God wants complete control of every area of our life; and once we submit to His will, we find fulfillment, which is better than anything we could ever plan for our self.

Healing from Loss

In this world we will have troubles and trials, but we can rejoice through them all because Christ IN us has already overcome them all (John 16:33).

However, it is important to allow our soul to grieve each loss. Everyone experiences loss at one time or another during our lifetime.

We all react to loss in a similar fashion. We suffer both emotional and physical distress in our grief, caused by the heightened levels of adrenalin in our bloodstream.

When a segment of our support system in this life crumbles, our assurance of security, safety and stability crumble as well.

Part of our purpose, identity, social status and provision vanish. Unfamiliar and unwanted issues occur, which demand our attention and time.

Our life is full of turmoil, loss, isolation and grief. We feel overwhelmed, depressed, hopeless and unable to cope. We find it difficult to function in both our normal roles and new responsibilities.

Some people are angry and others withdraw from society. We feel abandoned by significant others, and maybe even by God.

However, we have hope of full recovering when we cling ever closer to God. He gives us His peace, which transcends all of our circumstances.

Prayer:

Father God, our life on this earth is a series of losses from favorite toys, to special treasures, to important people and places, all of which helped to define who we are. Remind us to allow our self to work through the grief process and not to short-cut our time of healing.

Help us to reflect on the positive side of grief as an opportunity to evaluate our priorities in life, to examine our values and to deepen our beliefs. Guide us as we move toward a more mature relationship with You, and a stronger faith in Your faithfulness as we experience Your provision in all of our negative circumstances.

Thought for the Day:

The impact of loss is so profound that it reaches to the very core of our being and affects every aspect of our life--physically, emotionally, mentally, socially and spiritually.