Virtuous Truth

What we believe not only manifests in our thoughts, but in our words and actions as well.

October’s Awakening, Day 14:

Nothing makes a man so virtuous as belief of the truth. A lying doctrine will soon beget a lying practice. A man cannot have an erroneous belief without by-and-by having an erroneous life. I believe the one thing naturally begets the other.

 -Charles Spurgeon

Breakthrough comes when we deliberately continue in that truth by renewing our minds with it over and over again, and acting on it. In other words, that truth must become a lifestyle before it will produce the results we desire.

 -Creflo Dollar

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1,2 NIV

            It is impossible to separate our system of beliefs from our daily thoughts, and from filtering into every aspect of our words and actions. Once those belief thought-patterns have become established, they are very difficult to change. That is why it is so important to learn the truth first, rather than try to substitute new-found truth for the errors that reside in your mind and have engrained themselves.

            Learning the truth, believing it, embracing it, and implementing it into your daily life is essential to removing the resident errors in your mind. Renewing your mind takes reading and studying God’s Word, illumination by the Holy Spirit, researching additional pertinent information, and sometimes seeking professional help and guidance, as well. The truth is invaluable and you should strive to implement it into your mind at all cost.

A World Without Truth

Can we just pick and choose what we fancy, believe that everything is relative, and that there are no absolutes?

October’s Awakening, Day 13:

There is no such thing as truth either in the moral or the scientific sense.

 -Adolf Hitler

At the core of evil is the process of dehumanization by which certain other people or collectives of them, are depicted as less than human.

 -Philip Zimbardo, Stanford University social psychologist, author of “The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil”

            Hitler’s Nazi regime and the extermination of six million Jews, along with all the atrocities of the concentration camps and inhumane abuse in all sorts of scientific testing, should be a reminder of what happens when there are no boundaries and no absolutes. It is evil running rampant and free without restraint. We should also add to that, the evil of slavery past and present, the horrors of war and oppression, and the evil lurking underground in the black markets.

            This is why God has given us specific boundaries and absolutes, and truth that is divinely delivered and self-evident, for without that, this fallen world would self-destruct. The Holy Spirit is our Restrainer, our conscience, our moral values, and our awareness that all men are created equal and in the very likeness of God Himself. Our belief system is at the very core of our essence, character, and actions. How important is truth to you?

Defend the Truth

Do you know the truth well enough to stand firm in it and defend it?

October’s Awakening, Day 12:

Not to oppose error, is to approve of it, and not to defend truth is to suppress it, and indeed to neglect to confound evil men, when we can do it, is no less a sin than to encourage them.

 -Pope Felix III

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

Luke 6:45 NIV

To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. Romans 2:7-10 NIV

            Standing up for the truth and defending it in our day and age can be quite daunting, especially if we are unsure of what the truth really is. We must know in our heart and know in our mind what the undiluted truth is and be prepared to stand firm in it. We don’t have to be aggressive, nor do we need to be belligerently dogmatic, and we should be understanding and compassionate, but we need not be overly compromising or permissive. After all, truth is something every one of us should know and live by. As we will shortly see, a world without truth is a troubled and evil world indeed.

Search Deep for the Truth

Don’t fall for the bait. Insist on the real truth.

October’s Awakening, Day 11:

Falsehood is never so successful as when she baits her hook with truth, and no opinions so fatally mislead us, as those that are not wholly wrong; as no watches so effectually deceive the wearer as those that are sometimes right.

 -C. C. Colton

It is easier to perceive error than to find truth, for the former lies on the surface and is easily seen, while the latter lies in the depth, where few are willing to search for it.

 -Johann Wolfgang Goethe

            Satan is the “father of lies” and the ultimate deceiver and counterfeiter, and unfortunately, he is currently the ruler of this world. In fact, it is probably impossible for him to speak any truth as he is the epitome of pure evil. But he is also crafty and shrewd, using partial truths to convince us that he is right. Just read the story in Genesis, Chapter 3, how Satan twisted what God had said to tempt Adam and Eve in the Garden – and it worked. Partial truths are most absolutely dangerous, as they seem correct and are partially correct, but in reality, a half-truth is still a full lie.

            That is why we must have discernment and know Him and His Truth and know His Word. That true knowledge is our weapon to combat the lies of the enemy. If we do not know Him and if we do not know His Word, then we are easy targets for the enemy. Don’t be an easy target and don’t let down your guard. Lies are everywhere. 

Live in the Truth

Pure truth or diluted half-truths that are really lies – which do you choose?

October’s Awakening, Day 10:

Our society finds truth too strong a medicine to digest undiluted. In its purest form, truth is not a polite tap on the shoulder; it is a howling reproach. What Moses brought down from Mt. Sinai were not suggestions but ten commandments.

 -Ted Koppel

Man has always sacrificed truth to his vanity, comfort and advantage. He lives by make believe.

 -W. Somerset Maugham

Truth is often eclipsed but never extinguished.

 -Livy

            It is disheartening that mankind from the beginning of time has had difficulty in accepting truth in its pure form and has chosen to adapt truth to make it more palatable and fit the mentality of self. Rather than embrace truth and live in its fullest sense and allow it to transform and propel us ever onward and upward, we choose the easier way by making truth conform to our wayward selves. Unfortunately, one day we will all fully know pure truth. Many of us will be in pure bliss, but many more will be shockingly horrified, “with weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 8:12;13:42;13:50;22:13;24:51;25:30 and Luke 13:28)

              God has set specific boundaries and absolutes. He is perfect and so is His truth. He is not wishy-washy nor does He ever waver or change His truth - just as in mathematical equations there is but one answer that correctly fits. The square peg will never perfectly fit into the triangular hole no matter how hard we try, no matter how we attempt to explain the inconsistency away, and no matter how we covertly cover it up; square is not triangular. 

Trusted with Truth

The essence of your nature reveals itself in the little things of truth.

October’s Awakening, Day 9:

Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.

 -Albert Einstein

All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.

 -Arthur Schopenhauer

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ Matthew 25:23 NIV

            The little things do matter, as our diligence and integrity concerning those little things will most certainly flow into how we relate to the bigger and more important things. A little white lie is still a lie. Trust takes time to strengthen and build, but only an instant to lose. The essence of our nature needs to be solid, consistent, trustworthy, and true, concerning all things. Remember the story of young Abraham Lincoln’s extraordinary effort in returning the overcharged pennies to a store customer – that’s honesty and integrity.

            It should also be no surprise that when confronted with truth, we often reject and ridicule it, and science is replete with examples. Furthermore, when we just can’t come to grips with the truth, we often attack it vehemently to protect our own ideas. Finally, as proof begins to substantiate the truth, we ultimately learn to embrace it. As fallen humans, we are continually trying to discover the real truth, but there are traps of deception at every turn. Truth is best ascertained by receiving it from the Source.

Christ Is Truth

The highest attainable understanding of truth and spirituality resides in the presence of the One who is pure truth and spirituality.

October’s Awakening, Day 8:

The highest conceivable state of spirituality is produced by a concentration of all the powers and passions of the soul upon the person of Christ.

 -C. H. Spurgeon

All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.

 -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Everyone may be entitled to his own opinion but everyone is not entitled to his own truth. Truth is but one.

 -Doug Groothius

            There is no higher level or state of spirituality that we can attain than that which entails our spirit entwining with the Spirit of our Creator. Thankfully, Christ our Savior, has torn the veil in two, allowing us to freely enter into His presence directly and learn the mysteries of life as we experience Him. That door to Him is always open, but to fully realize that state of supreme spirituality requires that we enter into His presence frequently, if not continually. That’s how we become the ultimate in spiritual maturity.

            When we’re in His presence we are also in the Truth. We can think what we may and we may have “learned” it from reputable sources, but those qualities do not always define the truth. God has certainly set boundaries and standards and absolute truths, both for us and all creation. If the “laws of physics” were whimsical we would live in a very troubled world, indeed, if we could even exist at all. Embrace Him, embrace the Truth.