Are you living in TRUTH?

“And ye shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free.”John 8:32 (KJV)

I’ve heard the above scripture quoted so many times, but never had a complete understanding of “truth”. I’ve heard it preached, but not necessarily taught . . . until 10 weeks ago!

For the past 10 weeks I’ve attended a Bible study where we’ve explored this “truth” Jesus was referring to in the above scripture in a series called The Truth Project. Just to give you some context to this one verse above, in the chapter Jesus was actually speaking to BELIEVERS (Jews who “believed on him,” as written in verse 1). This gives rise to the fact that there are still things we need to be set free from, even as “believers.”

This project is presented in what some might consider a non-traditional Bible study, but causes listeners to get a better understanding of God’s Word and really question whether or not they “really believe what they believe is really real,” according to Dr. Del Tackett, the “teacher” in this series. In other words, discover the true meaning of “truth” and apply it to your every-day life.

But, whenever I’m introduced to a new study, or simply a new or different thought, I’m always asking “Lord, are there others out there with the same idea?” Funny thing is, God always answers and I’m always amazed and excited!

This time, it is through the book “Principle of the Path,” by Andy Stanley. The whole basis for this book is realizing that every choice you make in life leads you down a particular path to a specific destination.

For example, if you choose to marry the wrong person for the wrong reasons, the destination for that marriage could be hurt, anger and divorce.

But, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Stanley forces you to realize that (a) you MUST understand why and how you arrived at your present destination (whether it’s a place you want to be or not), (b) this understanding will cause you to take responsibility for past choices and make you think/pray hard about future choices, and (c) the heart of the matter is . . . you guessed it . . . TRUTH!

Here’s the passage that made my spirit shout:

“Our problem is rarely a lack of information or insight. … Our problem stems from the fact that we on not on a truth quest.”

Can I get an “AMEN”?

Man, when I read the paragraph containing these sentences, my spirit immediately began jumping . . . honestly, I literally almost started jumping around my room. And over a simple little word: TRUTH. How stress-less our lives would be if we simply lived by God’s truths.

Anyway…what I absolutely ADORE about my God is the fact that He never ceases to amaze me! God shed yet more light on this little lesson through a church sermon. I got invited to attend service last Sunday morning at Carlisle Brethren in Christ Church, lead by Pastor Alan Robinson. Needless to say, it was hard getting out of bed that morning, but God made it worth it!

Pastor Robinson read from 1 John, verses 1 through 10. First John, as he described it, “addresses very specific challenges in very specific situations within the life of specific communities.” One of these challenges, just from a historical standpoint, was a noticeable division within the church at that time; particularly the encroachments of Gnostic philosophy into Christian faith (according to the King James Reference Bible by Zondervan).

Here’s what rekindled my fire during this sermon: Pastor Robinson said that when we don’t hear truth we are being deceived, and when we choose to ignore truth we are deceiving ourselves. “The worst kind of deceit is self-deceit,” he said.

There’s that word truth again!

He also said that too many Christians are living with one foot in the Kingdom of God and the other foot in the world. What they don’t realize is that these are two completely different paths going in [total opposite] directions. You can’t keep one foot on both paths but for so long.

Is your spirit jumping yet?!?

Now, get this. In Stanley’s book, he references Jeremiah 17:9, which says “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” He further explains that the horribleness of deceit is its ability to lead someone astray. So, in self-deceit we are allowing ourselves (with no outside help) to actually believe something that is wrong and contrary to God. What’s heartbreaking is that the same division in John’s day continues in today’s church.

To bring this word full circle, much of what we’ve been learning to do in this Truth Project is how to discern natural and spiritual lies (or deceit) and how to discover truth and live it every day.

How GREAT is our God!

There are only two more lessons remaining in our Truth-Project study, and I’m just half way through Stanley’s book (which, I’m sure I’ll have more to write about once I’m finished), but I challenge you to unveil some of the lies you’ve been believing. Ask God to reveal His truth to you, and once He does, take that leap of faith forward and follow that truth every day of your life. Teach it to your children (or to whomever God leads you). Most importantly, simply enjoy the true fellowship with God that comes by knowing His word and will for your life.