How to Know What is True or False

“How can we know what is true, and protect ourselves from believing lies?”

One day while I was reading the news, a major national story appeared, written about a friend of mine. I was deeply troubled by what I read, as it detailed many illegal things he had done. But as I read, I thought to myself, “Something just doesn’t seem right. This doesn’t sound like David.” So I picked up my phone and gave him a direct call and walked through the story with him. Then I did my own research afterwards, and in the end, I found the news story about him to be filled with many lies. (Photo by Matt Walsh on Unsplash)

How do we know if the information we come across is true? Maybe some will say, “It sounds believable” or “It comes from a reliable source.” Since we live in a time of so much creative deceit how do we protect ourselves from believing lies? How can we know what is true so we can make decisions or accept certain beliefs on things?

We need wisdom.

Let us call out for wisdom and seek it like a valuable hidden treasure in our backyard. The Bible speaks of people who “…have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:14) Discernment is a form of wisdom. It gives a person understanding and good judgment.

When what is true could be false, and what is false could be true, we need discernment. When the pressure is on from family or friends to make decisions, we need discernment. When our job, health, finances, or our very lives are at stake we need discernment. It helps us see more clearly what is true, so we can wisely respond to what is before us.

How do we practice godly discernment? 1. Pray. Ask God to provide you with discernment in your situation so you can make a wise decision. 2. Read the Scriptures. It is the source for wisdom, where God will show you something in His Word to give you needed guidance. 3. Identify the costs. There are consequences to decisions, so identify what they are before you decide. 4. Identify pressures. List out the various pressure points you are feeling, and where they are coming from. 5. Research. Take time and effort to read, ask questions, learn and gain as much information as you can. 6. Get advice. Search out for a few people you would consider to be wise and get their input. 7. Trust God and act. After you have done all this, there comes a time to stop dithering, place your complete faith in God and take action.

Godly discernment is a faithful guard, protecting us against lies, deception and manipulation. It can literally save our life and the lives of those whom we love. But there is a high cost. It means we question things when we are discouraged from doing so. It means we may have to separate from the crowd and go a different way. Though the cost is great, the benefits are worth it. There is a peace that abounds, knowing we have chosen to do what is right. There is also a peace that comes from obeying God as best as we understand, and believing He will take care of the unknown.

How do we obtain such wisdom, that the Bible calls more valuable than silver or gold? It comes through a covenant relationship with Jesus. He is the very embodiment of wisdom. When we turn from our disobedience, and call upon Him with all our heart, He will save us and give us the gift of Himself, and His wisdom.

A prayer for you - Lord God, open the eyes of the confused, frustrated, fearful and anxious. Give them godly discernment in the situations they face. Turn them toward yourself, for you are the wisdom they so desperately need. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Is The Deity of Christ a Lie?

“Jesus’ deity has been opposed from the first century until modern times"

Imagine you and a friend are doing some hiking in the woods when you stop to have lunch. Then while eating you notice a dangerous animal in the distance watching you both. So you say to your friend, “There is something very hungry with sharp teeth who is watching us and slowly heading in this direction. We need to get up and go right now!.” Then what if your friend responds with, “I’m tired and enjoying my lunch. No! You go on and I’ll catch up with you later.” (Image from christianity.com)

How would you respond? “Hello! Did you hear what I just said?” You told the truth, and you are not someone who jokes around a lot, so your friend has no reason to dismiss your warning.

Jesus once said, “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30) Despite this being true, it was an offensive statement to the Jewish religious leaders Jesus was speaking to. So how did they respond? They immediately picked up stones to throw at Him. Why? Because they believed He was lying, and therefore guilty of blasphemy and deserving of death.

Jesus responded to their anger with a question, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” (Jn. 10:31) His opponents provided a very transparent answer, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” (Jn. 10:32-33)

The enemies of Jesus refused to believe the truth, that Jesus was more than a man, but is the one true God in human form. His opponents denied His works and teachings, which all verified His claims. Instead, they rejected Him and conspired to have Him silenced through the brutality of crucifixion. 

The truth of Jesus’ deity has been opposed from the first century until modern times. Major religions of the world like Islam, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormonism and Judaism, all deny the deity of Christ. Jesus and His followers stand alone in upholding this essential truth.

What is Jesus’ greatest work in validating His claims of deity? When the enemies of Christ put Him to death to silence Him, He used their evil scheme against them. How? When Jesus rose from the dead. For His resurrection gave the world the clearest proof of His deity.

How did His enemies respond? They denied His resurrection too. They lied about it and said it never happened. Still today, all major religions in the world deny Jesus’ resurrection, except for His own followers, because it points to His deity.    

Here are four ways the truth of the deity of Christ has changed the world.

1) The deity of Jesus reveals what God is like up close and personal, and shows that God is not a myth, legend or lie, but is real and there are no others.

2) The deity of Jesus reveals that He is the Savior of all mankind. For only He can save men and women from the power of sin and its eternal judgement that awaits them.

3) The deity of Jesus reveals that forgiveness for our failures before God, can only come through Jesus.

4) The deity of Jesus reveals that He is the King of kings and Supreme Ruler of the universe, possessing all power, where all people should come before Him in worship and honor.

A prayer for you - Lord God, I pray you will bring people to truly believe in your one and only Son. That He truly was more than a man, but divine. Open our human eyes to see His greatness and glory. Then after people see the truth of who He is, may they turn to you with all their heart. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Is God’s Wrath a Myth?

“Only Jesus can save us from 

the wrath that is to come.” 

The Pastor of one of America’s largest churches said in a sermon, “God is way into you. Do you think there’s anything you can do to cause Him to stop loving you?” Statements like this can encourage and affirm people. But it is incomplete. It exalts the virtues of the love of God but is void of the justice of God. It is written about Jesus, the original source of the love of God, that “…whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:36) Wrath of God? The phrase is uncomfortable. It does not fit the idea most people have of who Jesus is. We talk about the love of Jesus and the love of God, but the wrath of God? (Photo by by Pexels from Pixabay)

Sometimes we might think this idea was just in the Old Testament, that somehow when Jesus came it ended the era of the wrath of God. There are hundreds of verses from the Bible that speak of this, in both the Old and New Testaments, including after Jesus’ resurrection and the establishment of the church.

What is the wrath of God? Theological scholar, Dr. Leon Morris wrote about this, stating it is the “active opposition of God’s holy nature to everything that is evil.”

Mankind naturally goes against the ways of God. To speak evil of others, engage sexually with someone outside of marriage and or to put our interests above another is all very normal for us. We are inwardly corrupt, even the most religious and moral among us. We all inherently walk in disobedience to God. How does He respond? By being just. When mankind persists in going His own way, God must be impartial and act. His wrath is an expression of that, where He comes against every thought, word or deed that violates His standards.

How we feel about something is not as important as how God feels about it. He is opposed to our blatant disobedience. Therefore, when we understand this, it ought to make us tremble in reverent fear before Him. He is invisible, is everywhere, reads our thoughts, can control the weather, dispatches unseen forces, can alter the course of daily events and possess the power over life and death. When we do not care what God says or foolishly presume things about His kindness, we are living dangerously. Hear this Word, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31)

God’s wrath is certain and it will come against all who refuse to humble themselves and obey Him. Hell will be their home for eternity, which is absent of all the goodness, mercy and love of God.

What can save us from this definite and unbearable wrath? The cross of Jesus.

Have you heard of the statement “Jesus saves”? What does He save from? It is written in the Scriptures that we “shall be saved by him from the wrath of God.” (Romans 5:9) When Jesus hung on His cross, He bore upon Himself the sin of all humanity. The very thing He hated; He chose to take. And when He did, the wrath of His Father was poured out upon Him. Jesus received our punishment. Why? Because of love. He bore the wrath of God so we would not have to.

Only Jesus can save us from the wrath that is to come.

God is kind and patient with us. He waits with arms stretched open wide as He sends messengers back and forth across the world, and directly to you, carrying His message of good news. All people, no matter who they are, can be saved from the wrath to come and find forgiveness and peace in Jesus today.

A prayer for you - Lord God, I praise you for both your love and justice. You are a God without partiality and a wise judge. Let us walk in reverent fear before you because of your mighty power. Bring us to call upon you with all our heart, that we might escape your judgement, and receive the promise of a new life in Christ. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

How to Fight and Win Against Corruption

“How do you confront corruption? Fight lies

 with the truth. Arrogance with humility. 

Human cleverness with heavenly wisdom.

 Hate with forgiveness.” 

When I was traveling internationally, I went to pay a fee to enter a tourist area but was restricted from paying in cash. Only digital transactions were allowed. When I asked why, I was given one word – corruption. It was because the attendants who would receive the cash, could potentially pocket some of it. (Photo by Alexander Mils on Unsplash)

I read about one country that organized an Ethics and Anticorruption Commission within their own government, while in the early 2000s the United Nations held a Convention Against Corruption. What is corruption? The Merriam-Webster dictionary states that it is “dishonest or illegal behavior especially by powerful people.”

The first act of dishonest behavior occurred in the Garden of Eden, through our first parents, Adam and Eve. Their dishonesty brought about the curse of sin upon the world, and from that day forward every human was born with a corrupt heart. And as people occupied places of power, corruption naturally followed. Today, it is found everywhere, from religion, to education, government, business, media and more.

And the most egregious illustration of corruption ever found in world history is in the events of the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. This is written about in the Bible, “Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death…” (Matthew 23:59) Peter, one of Jesus’ leading disciples, rightly accused the Jewish leaders of their illegal actions, forcefully stating “…you denied the Holy and Righteous One…you killed the Author of life…” (Acts 3:14,15)

How did Jesus respond to this corrupt scheme being carried out against Him? 1-Jesus saw the events from a heavenly perspective. He did not get caught up in anger, anxiousness or confusion by seeing things from an earthly viewpoint. No, He understood the circumstances from the bigger picture. 2-Jesus responded with truth. During His unjust trial, when being pressed for answers about Himself, He said, “I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matt. 26:64) He chose the greatest weapon in His divine arsenal to fight corruption – truth. 3-Jesus trusted in His Father. He knew there was a divine plan that was being carefully carried out under His watchful eye. Jesus entrusted Himself to His Father’s all-powerful hands.

His followers though, were confused and disillusioned. After Jesus died on Friday and then buried, they thought, “It’s over.” On Saturday He still lay dead in the tomb. Perhaps they wondered, “Had the corrupt practices of men defeated the King of kings? Was evil and lawless scheming awarded victory over the Son of God?” Absolutely nothing made sense…until Sunday morning.

As the sun slowly inched above the landscape and its beams shot across the horizon, some women came to the tomb of their Lord, while weighed down with grief. As they approached, the ground shook violently. Then suddenly, an angelic being appeared sitting atop the stone that covered Jesus’ tomb. It had been rolled away! The angel told the women, “[Jesus] is not here, for he has risen…Come, see the place where he lay.” (Matt. 28:6)

Yes, He had risen! The corrupt schemes of men had been defeated, and the religious and political leaders were left powerless to cover up history’s greatest miracle.

In every nation on earth, in all groups or organizations known to man, corruption is present at some level. How shall we live in times like these? Just like Jesus. Fight lies with His sword of truth. Arrogance with humility. Human cleverness with heavenly wisdom. Hate with forgiveness.

Corruption can confuse, intimidate and give the appearance of victory. Yet, God is patient and true to His Word. Evil will be defeated. And the webs that the deceitful weave for others, will be the very beds they fall into themselves.

A prayer for you - Lord God, I pray for the deceitful. Show them the error of their ways. Let them see the danger they are putting their souls into. Bring them to turn from their ways and to you with all their heart. Make the corrupt into new creations in Christ. Change them, O God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.