
Are you committed or just involved? Commitment to God requires standing for the truth. When we walk in the truth, we are walking in Jesus. In this world, truth is not valued the way the LORD values truth.
In this world, lies spread faster than the truth. Our flesh has a tendency to believe lies over the truth. The truth stands alone and does not change.
- 3 John 1:3-4 New King James Version – For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
It’s important to live a life that lines up with the truth in God’s Word. We will have an opportunity in this life to take a stand for the truth. A good judge knows how to listen for lies and discern the truth. We must stand for truth even if it goes against our family or friends. The enemy likes to use people close to us to test us.
Our spiritual ties should be stronger than our family ties. We must make a decision to stand with Christ and not with a lie. Sometimes unbelievers will stand for truth more than believers and even turn in a loved one who is wrong to law enforcement.
When a Christian lies, the Holy Spirit will bring conviction. He will guide us to all truth, but the Holy Spirit will not make us tell the truth. We have to choose to tell the truth.
- John 16:13 New King James Version – However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
Sometimes silence is a lie. If we know something is wrong and we don’t speak up–that is also a form of lying.
- James 4:17 New King James Version – Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
Sometimes it’s hard to receive truth, if it is not what we want to hear. But truth is good for us. We must develop an appetite for full truth. We want things watered down. There will be times where we will have to stand for truth by ourselves. This is what happened to the prophet Micaiah.
- 1 Kings 22:6-8 New King James Version – 6 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to fight, or shall I refrain?” So they said, “Go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.” 7 And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not still a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of Him?” 8 So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the Lord; but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say such things!”
Micaiah prophesied the opposite of what the other 400 prophets spoke. He was the only one telling the truth from the LORD.
- 1 Kings 22:23 New Kings James Version – Therefore look! The Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the Lord has declared disaster against you.”
If someone brings a lie, we will only be receptive to it, it our heart was open to the lie in the first place.