Breaking Free

503 Truth - another dose

We cannot never get enough reminders about how God feels about truth, and the truth. Remember, Jesus said that He is the truth. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, so our relying on and practicing the truth, is the same as relying on God.

When we rely on a lie, or any form of untruth, we are relying on Satan. There is no neutral or middle ground!

2 Thessalonians gives us much insight into the value of truth.

(2 Thessalonians 2:7-12).For the mystery of lawlessness is already working, only he is now holding back until it comes out of the midst. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the breath of His mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming, whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceit of unrighteousness in those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, so that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie, so that all those who do not believe the truth, but delight in unrighteousness, might be condemned.

Notice that GOD brings them a strong delusion. Why? Because they did not love the truth. The Amplified version says: Verse 2:11-12 Therefore God sends upon them a misleading influence, a working of error and a strong delusion to make them believe what is false, In order that all may be judged and condemned who did not believe, who refused to adhere to, trust in and rely on the Truth, but instead took pleasure in unrighteousness. Therefore what? Look at the verse before, verse 2:10. “They did not welcome the truth, but refused to love it that they might be saved”.

Some principles I wish to point out

1. God judges people based upon their love of the truth. Even unbelievers, when they truly commit to truth, will be saved.

Look at 2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brothers beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. How were you saved? Through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, coupled with your belief, adherence to, trust in and reliance on the truth. Watchman Nee in one of his books, tells a story about an atheist who he was attempting to lead to Jesus. Instead of arguing, Brother Nee simply said, “Let us pray”. The man replied, “Pray? , I don’t even believe there is a God”. Nee replied, “Ok, then lets pray in truth. Simply take my hands and say, God, and I don’t believe there is a God, but if you are there, then reveal yourself to me”. Amazingly the Holy Spirit got a hold of this man’s love of the truth, and the presence of God overwhelmed him and he was marvelously saved!

2. People do not love the truth because they take pleasure in sin. Verse 2:12 shows the opposite side of loving the truth is “taking pleasure in unrighteousness”. They feel that if they are honest with God, God will stop them from having fun with their sin, or at least He would, they think, reject them for being so bad.

3. God sends them a strong misleading influence, a working of error to make them believe what is false-verse 2:11. God is indeed love, He is gentle, kind and longsuffering with our sin, but He is also a Judge! The worst kind of judgment I can think of is having God send me a spirit of blindness that I could no longer see the truth.

Why would God hide the truth from people? This does not seem fair. We cannot climb into God’s mind and get all of the answers, but I feel that there is some insight. God looks down into the very depths of a person’s heart. He sees, like with Pharaoh, that there is a love of the world, a love of sin and power and deception so strong, that truth will never be welcomed. These type of people, even though God loves them, are actually an enemy to God. (James 4:4).Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever desires to be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

In Mark chapter 4, Jesus was teaching about the basic secret and mystery of the power of the Kingdom of God. He was teaching about the Word of God being a seed planted in the human heart, and how Satan spent his entire existence tearing the Word out of hearts. This is his only weapon. Well if you had a nuclear arsenal, would you give the keys to it to your enemy? No way.

(Mark 4:11-12).And He said to them, To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God. But to those outside, all these things are given in parables so that seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

Actually this concept is very fair. God is not saying to humans that they have to figure our some complicated religious theory, or go to some mountain range or some desert to find some mystical new age god. Nor is He expecting us to believe other people’s arguments, like many cults rely upon. No, God is only requiring mankind to have some sort of respect and love for the truth. The Holy Spirit will take over then.

Here is a reminder, to get into the Flowing River and/or Connecting the Crosses and go through the checklist in Appendix A. Give yourself an honest evaluation for the truth.

AMEN!