Dave and I were watching an action-packed program we enjoy on television recently and one of the main “good guys” was about to be captured by the enemy. He took off his wedding ring and gave it to his friend (who was escaping) with instructions to give the ring to his wife.
The friend assumed this was a sign of defeat and that the captured man wasn’t planning to ever return home. But when he visited with the wife and gave her the ring, her face lit up as she took off her ring to show the matching inscriptions. Hers said, “You will know the truth.” His said, “The truth will set you free.” The wife knew this was a message to her that her husband would eventually be freed when the truth was revealed.
This is not a faith-based program so I was impressed that the scriptwriter must have known John 8:32 and wove it into the plot.
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
A few days later, I saw a headline from The Blaze that caught my attention, “Glenn Beck opens up about family tragedy, shares powerful message: ‘STOP saying that there’s nothing we can do.’” Let me preface that I don’t listen regularly to Glenn Beck’s program. I enjoy hearing him occasionally being interviewed but this was the first time I’d ever “tuned in.” There was a live clip of his radio program in the article.
I give you this backstory for a reason.
I’ve said many times as I ponder and pray about what to write in my weekly blogs that the Lord starts giving me clues leading me to the topic and when I pay attention to the Lord’s nudges, the article takes on a life of its own.
When I hit “play” to hear Glenn Beck, his first words got my attention: “We don’t love truth anymore. We don’t even know what truth is!” He went on to say, “We’re losing truth to trust that something better is going to happen.”
Wow!!! There it was again, truth.
Beck pointed out that sometimes you have to accept the truth even though it’s not the truth you want. I laughed when I looked up to see how truth was defined in dictionaries and not one of the sources gave an absolute definition of “truth.”
John McArthur has an article What Is Truth? exploring this very concept of trying to define absolute truth apart from God, which is impossible. Here is his summary:
“Truth is not subjective, it is not a consensual cultural construct, and it is not an invalid, outdated, irrelevant concept. It’s not what you want it to be. Truth is the self-expression of God. Truth is thus theological; it is the reality God has created and defined, and over which He rules. Truth is therefore a moral issue for every human being.
How each person responds to the truth God has revealed is an issue of eternal significance. To reject and rebel against the truth of God results in darkness, folly, sin, judgment, and the never-ending wrath of God. To accept and submit to the truth of God is to see clearly, to know with certainty, and to find life everlasting.”
In other words, only God’s truth is absolute!
When we don’t trust God’s truth as the glue in our lives, when it looks like the world is coming unglued, it’s so easy to fall into despair, the opposite of joy and hope. I understand that and I’m sure you do too. Without reading my Bible and devotional everyday, meeting with our church Couple’s small group, spending time with family and friends, praying, and trusting God to guide my life, the enemy can rob my joy!
Sadly, the focus of Glenn Beck’s program was grappling with the tragic suicide of his brother-in-law on Easter night. Somehow, he had fallen into despair and lost hope in living in today’s world. He’s not alone. There are 130 suicides a day and it’s the 10th leading cause of death.
The world has lost its firm foundation, God. It’s lost a moral compass, God. America specifically is choosing an atheistic platform that thinks that man can control the world that God created and faith is a fairy tale. When in reality, that’s living a lie founded by Satan. The faster America moves away from God, the faster we move towards destruction and the truth is . . . it will happen. The Bible is clear that a devastating tribulation will take over the world someday.
Jesus Is Truth! Satan is the Father of Lies!
When a group of Jews and Pharisees were arguing with Jesus, he told them where their false thinking originated. Insert any lying or dishonest person’s name into these verses.
43 Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! 44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me! John 8:43-45 NLT
We hear lies and propaganda today from the mainstream media, news pundits, the government, politicians, and woke cancel culture who either are so deceived and blinded by Satan that they no longer know the truth, or they’re so consumed with a thirst for power they dismiss, devalue, distort, and dispose of the truth.
The goal is to mislead the public, you and me. They don’t care if they’re instilling fear into people; fearful people are easier to manipulate.
Eventually, the perpetuators of lies believe their own lies. Truth has no value or relevance to them.
When they lie, just as it says in John 8:43-45, the lies become consistent with their character . . . the character of evil. They’ve succumbed to their father, the father of lies, the devil. Today, we’re watching the results of Satan’s attempt to destroy America through corrupt hunger and thirst for power and lies.
The only reason Bible-believing Christians recognize lies is because our Father is the Father of Truth. I’m sad that I have to qualify Christians but there are many who are buying into the lie of “progressive or liberal Christianity” which is of the world, not the Kingdom. As frustrating as this all is, praise God we know the Truth. Can you imagine living under the cloak of Satan’s lies?!
But so many people like Glenn Beck’s brother-in-law have lost their will to live. What we know as truth is that even though it looks right now like Satan is winning, he’s not! But we also know this means that we could be very close to the return of Jesus. I love how Glenn Beck closed out his program: “Stop saying there’s nothing you can do. Stop living a lie. I’m not going to participate in a lie. Some don’t know the truth, but we do!”
I’ve said that same thing so many times myself in these blogs. Maybe you can’t save the world but you can let God work through you to help save your corner of the world. We need to stop wringing our hands in despair that the election didn’t turn out the way we wanted. We need to face the truth that the Liberal atheistic Democrats are now in control . . . for now.
Peter and the other disciples were discouraged when it looked like evil was winning after the crucifixion of Jesus. Disappointed yes, but not defeated. It didn’t stop them and apostles like Paul from sharing the Truth that Jesus is alive and offers salvation with whoever would listen.
When you hear the lies of the world, let it motivate you to tell God’s Truth. We don’t have to engage in political rhetoric, we just need to share the Gospel, live the Gospel, and help set as many captives free as we can. Even those who are the worse liars can still be saved. Our God is the God of the impossible. I hope you believe that! Pray for everyone you know who is under Satan’s yoke.
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matt. 19:26
A Sweet Story!
Dave and I were having lunch with some friends and Dave asked the teenage waitress if they had Diet Pepsi, not Diet Coke. The young waitress asked us why not Diet Coke? I replied that we didn’t want to support Coca- Cola’s recent woke flip-flop on the new fair and legal voting laws in Georgia. She nodded knowingly, “Yes, they called it racist.” I pointed out that Coke was for the laws until the liberal left started calling the laws racist along with Delta and the MLB. She agreed.
When she brought our meals to the table and our friend said, “Let’s pray,” the young waitress asked if she could pray with us and put out her hands to hold hands with us! That’s what I’m talking about!
14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.”[b] 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 1 Peter 3:14
Hal Lindsey wrote in his newsletter last week that we very well could be approaching the end times. How bad does it have to get before that happens? Only God knows, but we need to live prepared that it could be any day now.
“We live in increasingly perilous times. In fact, the world seems poised on the precipice of the worst period of tribulation ever seen — tribulation vividly described in the books of Daniel and Revelation. But before that terrible period begins, God will snatch away His people like a government removing its ambassadors before the onset of war. These are days to stay close to God, close to His word, and close to His people.”
The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 1 Cor. 1:18 NLT
Cleave faithfully to the Truth! It will set you free! And that’s the truth!
PS: I had this blog written and posted when Dave and I sat down to watch The Benny Report on NEWSMAX. I marveled yet again how God confirms what He wants me to share in my blogs when Benny Johnson’s theme on April 17, 2021 was about the “lies” being told to the American people as he reiterated that our rights and freedoms are granted by God not the government. I hope you’ll take a moment to watch.
If you received this article by email, please leave a comment here. I appreciate hearing your thoughts.
Excellent! !!!
Thank you Judith. Share the Truth we me and we’ll counter all those lies!!!
Excellent!
Most excellent blog today for TODAY! I especially loved the paragraph…The world has lost its firm foundation. And the sweet part about the waitress, so refreshing.
May the Lord continue to bless the work of your hands, mind and spirit.
Blessings,
Kathy
Thank you Kathy and I too enjoyed the “Sweet Story” that you were part of experiencing.
awesome blog. Thank you for posting truth.
The truth will set us free!