Humans have an innate desire for trustworthy information to satisfy the feeling of lack. Born into the world, we long to fill the emptiness within, until we choose salvation in Jesus, and are born again into His Kingdom. Yet, even as saved children of God, Jesus warns us against the world’s deception, the sheer work of the enemy. Being a Christian doesn’t mean we won’t be attacked by the devil; it means we are equipped for such attacks and have victory over them. In Ephesians 6: 14 (NIV), Jesus calls us to have “the belt of truth buckled around” our waists, the secure piece that holds everything together, clearly implying the importance of truth, and, more specifically, His truth.
In a world of constant change, we cannot look to the world to know the truth, but must look to Christ. Because He is Truth Himself, as John 14:6 tells us, we can never go wrong with seeking Him. Jesus is steadfast, constant, and unchanging; the words He speaks will endure forever, and because lying is a sin, He cannot lie. Proverbs 12:22 (NLT) echoes this with “The LORD detests lying lips, but He delights in those who tell the truth.” Lies are actually one of the seven things God hates, as told in Proverbs 6:17. Logically, this makes sense because God is the Truth and His enemy, the devil, is the father of lies, as told in John 8:44. Therefore, as followers of Christ, we are to “abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good” (Romans 12:9 ESV), which is reiterated throughout the Bible, with Psalm 97:10, Proverbs 8:13, Psalm 45:7 and 1 John 1:6 being just a few examples.
Just like Christ Himself, His Word remains unchanging and always holds to be true. Second Timothy 3:16 (NIV) says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Second Peter 1:20-21 (NIV) continues this concept with, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” Although the Bible was physically written by human hands, every single word was not of the minds of those who penned them, but “God-breathed.” Psalm 19:7 (NIV) states, “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” This, as well as Proverbs 30:5 and other verses, clearly outlines the point that God’s Word is flawless and cannot be proven to be untrue; therefore, we can rest assured that the truth of the Scriptures are perfectly accurate.
To know God’s truth is to know Him. John 8: 31-32 (NIV) says, “To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to My teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” These verses tell us that we will be able to discern God’s truth when we hold to His teachings; other translations say if we remain faithful to His teachings (NLT), and abide in His Word (NKJV). The more time we dwell in the Scriptures—the living, breathing, active Word of God—the more we will distinguish His truth apart from the devil’s lies. This agrees with Romans 12:2 (NLT) which says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” If we do not stay close to God and His Word, we will allow ourselves to be subconsciously influenced by this world that we live in, and be conformed and molded into things that aren’t from the Lord. We will not be able to tell the difference between His truth and the lies we are living in because we aren’t familiarizing ourselves with His Word and constantly being renewed by Him. This is why God tells us so many times in Scripture to stay close to Him and His truth; there is an urgency and importance to this matter because the enemy is always working to twist how we think with the lies he sneaks into the world.
The enemy never announces his evil plans beforehand, giving us time to prepare, but rather attacks us in sly and stealthy ways, which is why we must always be on guard. God calls us to have an alert and sober mind (1 Peter 5:8), taking up the indestructible armor of God (Ephesians 6: 10-17), and to “…Fix [our] thoughts on what is true…” (Philippians 4:8). This is not a relaxed and unhurried suggestion, but a dire and necessitous calling from God for the benefit of His children. He does not desire for us to sink into the enemy’s lies, but to live fully in His perfect truths. We need to live every moment of our lives as David prayed, “Teach me your ways, O LORD, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.” (Psalm 86:11, NLT). God’s truth is how we can walk in the victory He secured at the cross, paying the price with His precious blood for us to be free.
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