Tag Archive | Truth

What’s being hidden?

Jan29

Oh my goodness, what a question! The paradox here is that so much is being hidden we can’t even recognize what it is that is being concealed!

But we have to start somewhere so let’s start with a clue from the world of literature. Every epic saga contains a protagonist and an antagonist. The antagonist, who is clever, deceitful, manipulative, and enticing is typically engaged in battle against the protagonist. After many failed attempts at directly assaulting the protagonist, the antagonist will modify his methods. If he can’t hurt the protagonist, then he will hurt those who the protagonist loves.

Well, my dear readers, this is the point at which we can begin our investigation in exposing what is being hidden. For the book that exposes this epic saga is the Bible. In the Bible the epic battle between good and evil or God, the protagonist, and Satan, the antagonist, is disclosed. Stands to reason then Satan’s first plan of attack would be to conceal the truths of Scripture. Why?

The further removed humanity is from God and His plans for them, the more room Satan has to work. By being unaware of the Truth revealed in the Bible, mankind will discard the existence of God. Therefore, when belief in God is discarded, who’s going to believe in the existence of Satan?

Deception and manipulation are his primary tools to destroy individuals and thus in turn hurt God. For mankind is not Satan’s main target. God is! He hurts God by hiding the Truth from individuals and making them unaware of what is Truth.

So what about those who have been somewhat exposed to the Truths in the Bible? What is Satan’s line of attack with them? Keep them confused about who God, Jesus, Jesus’s death on the cross to pay for our sins, and the Holy Spirit is. All is hidden, if Satan can distance us from God’s word.

So what does Satan want to hide from those of us who are believers?

Well, mainly the Truth contained in the Bible. For the more familiar we are with God’s Truth, the less likely Satan will be able to hide Truth. And as believers, who have had the Truth unveiled, we understand that the more time we spend in God’s word and in prayer, the stronger we will become. We will gain insight into what is a lie and what is Truth. We will know the Truth and Satan’s attempts to hide it from us will utterly fail.

Is more of Jesus enough?

Jul29

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   It’s the ultimate frustration when you pray and pray over something, but the hoped for answer doesn’t come. The fiery darts will try and convince you that God isn’t paying attention. That He doesn’t really work in the way you desire. It may happen for other people, but not for you. Or you are praying the wrong way, or asking for the wrong thing. Or it’s just not His will. (To name only a few!)

   When the answers don’t come and you are tempted to despair;  when happiness is something you experience only infrequently; when your joy thermometer reads zero; ask yourself, “What is my focus?”

   Remember it’s about perspective. If your days are covered in a dark cloud, the right perspective can change how you perceive that cloud. The dark cloud may remain, but you will see it differently.

   That dark cloud can become a reminder to praise God and to thank Him that He is allowing the darkness to draw you closer to Himself.  This simple but profound realization changes everything. All those fiery darts cannot hang around in the face of such a Truth.

   It’s in times like these, we have to be content in the knowledge that even when we don’t receive the hoped for answers, we have been drawn closer to God. We can trust Him to give us the perspective that will help us move forward. Whether our prayers are answered to our satisfaction or not. 

   Yes, when our earnest prayer’s remain unanswered it’s difficult to trust and depend upon God. It’s easier just to throw up our hands and quit. But if we reject such fiery dart thinking, then we will be open to receive God’s Truths.  He may give us a verse of Scripture like Habakkuk 3:17-19, or comfort from a friend, or insight from a sermon, or encouragement from a song! Centering our thoughts on these Truths whenever we are tempted to despair will restore our hope and give us peace.  (Even if our prayers remain unanswered)

   Satan doesn’t want this to work, so be prepared for the negative distractions to increase. Stand strong and reject such negative thoughts. Resolve to receive only those Truth thoughts sent by God. 

  When our child cries out to us because they have suffered a great disappointment, we just wrap our arms around them and love on them. Our presence is their greatest comfort and for them, that is enough.

  The same is true for us as God’s children. Our Heavenly Father, desires to be enough. His presence must mean more to us than getting the answers we want, when we want them. 

Truth vs Lies!

Nov12

Lies, Truth

The lies of fiery darts are attempting to place you in bondage.

Hope

But Hope in God’s Truth will release you from its bondage,

Jeremiah 29:11

But you must acknowledge that God is Truth!

How can a country know Truth when they have rejected the source of Truth–God?  Of course, you can’t know Truth apart from God. (John 18:37)  But apparently there are many (too many) who believe that it can be done and down through the ages they have attempted to do so. The results of their efforts have given birth to a definition based on lies.  For those who have rejected God’s Truth, darkness has become a way of life for them. They have become so accustomed to the dark that they see the darkness as light and the light as darkness.  Ooh, that sounds familiar, doesn’t it?  (Isaiah 5:20, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness,…)  And the resulting man’s truth has created a climate of fear and bondage throughout our land.

Unless,

we are willing to acknowledge God as the source of Truth, then and only then will the Light of Truth shine down upon us, exposing the fiery darts that we have allowed to plunge us into darkness.  When we acknowledge the Light of Truth, then Hope, and Faith will return and we will be released from the bondage of the lies and the fear they produce.

Take heart Christians,

in the following verse:

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32

I write this post because America is in serious trouble. And because so many of our leaders are blinded to the Truth, we must be careful not to be caught up in their deception. We must not allow the lies of their truth to destroy our Hope. Instead we must dig deep into God’s Word and arm ourselves with God’s Truth.  And in obeying that Truth, we will discover that God is in control and man is not. (Daniel 4:35 and Isaiah 14:27) We will discover there is nothing to fear.(Isaiah 41:10)  We will discover He has good plans that we can place solid hope in now and for our future (Jeremiah 29:11).  We will discover that no matter what may come our way God will cause it all to work out together for our good. (Roman 8:28)  I could go on, but I think I’ve made my point!

So, Keep the Faith.

And remember, that other’s lack of faith in God and their disobedience to Him, in NO way diminishes God’s Truth. 

Until next post,

The Darkness of Fiery Darts vs the Light of God’s Truth!

Aug7

Some days are worse than others when it comes to fiery darts.  It’s amazing to me how powerful some fiery darts are.  I think those that come through people who are closest to us has the greatest potential for destructiveness.  The person through whom the fiery dart comes is often totally clueless that they have become the vehicle of such a force.  Nevertheless, their encounter with you leaves you wounded and likely they are oblivious to the onslaught of fiery darts with which you now must deal.

Okay, you’ve been attacked, wounded, and are now struggling with the fiery darts of the minions of destructiveness.  How do you respond?  It’s important, I think, to not react but to respond.  Reacting predisposes that you are acting without thinking.  Reacting to fiery darts, which is our natural bent, is not the best way to deal with fiery darts.  Nope! We must respond, which implies thoughtful actions.  And for those of us who are Christian, prayer is a vital component of those thoughtful actions.

Fiery darts bring darkness and it seems to me that the more fiery darts you encounter the darker it gets.  I suppose that’s why it’s important to follow the advice of Thomas a’ Kempis, author of The Imitation of Christ whom I quoted in my book, if you don’t want to be overcome by the accumulated darkness of fiery darts.

Above all, we must be especially alert against the beginnings of temptation, for the enemy is more easily conquered if he is refused admittance to the mind and is met beyond the threshold when he knocks.


You need light, the light of Truth, and lots of it at these moments.  Pull out your Bible (or whatever means you have to the Scriptures) and focus on gleaning as much light as is possible on your present situation.  Remember, to fight the darkness of the fiery darts you need to absorb as much light as you can.  So immerse yourself in the Light of God’s Word from the git go. (You are just trying to dispel the darkness at this point.)  Eventually, you will begin to receive direction concerning the specifics of your situation.  Then it will be the light of God’s Truth that will define your attitudes and actions as you deal with the attack of fiery darts that you have encountered.

I would like to share with you the following about a man named Steve Saint who has become a beacon of light for God as is evidenced by the manner in which he has responded  to a recent tragic accident in his life.   At one point early on in this video, Steve shares how he dealt with a menacing fiery dart thought of how much easier it would have been if the accident had cost him his life.  Listen carefully for the light of Truth he has come to know that exposes the darkness of such thinking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP3q_b4zKxQ

To find out who Steve Saint is go to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Saint