Why are we afraid of the truth?

Why are we so afraid of the truth? People don’t want to hear the truth, but rather prefer for the truth to align with their beliefs. The Apostle Paul makes that very clear in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NASB).

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”

But why do we do that? Why would people rather chase what they want to hear rather than what is true? Because the truth is convicting. When people hear something that is true, they’re forced to change. But change is difficult and requires hard work.

So instead we try to rationalize around what is true or alter the truth all together. And inevitably we can surround ourselves with those folks whose thoughts, feelings, and ideals are congruent with our own.

But rather than pursuing what you want to hear, I would challenge you to listen to the truth of God. How? By reading the Scriptures and obeying His Word. The Lord has given us truth to follow, but because it’s so convicting, very few want to hear it.

He is coming back!

Probably my favorite thing when reading Scripture is coming across one of the many prophecies. Matthew’s Gospel is littered with prophecies foretold and prophecies fulfilled.

Everything from the virgin conception of Jesus (Isaiah 7:14), His birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), to the fleeing from Israel to Egypt (Hosea 11:1) were all predicted in the Old Testament.

But the book that I can never close when I begin to read it is Daniel. While most folks think about Daniel in the lion’s den, his book is actually the journal of a Jew who was exiled to Babylon and forced to serve under at least five different rulers while the Israelites were living away from the Holy Land.

It is filled with prophetic language and focused on future events. The entanglement, or lack thereof, with those placid felines is only one chapter of the book. The last six chapters of Daniel are actually devoted to prophecy.

Though future to Daniel, much of the book is history to us now in the 21st century. The conquests of Alexander the Great (Daniel 11:3) and the Roman Empire (Daniel 2:40) are both cited by Daniel. That’s remarkable.

The Bible is filled with prophecy; some of which has yet to be achieved. But therein lies hope for anyone who’s put their faith in Jesus Christ. Just read Hebrews 9:27-28.

‘Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.’

The thing I love most of prophecy is seeing it fulfilled because that gives me hope for the future. If God has done it before, He’ll do it again. He is coming back!

Our burden is light.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

I think a good majority of folks have read or at least heard that passage from Matthew 11. Jesus tells us that instead of carrying our burdens ourselves, we’re to take them to Him.

He can handle it. If you doubt that, I would encourage you to read any of the four Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all do a fabulous job telling us exactly what Jesus was able to endure on the cross.

Jesus Christ bore the sins of the world. Mine, yours, your mother’s, your brother’s, your neighbor’s, all of them. And He did it voluntarily. Jesus gave up His life for us. Hebrews 12:2 (NLT) tells us, “Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”

Our burdens are NOTHING compared to what Christ endured at Calvary. But He still calls you to come, as heavy or as light as your burdens may be.

Stop wasting time.

Have you ever noticed how God’s timing usually doesn’t jive with our own? After all, it’s not as if God owns a watch.

When I think about God’s timing, I oftentimes remember Romans 11:33 (NASB). Paul writes, “Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”

The apostle tells us that His judgments are unsearchable. So often we ask ourselves, or even God, why? You could plumb the depths of this earth in search of the answer to that universal question and never come to a conclusion.

Paul then tells us that His ways are unfathomable. If you search the Internet for synonyms for the word unfathomable, you’ll come up with a list that looks like this; inscrutable, incomprehensible, indecipherable, enigmatic, etc.

Essentially, Paul is saying that trying to figure out why God does what He does and when God chooses to do it is a fruitless endeavor. Instead of asking why and when, we’re called to trust and to be obedient.

The Gospel of John spells it out quite clearly. In John 14:1 (NLT) Jesus says, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.” A few verses later in John 14:15 (NLT) Jesus tells his disciples, “If you love me, obey my commandments.”

Put your trust in the King of kings and the Lord of lords. While I’m not sure of God’s timing, I can tell you that time is running out.

A rare, but essential quality.

How rare it is today to see self-control on display. It is a discipline that very few ever capture, and more and more it seems as though it’s not even a trait that people aspire to pursue.

However, for those of us who truly yearn to live a life of holiness, self-control is essential. In 1 Peter 1:14, the apostle tells us that we must live as God’s obedient children. We’re commanded not to “slip back into our old ways of living just to satisfy our own desires.” Peter then says, “You didn’t know any better then.”

But Peter then tells us in the next two verses what we must do now that we’re in Christ. “But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16)

To further drive home the importance of the characteristic of self-control, Paul gives us contrasting ways to live in the letter to the Galatians. One way leads to a life of righteousness and the other ends in spiritual darkness.

Several qualities (idolatry, jealousy, drunkenness, envy, lustful pleasures, etc.) are attributed to following the desires of our sinful nature. Other traits (love, joy, patience, kindness, and self-control) are called the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Paul then closes Chapter 5 of Galatians with these beautiful words, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” (Galatians 5:24-25)

What phenomenal counsel from Paul. Rather than permitting your sinful nature to take hold of you, allow the Holy Spirit to guide you toward a life of self-control.

The Narrow Gate

It’s very popular in today’s society to be inclusive. The “in thing” is to be that destination for everybody. But Jesus speaks in Matthew 7:13-14 (NLT) about the narrow gate that leads to God’s Kingdom.

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”

Now, don’t mistake the narrow gate for being narrow-minded. Intolerance is not what’s being spoken about here. Let’s remember that Jesus had fellowship with tax collectors, or “scum” as the Pharisees called them.

For as Jesus said in Matthew 9:12-13 (NLT), “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

No, the narrow gate isn’t a call for people to be intolerant, but obedient. In order to find the narrow gate, you must be obedient to God’s Word and obedient to Jesus’ teaching. You must also remain faithful when trials come your way.

James 1:3-4 (NLT) says, “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

So, while the entryway through the gate may be narrow, it’s not impossible. It does require a key, however, and that is belief in Jesus Christ and obedience to His Word. Accept Christ, follow His commands, and unlock the narrow gate.

What is God moving you to do?

My wife and I recently moved. Not just to a new neighborhood or even a new town, but an entirely different state. While my wife has moved more times than she’d care to count, I’m now over 400 miles removed from everything I’ve ever known.

Now, this wasn’t some haphazard, thoughtless decision. I’ve never been that adventurous. No, this was a calculated, well-thought out plan that both my wife and I put in place some time ago.

But one thing that we did prior to making this change was pray together. I’m not talking about a simple, one-time occasion. This was an intentional act that both she and I participated in on a nightly basis.

We both decided that such a big decision required God’s leading. Were it not for us leaning hard into our faith, I’m not sure I’d be sitting in a small-town coffee shop right now, reminiscing on what brought us here.

There are countless examples throughout Scripture of Jesus rewarding the faith of those He met or admonishing his disciples to have faith. One example that comes to mind is in Matthew’s gospel. After his disciples were unable to heal a demon-possessed boy, his father begged Jesus to cast out the evil spirit.

Jesus scolded the crowd for their unbelief and then counseled the apostles who privately asked Jesus why they were unable to cast out the demon saying, “…Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”  (Matthew 17:20-21 NIV)

How often we want to do everything on our own, am I right? We are so proud and we want so badly to take the credit. But what I’ve found is that when we are able to humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God, having faith that He knows what we need, we are then able to experience the fullness of His love.

I know I haven’t yet reached the point when I’ve given up all control to Him. No matter how much I may want to, that old nature continues to creep back in. But when I am prayerful and able to put my faith in Him, only then am I able to experience the true joy of everything God offers.

Live as a child of light.

There are not many books in the Bible that are more powerful than Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Sure, every piece of Scripture is important and relevant in some way, shape, or form, but Ephesians is one of Paul’s best works.

The letter speaks to what God did for us, then goes on to describe how we are made alive in Christ. It tells of God’s mysterious plan to allow Jews and Gentiles to share in the same inheritance; which in Paul’s day was unfathomable. Then it speaks to one of my favorite pieces of Scripture; living as children of light.

In Ephesians 4:18-19 (NLT), Paul urges those living in Ephesus to avoid living as the Gentiles do. The verses reads, “Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.”

But in Ephesians 4:21-24 (NLT), Pauls instructs the people of Ephesus how to live differently. He says, “Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”

Are you still stuck living as you did before you gave your life over to Christ? Just because you believe in Jesus doesn’t automatically mean that you’ve solved all of life’s problems. Sure, you’re eternally secure in the family of God, but in order to actually live the Christian life, Paul says we must “throw off our old nature” and “put on our new nature”.

It’s called maturity. Just like a newborn baby needs time to learn how to crawl, walk, and eventually run, new Christians need time to learn how to live life as God intended. It starts with obedience to God’s Word.

Dig into the Scriptures daily. Cast off your old nature and put on your new nature; one of obedience and humility. Ephesians 5:1 (NLT) says, “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.” In writing that, Paul knows it’s impossible to imitate God fully, because He is holy. But it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try our best to do so.

Persistence pays off.

Whether it’s the high school freshman who won’t stop asking the captain of the cheerleading team on a date, or the employee who constantly pesters her supervisor to let her take on the big account, or maybe it’s that son or daughter who won’t let you leave the restaurant without getting dessert; we all know at least one person who won’t quit no matter what.

Persistence pays off. Jesus illustrates this beautifully in Luke 18 with the parable of the persistent widow. Christ used this example to show His disciples that they should take their needs to God in prayer and never give up.

Luke 18:2-5 (NLT) reads, “There was a judge in a certain city who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”

Whatever the woman’s dispute was, it was not going away. She was so persistent that Jesus says it was driving the judge crazy. Finally, the judge relented and made sure that whatever controversy was being debated would be put to rest. But then look at Luke 18:6-8 (NLT) and see how Jesus relates this back to prayer.

Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”

Jesus is basically saying that the judge didn’t care about the woman, but still gave her what she asked for because of her faith and persistence. If that’s the case, won’t God, who loves you, give you what you ask for so long as you are faithful and persistent?

The key to the story is having persistence and faith. When you go to God in prayer, are you going to Him with a clean heart and a pure motive? If the answer is yes and you’ve yet to receive an answer, keep going back to Him day after day. Stay persistent in your prayer life.

A still small voice.

Are you the type of person who likes to have a plan before beginning your day? Do you know what you’re going to eat for dinner before you leave for work that morning? Have you already mapped out your child’s path to college despite the fact that he or she is only in preschool?

It’s okay, I’m a planner myself. Nowhere in Scripture do I read that it’s wrong to have foresight and be organized. Oftentimes, I see some of the most successful and wise people having thoughtfully planned out how they were going to build their own business or acquire a higher degree of education.

In Proverbs 16:9, however, we’re told that our plans may not always match up with God’s plans. The New Living Translation renders this passage, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”

God doesn’t despise proper planning, but He does ask you to be flexible. He asks you to be sensitive to His still small voice. We read about God whispering to Elijah in 1 King 19:11-13 (NKJV) as the prophet was fleeing to Beerhseeba to avoid the wrath of Ahab and Jezebel.

‘Then He (God) said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”’

When we ask God for guidance, I tend to think we expect this inescapably bright light to shine down and focus on the path we’re supposed to take; almost like runway lights at an airport. But, more often than not, God will use a still small voice. We just have to block out the noise in order to hear what He has to say.