In John’s gospel, Pilate asks Jesus during his trial,” What is truth?” In the verse, before this Pilate is speaking and Jesus responds: John 18:37 (NKJV)-37 Pilate, therefore, said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause, I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” What a great question to ask in the political and cultural climate we live in right now.”What is Truth?” Living in a post-modern culture truth is relative. My truth may not be your truth. Truth is no longer objective but subjective. It seems truth is more about how you feel regardless of what science says. It is ok to lie if it benefits someone or something. Lies about abortion, transgenderism, same-sex marriages, critical race theory, and separation of Church and state along with other lies propagated by the left. We have people in levels of government who are lying today. We have corrupt media gaslighting the American people. What in the world is happening? It should be no surprise that there is a battle going on. The battle for truth! Truly there is a spiritual element in it all.
Jesus came to bear witness to the truth. What truth was it? The truth of His messiahship, what John the Baptist was testifying of.” Behold the Lamb of God who takes away our sins” and the truth or reality of the spiritual Kingdom of God and the true nature of God. Everything in creation was spoken into existence by the God of Truth. Gravity is not a feeling but an objective truth. It applies to everyone. You can’t deny it or wish it away. You can overcome gravity by other laws but gravity is always there. Satan can’t change gravity. He can only try to deceive you that it doesn’t apply to you and that it isn’t real. Jesus boldly declared that the Devil is the father of lies ( John 8:44) and that in him there is no truth at all. He has lied since his conversation with Eve and Adam in the Garden.
The Bible tells us the whole world system is under the influence of the wicked one, Satan. 1 John 5:19 (NKJV)-19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. John goes on to tell us that there is truth amid lies. 1 John 5:20 (NKJV)
20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. We know Jesus said He was the way, the truth, and the life ( John 14:6). He wasn’t saying I am “a way” or a particular truth but the only truth. Truth is challenged today by wokeism, progressive ideologies, and subjective reasoning. It is amazing how Christians can be deceived at times and fall for the lies of the enemy. It’s time to tighten our belts. As Christians, we can’t suppress the truth out of fear, rejection, or retribution.
My wife and I have been involved in ministry and Church life for over thirty years. We have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. Yes, we have seen a lot of good over the many years. Through it all the Word of God has gotten us through. The greatest advantage we have over the enemy is the truth of God’s Word. John 17:16-17 (NKJV)-16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit cannot lie ( Num23:19, Heb 6:18). All scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for us ( 2 Tim 3:16). Almighty God is the source of all truth. He cannot lie. It’s not God’s nature to lie. He can be trusted a hundred percent. In Ephesians, Apostle Paul tells Christians to put on God’s Armor. The reason is that there is a spiritual war going on in the spiritual unseen realm that is manifesting in the natural. These principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and the host of spiritual wickedness are against one thing and that is truth. They are against the Word of God( Mark 4:15). One of the weapons he mentions is the Belt of Truth. Ephesians 6:14 (NKJV)-14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
The first weapon he mentions is the belt of truth. Apostle Paul spoke of Roman soldiers in his day and how they were dressed for battle. This belt held together all their weapons. Today most of us wear belts to hold our paints up. Some of us hang our cell phones, guns, and money clips on our belts. Women can use belts as an accessory to their dresses. Contractors wear belts to hold their tools. I think you get the idea. Apostle Paul is saying in this spiritual battle how important truth is. He mentions standing several times on the evil day. We are dealing with evil entities as we fight the good fight of faith. Satan is defeated along with his cohorts and we are enforcing Christ’s victory over his lies and deceptions. To stand is to resist, to push back. You can’t be passive. You can’t go along to get along when it comes to truth. We need to speak the truth in love ( Eph 4:15). We need to gird or guard our waist with the truth if we are going to stand against the enemy. The truth is according to God’s Word Satan is already defeated ( Col 2:15, Heb 2:14, 1 John 3:8). It’s time to tighten our belts.
When we talk about our waste, the center of our being. It means having the guts, and the internal fortitude to stand for truth. To be lovers of the truth and to not suppress the truth in unrighteousness. All our spiritual weapons are no good without the truth. The truth is in Jesus( Eph 4:21) and the armor of God is the fullness of Christ. It is His completeness and truth from head to toe. He is our salvation, our righteousness, our peace, our truth, our faith, and our sword-the word of God. We put the armor of God on when we got saved. We are in Christ joined with Him and we are one spirit with Him (1 Cor 6:17). Our armor never comes off. The Word of God is the center of our lives. If we start to slip or neglect truth, embracing the lies of the enemy it’s like our pants falling to our ankles. We can’t walk right or run. We are hindered and impeded spiritually. That is what lacking or suppressing truth does. Believing the lies of the enemy. Falling for the philosophies, and ideologies of our culture, not having a biblical worldview (Col 2:8). Another fact is that the belt also covered the reproductive part of man. To protect him so that he could reproduce. The Belt of Truth is the Word of God. God’s Word we know is a seed. It is an incorruptible seed( 1 Peter 1:23). It can reproduce. We are Born- Again that way. All that God has for us starts with a seed. Planting that seed in our hearts for a fruitful life.( Mark 4:20, Col 1:6).It’s time to pull up our paints and tighten our belts!
I believe we are seeing a turning point in our country. People want what is true. They are hungry for truth. They want to root out injustice and corruption. Yes, we are living in an evil day but the truth will always win. We are seeing some spiritual victories in the land. All the glory goes to God for it. I heard the other day on CBN that the Bible is increasing in sales in America. The Bible and the Ten Commandments are being put back in some schools. The overturn of Roe versus Wade several years ago. Revival is breaking out on College campuses, along with water baptisms. A lot of good things are happening. How about you today? Where are you on the truth spectrum? Fear can trip us up. Worry and anxiety can trip up. Allowing a negative stronghold of the enemy to exist in our minds can trip us up. We are called to run the race before us ( 1 Cor 9:24-27). It is a race for truth. We need to be men and women of truth. No longer can we compromise or dilute the truth. We are called to put on the armor of light. There can be no light without the truth of God’s Word. Truth is the only thing that can stand against lawlessness and keep the love in our hearts from going cold ( Matt 24:12). Insensitive, callous, and unfeeling hearts are robbed of the truth.
In closing: What is truth? It is a God-truth reality that created all things. That holds all things together ( Heb 1:3, Heb 11:3). It is the foundation of all that exists. Spiritual truth existed before all that we see and know in the natural. God is Spirit and He desires truth because He is perfect truth ( Psalm 51:6) A lie can only exist if it goes unchallenged. When we took Bibles, The Ten Commandments, and prayer out of schools it was an attack against the truth. To suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Rom 1:18, Rom 1:25). To exchange the truth for a lie. The Gospel is the good news of ultimate truth. It’s the only truth that will set us free ( John 8:32). A Christian without the truth of God’s Word actively working in their lives is a sterile or barren Christian( 2 Peter 1:5-9). Let us be lovers of the truth. Let us walk in the truth of God’s Word. 3 John 1:3-4 (NKJV)-3 For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth.4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.…………… It’s time to tighten our belts!
In Christ’s love;
Brent and Linda Bushen
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