Truth - Definition and Action

TRUTH. What is it, and why should I focus on it? Well, my friend, that is a good question. Truth, simply stated by Dictionary.com, is, "the true or actual state of a matter." And what does God's Word say about truth? What is God's definition of truth? Well, John 17:17 says, "Sanctify them through Thy truth, Thy Word is truth." This is Christ speaking to God the Father. So, obviously, God says that His Word, the Bible, is the truth. It is the only thing that never changes other than God. So then, now that I know what the truth is, why should I focus on it? Well, the first reason that we should focus on truth is that we, as believers, are being sanctified through the truth. How, then, can we be sanctified without the truth? Another reason to focus on truth is that the truth will "set us free." (John 8:32) John 8:31-32 says, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." So, the truth of God's Word makes me free. Free from what? Why, sin, of course! The next few verses go on to explain how we are slaves to sin, but when the truth comes in and we believe it, we are set free from the slavery of sin! What an awesome promise! If I claim the truth of God's Word, I can be free from my sin! I am free from not only past sin, but also present and future sin as well. That is an incredible promise to claim. A third reason to meditate and focus on truth is because it protects us in our fight against Satan and against sin. Psalm 91:4 says, "He [God] shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler." So God's Word is what protects us from the fiery darts of Satan! If I am not hiding God's truth in my heart, then how can I fight against Satan? Even Christ, when He was in the wilderness, used scripture to fight against Satan when Satan was trying to tempt Christ. If Christ, my ultimate example and perfect man, used the truth of God's Word to fight temptation, how much more should I, being a sinful human being, use God's truth to fight my temptations? I would venture to say that I should! But how can I meditate on God's truth and use it in my spiritual battles unless it is in my heart? I have to be meditating on and memorizing God's Word if I am going to be able to just pull it out and use it! When was the last time you, on your own volition, determined to put to memory a passage of scripture and then did it? Has it been a while? Are you losing the battle against sin? Maybe that is why you have been struggling to win! I know I am not perfect either, and I need to memorize more of God's Word as well, so I have made a commitment of scripture memory that I intend to follow through with. I would encourage everyone who reads this blog to consider choosing a passage, even if it is a short one at first, and putting it to memory. Give yourself a time limit. Tell your self, "self, you are going to have this passage memorized by _____ time." And then do it! Push yourself to commit the Word of God to memory so you can use it to fight!

~ Psalm 86:11 "Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name." ~ 

~ Stephanie ~

   *Phil. 3:13-14*