So, how do we become people who are deeply formed by truth? People who not only know the truth, but love it?
Here are three very practical ways to build truth into your life — to actually find what you’re looking for.
I believe in the kingdom come,
Then all the colors will bleed into one,
Bleed into one,
But yes I’m still running.
You broke the bonds.
And you loosed the chains.
Carried the cross,
Of my shame,
Oh my shame.
You know I believe it! —U2
How To Find What You’re Looking for:
- REJECT LIES.
This moment in history calls for discernment, awareness, vigilance and wisdom the likes of which we’ve never needed before.
One of Satan’s main weapons is the lie. In fact, Jesus called him the “father of lies” (John 8:44). When we believe a lie, we actually empower the liar. Every “chain” of sin and slavery begins with a “link” of deceit. This is the reason we need to steadfastly resist and reject the lies that we’re constantly being bombarded with.
[Satan] has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.
—John 8:44b NLT
There are four main targets for the lies of the evil one:
- Lies about GOD. Lies about who He is and what He has done. These lies, left undetected, discerned and then discarded can undermine the strength of our faith and security of our relationship with God. It’s critical that we detect them quickly and reject them completely.
- Lies about OURSELVES. Lies about who we are, what we’re actually worth and how deeply loved we are by God. I’m convinced that the “identity crisis” we’re currently facing is a result of the evil one’s strategy to confuse us and create chaos around our identity. Refuse to place any label on yourself that doesn’t come straight from God and His Word.
- Lies about OTHER PEOPLE. Lies about who they are, lies about their worth and value, and what they believe or how they really feel about us. Sometimes we can believe the worst about people and their intentions for us before ever getting the chance to know them. Lies that create a sense of inferiority and insecurity have the potential of cutting us off from the opportunity for community and relationships.
- Lies about THE WORLD. Lies about the way things really are — from science, to politics, entertainment, social media, news media, hot topics and the world in general. We must become people who pursue and search for the truth. We must reject “band wagon mentalities” that want our allegiance and approval before we know all the facts. We must become like Sgt Joe Friday of the classic Dragnet television series. We must become people who thrive on, “Just the facts, ma’am. Just the facts.” Perhaps we should even tweak it and say, “Just the truth, sir. Just the truth.”
Two Sides to Every Story
Proverbs 18:17 contains great counsel for people living in an era dominated by sound bites, clickbait and headlines that are often created to generate heat, but in reality, shed very little light.
The first speech in a court case is always convincing—until the
cross-examination starts! —Proverbs 18:17 MSG
The Passion Translation renders this passage:
There are two sides to every story. The first one to speak sounds true until you hear the other side and they set the record straight. —Proverbs 18:17 TPT
The point is clear. Don’t jump to conclusions.
The next time the news media “drops a bomb” in regard to some breaking story, don’t immediately post a response on your social media feed. Breathe. Pray. Investigate. Check your sources. Wait a day. Wait two. It’s critical that we begin to purposefully, intelligently, thoroughly, methodically and even courageously reject the lies that are perpetrated upon us on a regular basis, regardless of where they come from.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn — Live Not By Lies
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was a Russian novelist, philosopher, historian, anti-communist dissident, political prisoner, Nobel laureate and orthodox Christian who died in 2008.
A highly decorated soldier in WWII, during his service, Solzhenitsyn witnessed several crimes of war that haunted him. He was arrested in 1945 for what were considered derogatory comments against the government because he wrote a personal letter to a friend describing some of his concerns. He was sentenced to eight years in a Soviet prison work camp for those comments and was finally released from that camp in 1953. Upon his release, he was placed in “internal exile for life” as he fought a battle for his life with cancer.
It was during his decade in prison that Solzhenitsyn abandoned Marxism and returned to his faith. He was released from prison in 1956. After his release, he taught school during the day, and wrote secretly during the night, writing works like his world famous, The Gulag Archipelago,which has sold over 30 million copies, along with other works.
In 1971, the KGB attempted to assassinate Solzhenitsyn with a chemical agent. It left him extremely ill, but somehow he survived.
He was arrested again in 1974 and this time deported from the country, finally making it to the United States where he lived for several years before returning to Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He died near Moscow in August 2008.
On the day he was arrested again in 1974, he released the text of his essay, Live Not By Lies. In February of ‘74, he made the cover of what was then Time Life magazine. The essay was printed in that issue.
In the essay, Solzhenitsyn warned about the dangers of what happens when a nation tolerates, accepts and ignores the lies of the state and media. He championed the need for discernment and vigilance in regard to the truth.
I’ve included several lines from that essay below. As you read these words written more than 45 years ago, you can almost imagine some of these warnings being given today.
“Our way must be: Never knowingly support lies! Having understood where the lies begin (and many see this line differently)—step back from that gangrenous edge! Let us not glue back the flaking scales of the Ideology, not gather back its crumbling bones, nor patch together its decomposing garb, and we will be amazed how swiftly and helplessly the lies will fall away, and that which is destined to be naked will be exposed as such to the world.
“And thus, overcoming our temerity, let each man choose: Will he remain a witting servant of the lies…or has the time come for him to stand straight as an honest man, worthy of the respect of his children and contemporaries? And from that day onward he:
· Will not write, sign, nor publish in any way, a single line distorting, so far as he can see, the truth;
· Will not in painting, sculpture, photograph, technology, or music [we could safely add movies or online content] depict, support, or broadcast a single false thought, a single distortion of the truth as he discerns it;
· Will not cite in writing or in speech a single ‘guiding’ quote for gratification, insurance, for his success at work, unless he fully shares the cited thought and believes that it fits the context precisely;
· Will not be forced to a demonstration or a rally if it runs counter to his desire and his will; will not take up and raise a banner or slogan in which he does not fully believe;
· Will not raise a hand in vote for a proposal which he does not sincerely support; will not vote openly or in secret ballot for a candidate whom he deems dubious or unworthy;
· Will not be impelled to a meeting where a forced and distorted discussion is expected to take place;
· Will at once walk out from a session, meeting, lecture, play, or film as soon as he hears the speaker utter a lie, ideological drivel, or shameless propaganda;
· Will not subscribe to, nor buy in retail, a newspaper or journal [or subscribe to a podcast or YouTube channel] that distorts or hides the underlying facts.
“This is by no means an exhaustive list of the possible and necessary ways of evading lies. But he who begins to cleanse himself will, with a cleansed eye, easily discern yet other opportunities.
“Yes, at first it will not be fair. Someone will have to temporarily lose his job… [In other words, some will be “cancelled”…] But there is no loophole left for anyone who seeks to be honest…
“And as for him who lacks the courage to defend even his own soul: Let him not brag of his progressive views, boast of his status as an academician or a recognized artist, a distinguished citizen or general. Let him say to himself plainly: I am cattle, I am a coward, I seek only warmth and to eat my fill.” —Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, February 12, 1974, From his essay, Live Not By Lies, published in Time Life Magazine on February 25, 1974 [1]
Can you imagine the transformation possible if all of us who claim a commitment to Jesus Christ lived by the bullets listed in Solzhenitsyn’s essay? We could start a “truth revolution.”
Solzhenitsyn was convinced that the horrors perpetrated by the Soviet Union in the 20th century — which included millions of their own citizens being tortured and put to death — occurred because the state and media perpetuated a culture of lies that the people blindly accepted.
He even included the following warning in his classic, The Gulag Archipelago:
“There always is this fallacious belief: ‘It would not be the same here; here such things are impossible.’ Alas, all the evil of the twentieth century is possible everywhere on earth.” —Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago
Here’s the point: if we’re going to be people deeply formed by truth — people who know the truth and love it — it begins by REJECTING LIES.
In Colossians 2:8 Paul gave this challenge to the first century church:
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not
according to Christ. —Colossians 2:8 ESV
- Build your life on TRUTH.
Our attitude towards truth determines the outcome of our lives!
Building your life on truth begins with a personal relationship with Jesus. He said,
“I am the way, the truth and the life.” —John 14:6
According to Jesus, truth gets defined by who He is and what He has done!
Building your life on truth continues by spending daily time in God’s Word. Again, the prayer of Jesus is so important. When He prayed for us…
“Sanctify them by your truth. Your Word is truth.” —John 17:17
Maybe you’re asking, “But, Chris. How can God’s Word transform and sanctify my life?”
In Ephesians 6 Paul wrote that the Word of God is, “the sword of the Spirit” (Eph 6:17).
Think about the strength and all that’s required to grip a sword. It takes all four fingers, the thumb and palm of the hand to grip a sword in a way that it becomes a weapon.
Years ago, an organization called, The Navigators, shared a helpful illustration to remind us of how we can get a grasp on the Word of God or the Sword of the Spirit.
In that illustration, every finger, the thumb and the palm represent a way Christians throughout history have attempted to build their life on truth.
Sword of the Spirit
Building Your Life On Truth:
- READ IT! (The index finger — the finger some of us use to point with or to mark our line on the face of a page reminds us to read it!)
- HEAR IT. (The middle finger reminds us that we need to hear it. It’s the finger some people want to use on those occasions when the pastor says something they don’t like. They give him “half a peace sign.”)
- MEDITATE ON IT. (The ring finger — the same finger I wear my wedding band on and when I touch it, it reminds me of my wife. The ring finger reminds me to mediate on the promises our heavenly bridegroom has made.)
- MEMORIZE IT. (The little finger or pinky finger reminds us to memorize it. We use this finger to make “pinky promises,” and it reminds us that God has given us exceedingly great and precious promises that we need to memorize.)
- STUDY IT. (The thumb reminds us to study it. It’s the blue-collar, hard-working digit of the hand, but absolutely necessary. It reminds us that sometimes we’ve got to “…work hard, study and do our best to present ourselves to God and receive His approval…” 2 Tim 2:15)
- APPLY IT or PUT IT INTO ACTION. (And, the palm of the hand brings all the digits of the hand together, and reminds us that none of it means anything, unless we apply it to our lives.)
It’s impossible to get a strong grip on a sword without all four fingers, the thumb and palm working together. But when they all cooperate, a sword becomes a powerful weapon in the hands of a skilled swordsman.
It’s the same with God’s Word! When we use all six of these ways to build our life on truth, we can grip and grasp the Word of God in a way that it becomes a powerful weapon we can use to reject lies, hone our discernment skills, build truth into our life and defeat the strategy of the evil one.
Build your life on truth by working all six of these practices in your life. Then, we can bring to pass the hopes of the prophets and dream of God for His people, when He challenged us long ago:
“Therefore love truth and peace.” —Zech 8:19
- Determine to live and speak the TRUTH, but only speak it IN LOVE.
…we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ…
—Eph 4:15 NLT
At some point, we will all be required to speak truth that some deem outdated, insensitive, unpopular and even irrelevant. Speaking truth with confidence and courage begins by living it with conviction and character. Let’s become people who live the truth and humbly and courageously speak the truth with love!
Martin Luther was correct when He wrote so many years ago:
“If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at the moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved. And to be steady on all the battle fields besides is merely flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.” —Martin Luther
Both Luther and later Solzhenitsyn believed that a failure to live and speak truth wasn’t “being kind.” In fact, it was being cowardly, selfish and unloving.
So, in those moments when it is necessary to speak truth, speak it in love with a heart saturated by grace and a desire to see the beauty of God’s glory revealed and the life of every individual begin to flourish.
Once again, the words of the great Christian apologist, Francis Schaeffer, are worth remembering and repeating:
“Truth carries with it confrontation. Truth demands confrontation; loving confrontation, but confrontation nevertheless.” ―Francis A. Schaeffer, The Great Evangelical Disaster
“Biblical orthodoxy without compassion is surely the ugliest thing in the world.” ―Francis Schaeffer
It’s my prayer that we are people who are so formed by our knowledge of and love for the truth, that we,
- reject lies — regardless of where they originate,
- build our lives on truth beginning with a personal relationship with Jesus and then by getting a grip on God’s Word, and, finally,
- live and speak truth as God gives us the opportunity, regardless of the cost.
Will it require courage? You bet.
Will it cost us something? Absolutely.
Is it worth it? Your very soul and freedom is at stake.
Truth matters.
Our goal is never to win an argument. Our goal is always the freedom of every person we interact with.
And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. —John 8:32 NLT
Subscribe, follow this blog or check back soon, so you don’t miss a post! I plan on taking a few days off and will be back in about a week with a series of posts on courage.
[1] https://www.solzhenitsyncenter.org/live-not-by-lies