The Truth Will Set You Free
You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. ~ John 8:32 ESV
My grandfather, who lived to be 104, used to say, "Don't believe anything you hear, and only half of what you see." I often think of this reference to myriad deceptions all around us. Culture, society, people, and the enemy are all at work to confuscate the truth. Our hearts, too, bend toward deception – if not the deception of others, the deception of ourselves through denial, blame, minimization, and justification.
The closer we get to God, the more we will value truth. (Jesus Himself is truth! ~John 14:6) The more we embrace truth, the more freedom we enjoy. Here are some areas in which I've grappled with and found truth:
We experience information on three levels:
Truth, in whatever situation we can imagine, means that we can boldly act in freedom and love. Knowing that God is for us gives us strength and knowledge that He will not reject us. Knowing that He is sovereign takes the burden of control away from us. Knowing that He loves us unconditionally means that His acceptance of us is not based on our performance. Knowing that He goes before us means that we are never in uncharted waters; nothing catches Him by surprise!
May God help us to walk in truth!
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©2022 Julianne Knapp. First Published 11.15.22
My grandfather, who lived to be 104, used to say, "Don't believe anything you hear, and only half of what you see." I often think of this reference to myriad deceptions all around us. Culture, society, people, and the enemy are all at work to confuscate the truth. Our hearts, too, bend toward deception – if not the deception of others, the deception of ourselves through denial, blame, minimization, and justification.
The closer we get to God, the more we will value truth. (Jesus Himself is truth! ~John 14:6) The more we embrace truth, the more freedom we enjoy. Here are some areas in which I've grappled with and found truth:
- Not everyone is healthy for me to be around
- Not everyone is out to get me
- God does so love me!
- The end is not yet
- I can develop healthy, loving relationships with others
- I don't need most of what "they" are trying to sell me
- I'm not powerful enough to screw anything up
- I'm not powerful enough to "fix" myself or others
- God is awake and in control
- Nothing can hurt me without God's permission
- The gospel of Jesus is relevant to every part of my life
- Every human is an image bearer, worthy of respect
- I'm not alone
- There is purpose for my life
We experience information on three levels:
- the facts (what has happened, what we've seen)
- our perspective (how we perceive a situation)
- objective truth (God's "helicopter" view)
Truth, in whatever situation we can imagine, means that we can boldly act in freedom and love. Knowing that God is for us gives us strength and knowledge that He will not reject us. Knowing that He is sovereign takes the burden of control away from us. Knowing that He loves us unconditionally means that His acceptance of us is not based on our performance. Knowing that He goes before us means that we are never in uncharted waters; nothing catches Him by surprise!
May God help us to walk in truth!
Subscribe to free weekly articles in your inbox HERE; your information will never be shared. :-)
©2022 Julianne Knapp. First Published 11.15.22