How To Stand For Truth Part 1

We live in a world of lies. At first glance, the previous sentence might seem hyperbolic or exaggerated but I assure you it is not. The Word clearly tells us that the devil is the father of lies, and it likewise tells us that while we are here, we are in enemy territory, because the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. When we couple these two statements of fact together, we realize that the truth will not only be outnumbered in perpetuity, but it will be treated with hostility and vitriol each time it stands its ground. The father of lies hates the truth because the truth sets men free from the bondage they were once in, the truth opens men’s eyes to the grace and love of God, and the truth transforms individuals from the inside out.

Although the truth is self-sustaining, it does require witnesses, those who would deny themselves and in obedience toward the command of Christ go into the world and preach the gospel to the nations, undeterred by either threat or actual violence done to them. Such individuals, who were once seen as heroes of the faith, are now largely dismissed and marginalized even within the church, because they are too vocal, they are too insistent, and they are too disruptive to the overall agenda of tolerance and all-inclusiveness that has been lulling the house of God into a stupor for decades now.

‘We don’t need any zealots rocking the boat, we don’t want people who are unwilling to compromise representing us, because we all know that life is largely about give and take, about being willing to bend on some issues in order to achieve an armistice of sorts.’

The end result of such thinking is always, without fail, and inevitably the silencing of those who would stand for the truth of God’s word, and who will not compromise the fundamentals of the faith for anything or for anyone. It’s strange, that when we speak of compromise, or of give and take it is always the believers who are called upon to compromise, it is always the believers who are called upon to lower the standard, and dismiss the Word of God for the sake of the common truce.

What’s worse, at least in my estimation is that the ‘spiritual leaders’ of our time, have been coopted by the world, and it is they, those who are supposed to be the generals of God’s army, those who are supposed to be the first to wave the banner of truth that are insisting that the sheep get on board with the new agenda of all-inclusiveness, that we stop preaching separation from the world as a prerequisite to serving Christ, and that we cease forthwith the very mention of the word ‘repentance’, because it disturbs the sensitive nature of the unrepentant sinner.

‘Well, you know brother you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.’

But I’m not trying to catch flies; I haven’t been called to catch flies; I’m trying to wake people up to the reality of their fallen state, that through repentance and true faith in Christ their souls might be saved.

We love to oversimplify; we love to use clichéd catch phrases and mottos that really don’t apply to justify our indifference, our apathy, our unwillingness to get out of our comfort zone, and our outright rebellion and disobedience toward God.

‘Whatever will be will be; you can’t win them all; God’s big enough to do it without me; there are men better suited to stand for truth than I; no one will listen anyway; I’ve got my own life to worry about;’ and the list goes on.

What we fail to understand is that each time we choose to be silent rather than stand for truth, the enemy advances another step. With each flickering light that is hidden, masked or camouflaged, the darkness grows and intensifies. I am certain that there will come a day when the reality of the situation will stir some to wakefulness, when what we have allowed to occur by our silence or omission of truth will be made vividly clear, but I fear that by that time the darkness will already be too powerful, all encompassing, and all consuming.

I’ve said it before, and I’ve said it often enough that I may be starting to sound like a broken record, but deception has no desire to coexist with the truth, darkness has no desire to coexist with the light, it is a ruse, and deception as well as darkness will play the victim until they have the upper hand, and their victory is assured. Only then, will those who believed they could coexist with darkness and deception, see the true face of the enemy, only then will they realize that they confront a merciless foe for whom the end will justify any means.

So in light of this knowledge, how is that we as individuals can stand for truth?

First and foremost, in order to be able to stand for truth, one must know the truth for which they stand. I realize it may sound simplistic, but the most profound truths often are.

One cannot stand for truth if they do not first and foremost possess knowledge of the truth for which they are standing.

When we approach God and a relationship with Him as just another aspect of our lives, rather than the preeminent priority, chances are we will not know the fullness of Him who redeemed us from darkness and despair. It’s sad, and even tragic that we can prioritize and make time for a hundred other things in our daily routine, but often can’t find the time to be in fellowship with God, to read His word, to spend time in prayer, or understand His will for our lives.

‘I’m just too busy, too much to do, people to see, parties to plan, groceries to buy, laundry to wash, there are a thousand things angling for my time, I’m sure God understands.’

Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priests for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”

It’s not that knowledge is unavailable; it’s not that knowledge is not easily found; it’s not that knowledge isn’t readily perceived, understood or received, it’s that knowledge has been rejected, and the law of God forgotten that’s the reason for the destruction of God’s people.

When we choose to divide our time in such a way wherein we leave no time for God or His word, we are in fact rejecting knowledge, and we will perish for lack of this knowledge. It’s not that God is keeping knowledge from us, it’s not that knowledge is hidden, it’s that we choose not to seek it, and desire it, and know it, and live it.

Not only must we know the truth for which we stand, we must know why we stand for said truth, and be committed enough to it that no matter what obstacles may arise, no matter what threats may be leveled, no matter what hardship we might have to endure for the sake of it, we will continue to be steadfast in it.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.