“⁹The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, ¹⁰and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” – 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 (ESV)

This is such a powerful passage. Satan is directing the “lawless one” to bring “false signs and wonders” to our view.

I have the ability to choose what I believe and the decisions I make are my own. The thing is that those decisions, where they are my own, they are influenced by what is brought to me. I will be encouraged to make decisions based on the signs and wonders that are presented to me. Satan is counting on this hence his reason for bringing to my view those that are false. And when I view those things that are false, I take my eyes and heart away from God and The Truth.

In order for me to stay in The Truth is to distance myself from those “false signs and wonders” and keep my head and heart in the Word of The Lord. My study of God’s Word will guide me in understanding that the signs are indeed false and loving the truth is the way to be saved from this world of deception.

“¹Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, ²not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.” – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 (ESV)

Verses 1 and 2 from the same passage in Thessalonians is a great reminder to me of my need to focus on the Lord and “not to be quickly shaken” by what I am seeing or hearing in the world. I should be digging into the Word of The Lord to find and follow The Truth and dedicate myself to that purpose to avoid perishing at the unbelief of the same.

How do you approach those “signs and wonders” that are presented to you? Are you distracted by the grandness of them not really knowing that they are indeed “false”? How do you think things would be if you were to ground yourself in the Word of God and The Truth?

“¹³Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” – Ephesians 6:13-18a (ESV)

Knowing of the Armor of God and the six pieces is something that I learned when I was very young and in Sunday School. Arming myself with the Armor provides protection and from and the tools needed to “withstand in the evil day”. I guess that I had never really put much thought into the order that the six pieces are introduced by Paul.

The “Belt of Truth” is where it all begins. I have to remember that my protection and gear going into battle each day begins with Truth, since Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” in John 14:6, when I start with the Truth, I am starting with Jesus in my corner.

This is not to say the rest of the Armor is not important, as it is vital to my survival in the world around me. I need all of the Armor for protection and to fight back, but without Jesus, I will have no chance of that survival. It is Jesus that fights for me when I am tired and weary. It is Jesus that stands in the way of evil. It is Jesus that protects me from behind as I move forward with the tasks assigned to me by God.

As I move into today and tomorrow and the next day to put on the Armor of God, beginning with the “Belt of Truth” so that I am sure to place Jesus first in all that I do. With Jesus as the beginning, I will be easily able to carry the remaining Armor as I “withstand in the evil day”.

What are your thought about the Armor of God? Will you commit to putting it on each day? Will you begin with the “Belt of Truth” to start it all with Jesus?

“¹⁷Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds…²¹assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him as the truth is in Jesus. ²⁵Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” – Ephesians 4:17, 21, & 25 (ESV)

Wherever I was, I have the opportunity to be new again through the truth that is and is in Jesus Christ. I have been granted the chance to start a new life.

With this new life, there are some conditions that may be difficult. The first of which is as seen in verse 25 to “put away falsehood” and “speak the truth”. Taking an honest approach to all is the one of the beginning actions with this new life. The truth, as stated, will set you free, and in Christ that is such a true statement. There is nothing better than knowing that there is nothing for me to justify or reason, when I speak the truth. I have found a number of occasions where I have been called out for something said or done and when I simply admit to it, there are no more questions. In fact, the next statement has been something like, “your not going to deny it?”. With that there is no more to discuss and the resolution is quickly administered.

Thanks to the grace given to me by Jesus, I have been able to live a new life in truth that has granted me the peace to know I can simply move on with the next task in the plan God has for me.

“³²Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:32 (ESV)

I am able to live this verse each and every day, thanks to that new life in truth God has given me.

When you look at your life, would you categorize it as a new life? Are you living in the truth provided you through Jesus Christ? Is your life new in that truth?

“¹⁵Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” – Ephesians 4:15 (ESV)

As a Christian, I find myself in a difficult position when it comes to speaking the truth, because the fact of the matter is, society is very resistant, even appalled by the truth. And due to this, speaking the truth is in some cases dangerous for me in some instances.

I have to remember that God has put me here to do His work and I should continue to do so, even in the face of the danger that may come with that work. The thing I have to hang my hat on and the approach that I should be taking is loving truth. That kind of love that comes with caring and meaning. One that shows compassion and service. The kind of love that others will want to be surrounded by.

I have seen, as I believe you may have as well, those that give the truth in such a manner that I feel as though I am somehow less than intelligent and less than a person for the way I am/was acting. These are not necessarily the picture of the love that God has for me.

I have the unique opportunity as an adult educator in the corporate world to share truth in love with people everyday. I have been in numerous situations where sharing some feedback or coaching with someone is vital to their performance and the approach I take makes all the difference. The love and care that I show for them as a person impacts the interaction in such a positive way, that I was told recently that someone confided in them that I was the favorite trainer this person has ever had (and they have not worked at my company for quite some time now). This may seem trivial, but to me I am elated that I was able to reach someone through simple compassion and love.

The truth may not be what someone wants to hear, but when delivered with love and compassion, it can and will be so liberating.

Are you resistant to the truth when given poorly? What is your reaction when someone approaches you with love and compassion? Will you give the truth, but only through love and compassion?

“⁷You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?” – Galatians 5:7 (ESV)

Paul lays it out for the Galatians and for me even today. I have control over my own actions and therefore I choose to obey the truth or not.

“¹For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” – Galatians 5:1 (ESV)

My choice to obey was given by Christ who set me free, and as recorded in John:

“⁶Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” – John 14:6 (ESV)

As Jesus is the truth and he set us free, I should be obeying the truth (freedom) and using it to further the gospel.

“¹³For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love you neighbor as yourself.’” – Galatians 5:13-14 (ESV)

I have been given freedom by Christ who is the Truth. I am now tasked with using my freedom and to help others and through that help of others, I will be demonstrating the love of Christ to and for others, just as instructed in scripture. By doing so, I am taking advantage of the freedom I have been given for the good of Christ and not for that of the flesh.

Have you accepted the freedom given freely by the Truth? Are you obeying the truth or seeking personal gains of the flesh? Are you seeking to use your freedom to love and serve others?

The gospel is the truth. We should be careful not to be swayed by those that wish to distort the truth for their own gain.

“⁴Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery—⁵to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.” – Galatians 2:4-5 (ESV)

There are false Christians in our midst each and every day. As a believer and attendee of the Baptist religion, I distinctly remember the “guidance” that we did not drink, dance, or listen to loud music as it was against the religion to do so. As I grew older and became more aware of scripture, I realized that this was simply a legalized view of the gospel and in fact, scripture did not prohibit those items, only that I should be careful not to cause another to stumble through my actions.

Now I am not saying that those teaching me those things that were “against” the religion were false Christians. What I am saying is that I have to be on the lookout for those that make such claims to build themselves up or bring others down. In the example of scripture here, circumcision was not “required” as a condition of Christianity. It was a legalistic view of submission to the law. If one chose circumcision, it was a choice and not something that was preached or “required” to be or become a believer.

I have to remember to ground myself in scripture and in doing so, I will avoid the pitfalls of the legalistic views. I will stay true to the gospel and thereby will have he strength to overcome the false Christians that seek to build themselves up and/or bring me down.

How much do you rely on the truth of the gospel? Are you being influenced by those that may be intentionally or unintentionally distorting the truth? Are you seeking to understand and live the truth?

“⁷But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. ⁸For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. ⁹For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for.” – 2 Corinthians 13:7-9 (ESV)

I remember back when I was a teenager. I had invited a friend to our church revival and during the youth time one evening that friend accepted Christ as his personal savior. I and another friend were so elate that we embraced and rejoiced at this event.

I imagine that Paul is referring to a similar desire here. I can see Paul as he is writing this letter, weeping for the people of Corinth and their Christianity. As he writes in verse 9, “we are glad when we are weak and you are strong.”

As I look back, how have I fared in the way of being glad for others acceptance of and growth in their relationship with Christ? I wonder if I have been able to rejoice for and with them in those wonderful instances as I was back in that day as a teenager?

I am not so sure. You see, if you really know me, you know that I am not someone that puts themselves out there. I expect that others are able to do the right things and self motivate thereby not needing someone to encourage and build them up. I will say though that as I have grown in my life that I see the relational value to taking that approach, and I am sure that God’s Word is a big reason why.

In verse 8 Paul writes about doing “for the truth”. I have to take the approach to be true in my dealings with others, and in doing so, people look at me as though I am being inflexible and overly rigid in some things. To that I say, AND. I see this authentic approach as spreading the love of Christ and being true to others is only making them stronger. When they realize that they have succeeded and I am able to witness it, I will be able to embrace them with joy as we celebrate that success.

For you, are you willing to be truthful with those around you? Do you celebrate the success of others for their sake only? Will you be true to others for their sake and not yours?

“⁴Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant ⁵or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ⁶it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4-6 (ESV)

Quite the passage on love. Paul identifies what love is. My study is on “truth” and brought be here where I am reminded of the relationship of truth and love.

All too often I have heard the misnomer, “I lied to protect you out of love”. And whereas there may be some validity to that misnomer, it is all in the mind of the one saying it. I can certainly see where the thought comes from and why someone would believe it, for it allows the person saying it to avoid the difficulty of fessing up to whatever the situation was. I guess in some way, that would be acceptable, although really only in and for the person saying it, and everyone else is left to suffer through reality at some point.

The correct approach to demonstrate love would be to tell the truth. Will it be painful, likely yes. Will it cause some difficulty, yes. Will one be uncomfortable with “letting the cat out of the bag”, surely.

Giving of the truth will allow for a quicker and more complete resolution. The issue will not linger on and continue to be a burden as time progresses. There will be an opportunity to address and get ahead of the item. It will be like “ripping off a bandage”, a quick amount of discomfort to allow for the healing.

Love is truth and truth is love. When there is love, there should always be truth. Looking out for the other is more important than looking out for oneself. My pastor gave a sermon in his series, “This Changes Everything” where he spoke of the dedication of wives and husbands to one another. The 3^rd point in speaking to each of them was to “Put your husbands/wives needs above your own”. This point works so closely with these verses of love and truth. With my love for Lori, it is my responsibility to full of truth as is her responsibility with me. Our love is truth and truth is love.

When you are dealing with others, of whom are you thinking? What does your demonstration of love look like with them? Are you able to demonstrate your love through truth in your relationship?

It is so interesting to me that people with consciously deceive. And I use the word consciously because it is a choice to do so.

“¹⁸For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth…²⁹They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, ³⁰slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³²Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” – Romans 1:18 & 29-32 (ESV)

The suppression of something is the act of pushing it down or not allowing it to come out. Man has been suppressing since the days of Adam and Eve. The verses above may seem and feel a bit pointed, and for that I do NOT apologize.

I live in a world where the moral dilemma is on full display each and every day. The perpetration of what is desired to be seen is certainly out there and the truth is hidden away. Now I do not want it to sound as though I am saying that this is something that has just begun, this same dilemma has been in the world, as I said, since the days of Adam and Eve. But with the visibility we have in the world today, this is so much more noticed and, to paraphrase from verse 32 above, accepted and expected.

I long for a world where the truth is the way. I can strive for that life here, now. Will I always be fully truthful? I like to think the answer is yes, although as I am human that will be a resounding NO. The key thing for me is to NOT consciously suppress the truth and when I do, I should be on my knees repenting and asking for forgiveness. I am accountable to my actions and words and the one I am ultimately accountable to is God.

I will take the action to live in the truth at each turn.

Are you aware of that you suppress the truth? How long have you been actively suppressing the truth? What actions can you take to turn and live in the truth?

Social media is a great way to stay up to date of the goings on of those you know. It is also a platform for telling stories. And a place where debate can happen that includes many people and organizations from many perspectives. But a place to find “truth”, that is something that is questionable.

Jesus was arrested and put on “trial” for reportedly claiming to be the “King of the Jews” and doing evil or working outside the confines of the religious law. The charges are not up for debate as that is exactly what Pilate was told and what Jesus was was questioned about in John 18:33-40.

“³³So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ ³⁴Jesus answered, ‘Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?’ ³⁵Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?’” – John 18:33-35 (ESV)

I am not studying this with the idea of debating what was said or the circumstances or anything other than this. Pilate was seeking the truth. I have to give him credit in this regard, he did not take the word of the people and questioned Jesus on his own to get to the truth. At this point, Pilate was not satisfied with condemning a man because the people said so. He was diligent in looking for the truth and getting to the bottom of things. And after he had sufficiently gathered the information from Jesus, he rendered his findings to the people.

“³⁷Then Pilate said to him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.’ ³⁸Pilate said to him, ‘What is truth?’ After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, ‘I find no guilt in him.’” – John 18:37-38 (ESV)

Now, I am stopping here with as again I am mention that at this point, Pilate was doing the right thing. He had done his work of digging into the facts and questioning the correct people to find out what really happened. He had sought the truth and found it, but only through his truly seeking.

I opened this morning with a quick blurb about social media and I want to come back to that for a moment. I believe that there is too much in that platform that is shared, claimed, “reported”, and/or displayed that requires more understanding before it can be passed off as truth. Jesus may have healed someone on the Sabbath, but he was working the construct of God’s law, not the law of man. Something may have happened or been done, and the context of the action may be completely different than that which is seen in the media. It is up to us to seek the truth and not allow ourselves to be distracted by the reports and statement of others.

Jesus is Truth and therefore I should be seeking Him. When I am seeking Him, I am seeking the Truth and not leaving it up to someone else to dictate my beliefs.

What do you see that may/may not be the truth? Are you accepting of everything that you read or hear or see as the truth? Are you actively seeking the Truth each and every day?