"Truth Or Lies?"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

"Truth Or Lies?"       

     

     Our memory verse this week references "the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 6:11).  This coincides with the first mention of Satan in the Bible, wherein his subtlety is referenced (Genesis 3:1).  Our spiritual enemies tempt us with great skill and cunning, making necessary our response with much faith and determination to overcome the lies of the liar.

    "Lord, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle?   Who shall dwell in Thy holy hill?  He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart" (Psalm 15:1-2).

    Are we thinking rightly - Biblically and spiritually - about the matters of life?  First about God, and then about ourselves, other people, circumstances, the world, and all things?  Such mental engagement presents a great challenge to us as we seek to walk in Truth.  Overcoming devilish lies requires the Holy Spirit's enabling, along with our response to His working in our minds.  "Commit thy works unto the Lord and thy thoughts shall be established" (Proverbs 16:3).  Our calling involves the commitment of faith whereby we trust in our Lord's working in our minds to replace darkness with Light.  We then make many choices to respond by remembering and affirming Truth as the replacement for the liar's lies.  Indeed, we don't simply say of falsehood, "I won't think that!"  We rather determine to affirm the truth that applies to the matter at hand.  "I will think this!"  

    Perhaps our enemies tempt us to be worried or fearful about physical matters.  Myriads of thoughts may course through our minds that motivate uncertainty and unsettled emotions.  What Truth might counter the temptation?  First, we remember to Whom we belong.  Our bodies are not in the strictest sense our bodies.  We are stewards of them, but the true Owner and Possessor is our Heavenly Father.  Remembering and affirming such reality goes far in overcoming temptations regarding His possession.  We then recall His promise of working all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).  This includes the conditions that concern physical matters.  God has purposes for allowing and determining both blessings and difficulties of the body.  We can trust Him accordingly in order to walk in peace regarding that which belongs to Him.  "Ye are bought with a price.  Therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (I Corinthians 6:20).

   The process of replacing devilish, worldly, and fleshly temptations with God's truth applies to everything in our lives.  Again, are we thinking in terms of Truth, or of subtle lies offered to our minds by the most subtle of liars?  The wisdom of God overcomes the wiles of the devil in all who wield "the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" (Ephesians 6:17).  By the Spirit we apply the Word of God to whatever challenge of deception provides opportunity to heed the Apostle Paul's calling to engage heart and mind in overcoming lies of the liar...

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." 

(Philippians 4:8)

Weekly Memory Verse

    Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 

(Ephesians 6:11-12)