Cultivate and Maintain a Hunger for Truth.
Notice at the top of the list is to guard our hearts and keep 2 things out. The second thing we must do is to keep one thing in our hearts: truth. We must keep an active hunger for truth inside our hearts. Our hearts serve as control towers to our lives. Its where the lasting decisions are made. Our souls or minds help to confuse us and bring the wrong things into our hearts but this is why we’re supposed to guard our hearts from the wrong things and keep the right things inside. Jesus comes to live inside our hearts, not our minds. So in order to cultivate an active hunger for truth, we must first define it and to define truth we must look to the Bible and what it says about the truth.
While most understand that truth is either absolute or non-existent, some think of its as relative, which is to say interpreted by one’s experience. However, if truth is interpreted by experience it is perception, not truth. The Bible gives the clear perspective of truth in the entirety of its message and declares how truth is discovered and where it is stored. One must take a journey in order to arrive at the fullness of truth, which is an embodiment of knowledge only gained through a relationship with the keeper of truth, which is God’s Holy Spirit. Jesus told his disciples in John 16:12: I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. [v. 13] However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth: for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. [v. 14] He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”
Therefore, in today’s terms, truth is God’s perspective is a more an accurate definition of truth. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to God except through me.” John 14:6. So if we want truth, we go to the owner and giver or all truth, who is Jesus and while we wait on His return, we get that truth from the Holy Spirit, which guides us to the truth. Notice that this scripture first states “way,” before “truth”, and then “life.” Because first finding that truth is a journey brought on by a relationship with Jesus Christ which is navigated through a relationship with God’s Holy Spirit. After we accept Jesus into our hearts, He then, by the Holy Spirit guides us in our hearts. We feel that conviction whenever we miss the standard we know is expected of us. When we continue and allow that conviction in our lives and even welcome it, the “eyes of our hearts” become enlightened to God’s standard, His way and His voice which then leads our journey in Christ and brings us that eternal and abundant life.
Where many miss is they see something they desire and that desire takes priority to keeping that active hunger for truth. The Bible does state that an we perish for lack of knowledge, and that is in fact the truth. But the knowledge is still that we’re ignoring what the Bible teaches, which is that lust deceives and shipwrecks our faith. Why? Because the lust or desire for things that is not God’s will for us becomes dominate. It’s a choice and if truth is not chosen, it is lost. It’s law of use. Jesus refers to it in Luke 8:18: Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have. [KJV] Truth comes from the keeper but an active relationship is required to not only acquire it, but to maintain it. Emphasis on “how.”
Others miss it in that they become ‘wise in their own conceits” which is simply they trust their own perception and not submit to God and ask Him how He sees it. We take for granted that our intentions are pure and the truth is, rarely is our motive pure. God requires a clean and a pure heart and in this area is where we miss it even more than the lust area. Pride is Public Enemy No. 1. It beats Satan on all counts, because pride is so subtle it will masquerade as anything required in order to seek it’s goal: self glorification and self promotion. It especially will masquerade as humility when it is not. All one usually needs to do is examine the results of their actions to see if pride is there, but people choose to just assume their motive is pure.
If you’re sincere with Christ, pray this prayer: Father in Heaven, I thank you that you love me and correct me when and where it is needed. I welcome the correcting hand of your son, my Lord – Jesus Christ. I ask Father that you reveal to me the contents of my heart and my motives in every area of my life – my family, my friends, my occupation and my finances. I pray, Father, that you give me your sorrow, which works an acceptable repentance in me in any areas that needs to be corrected. I pray that you give me strength to accept and submit to the truth and continue on in your lifestyle of abundant truth in living. I pray for the continued leading of your Holy Spirit and ask you to make me sensitive and obedient to His lead. I pray this in the name of my Lord, Jesus Christ – Amen.
Join me next time on How to Avoid Deception – Part 3 [https://vyzyn.org/how-to-avoid-deception-part-3/].
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