Dear Friend:
Today I am writing from Michigan. I am sitting by a beautiful lake listening to the sounds of the water rippling. To me there is something very peaceful about being outside amidst God’s beauty surrounded by the sounds and sights of nature. The scripture I would like to focus on today is John 8:32, “And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” Jesus spoke these words. Yesterday, as I was flying from Texas here, this scripture came alive to me in a new way. I have read John 8:32 hundreds of times but I began to think about truth and the opposite of truth, lies. We know that the Bible, also known as the Word of God, is truth (John 17:17). And John 8:32 tells us that truth makes us free. We all long for freedom. Freedom in our minds, our hearts, our homes, our relationships, our finances… Truth brings us freedom.
Who is our enemy? Who is the enemy of truth, or the enemy of the Word of God? His name is Satan and he is called in John 8:44, “The father of all lies”. So, it is his job to keep me (and all believers) from freedom by keeping me away from truth. How does he accomplish this? By deception. He lies to me about who I am, about what I can do and what I can’t do. He lies to me about who God is, what God can do and what God thinks about me. He lies about who others are and what they think about me. He lies about who he is and his very nature and existence in the earth today. His job, 24/7, day after day, year after year, century after century has been to lie to all mankind and keep them from knowing truth.
But when I choose to wake up in the morning and sit on my back porch with my cup of coffee and read the Word of God (truth), light enters my heart, and God, by the Holy Spirit, begins to speak to me. I leave that place freer than I was when I entered the room. I leave that place seeing more clearly than when I began. Oh, the wonderful, matchless, supernatural power of the Word of God! (Read I Thessalonians 2:13 and Hebrews 4:12). It really does change us. Or I should say, He changes me. Thank God!
If truth brings freedom than it is the enemy’s objective to try and keep lies also in the middle of our relationships. He doesn’t want us to have happy homes or fulfilling, meaningful friendships. So he lies and accuses others in our minds. We must be vigilant to always stay truthful with one another (even with the little things) and not believe the seeds of doubt or accusation that he attempts to plant in our thought life.
Proverbs 24:26 tells us “An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.” In other words, honesty will produce intimacy. Honesty with the Lord and with other people will produce satisfaction and fulfillment. Let’s endeavor to always be truthful with one another so we can keep closeness in our relationships.
Love always believes the best about another person (I Corinthians 13:7). Today, choose to walk in the love that thinks and believes the best about others. Let’s run daily to the Word of God, our Source of freedom, and let it wash and cleanse us (John 15:3). When we remain in the Word of God, we will be like the eagle.
The prophet Isaiah says it like this: “But those who wait for the Lord (who expect, look for, and hope in Him) shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up (close to God) as eagles (mount up to the sun); they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired (Isaiah 40:31).
As you open your Bible today, expect God to speak to you. He has so much He wants to say. We just need to listen.
You are loved by,
Pastor Maureen