Embracing the Truth

Once again, here is the message that I received several days ago, that I believe the Lord gave me to share:

Just when you think the world is at peace, I will call you to rise up, take up your cross and enter a battle.  Bring nothing with you, for I have prepared a mighty army that will fight on your behalf.  You are now living in the world’s darkest hour and just before I raise My hand in judgement.  I will smite the nations that do not honor Me.  But you will be spared if you embrace My Truth as your most sacred armament.  Avoid the entanglements of the world, for it will soon pass away.  Watch, and be ready, for then I will come for you.

In yesterday’s blog “A Right to Judge?” we discussed the line before:  I will smite the nations that do not honor Me.  And so today we’ll discuss: But you will be spared if you embrace My Truth as your most sacred armament. 

For most of this day I have been praying and pondering over this line and what it means.  In fact, what you are reading now is my third attempt at searching for the meaning that I believe God wants to reveal.  I feel very humbled already even to think that He has given us something incredibly Holy and powerful and that He has allowed all humankind access (except in some restricted countries) to His Holy Word, the Word of Truth, the Holy Bible.  In the Bible He has revealed Himself, the God of the whole universe, of the earth, of us and of all things “created.”  He didn’t have to give us the Bible and tell us anything at all about Himself.  He didn’t have to give us a tried and true Guideline for living that would bring us life (abundant life), give us hope, and promise us success if we apply His principles, not to mention a roadmap to the hereafter.  But He did.  I have found that the Bible is a treasure like none other. 

But what happens when we neglect to read and study the Bible?  There is a very good chance that we will leave ourselves open to being led astray.  We’re exhorted in the following: 

Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.  Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.  Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.  2 Timothy 2:14-18  NIV 

When we neglect the Word of God, I believe we walk away from our Lord, although perhaps not intentionally.  I’d like to share a personal story of what happened to me (spiritually) when I started to neglect the Bible.  I have a degree in Arts and I majored in English Literature and Political Studies (and later History).  What a grand time I had!  I read many of the classics (English, Canadian, American, Italian, etc.), and then studied books on socialism, naturalism, universalism and about as many “isms” as you can name.  Part of my studies included philosophy, so I read Plato and other great philosophers.  I absolutely loved it all – it stretched my thinking and I became a “critical” thinker since I had to reference many different sources when I wrote my research essays.  You might ask, “So what is wrong with that?” 

Well, in the process of immersing myself in all these wonderful books (I love reading and still do!), my mind was changing – it was so tuned into the thoughts and philosophies of and from (many) godless men (certainly not all), that I started to become dull to the thoughts, intents and purposes of God.  Don’t get me wrong, I still read the Bible and went to church, but my thoughts were predominantly on what I was studying in university at the time.  In some of my essays I made connections to the Bible, and I would defend a Biblical position in front of the whole class including the Professor (whom in one class was a professing atheist/communist) but I was no longer “on fire” with the Word of God.  After I graduated (after six years of night school and working full time) I now had time to go back to my routine of reading and studying the Bible, and it was time to really start researching and writing my book about backsliding.  Well, sad to say, when I went to read and research the precious Word of God that had brought me so much life and joy and continued revelation of my Lord and Savior, Jesus, it felt like I was reading a foreign language!  There was no life or understanding for me although it had been there consistently before and for several years. 

So I panicked, “What has happened to me?” and then I cried.  I begged God to reveal His Word to me again, like He did before.  I believe what I was really missing was Him.  But Jesus is such a gentleman and He’s so patient.  He waits for us to be ready.  So I had to wait.  During that time of waiting and continuing to read the Bible and other wholesome Christian literature, I felt like I had been brainwashed and was now going through the slow and painful process of detoxifying (getting rid of the world’s anti-godly philosophies that had taken hold in my mind and heart).  Wow!  I never knew that this would ever happen to me, ever, that I could be that easily led astray.  It all sounded so good, but isn’t this what the very pavement to hell is made of?  It’s so easy to get drawn in and it sounds so good. 

Now I am in no way against secular education.  I have two degrees from a secular university.  I love reading, and learning, researching and teaching.  I thank God for the many wonderful books out there that I’ve been privileged enough to read.  But in my own life I’ve learned this – I have to love God’s Word more than any other book, especially if I say I love God.  The Psalmist writes in Psalm 119 (worth reading the entire chapter beyond what I’ve shared here): 

Psa 119:1  ALEPH. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.

Psa 119:2  Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

Psa 119:3  They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.

Psa 119:4  Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.

Psa 119:5  O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!

Psa 119:6  Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.

Psa 119:7  I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.

Psa 119:8  I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.

Psa 119:9  BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

Psa 119:10  With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.

Psa 119:11  Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Psa 119:12  Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.

Psa 119:13  With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.

Psa 119:14  I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.

Psa 119:15  I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.

Psa 119:16  I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

Psa 119:17  GIMEL. Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.

Psa 119:18  Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

Psa 119:19  I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.

Psa 119:20  My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times.  

If you really want to get into the Word of God, give yourself an assignment.  Pick a topic that really interests you (let’s say it might be on the word love), download e-sword (it’s a free download of the entire Bible), and do a search under the Bible menu.  Start reading all the verses you can find in the Bible on that one word and you will start not only reading the Bible, but “researching” the Bible.  You will be blessed indeed, and if you write out your thoughts or questions about it, then you will now be “studying” the Bible.  Perhaps this is something you already do.  

So back to the beginning line of the message: But you will be spared if you embrace My Truth as your most sacred armament. 

My father was a brave soldier who fought on the front lines in Italy during World War II.  He was later told that he had been in one of the bloodiest and most intensive battles of the entire war, and he himself was shot.  Many of his friends died in that battle.  My father shared his entire war experience with me and some of his story is published.  I often think about him running out on that field amongst army tanks and men shooting with rifles, the smell of the gun powder and the terrible sound of the shells dropping, the men around him dying and some in pain.  He said it was terrifying and so confusing that at times, he didn’t know the enemy from a fellow soldier.  How do you go into a battle field?  You have to be prepared.  So much of my dad’s story was about the years of preparation for those few horrible days on the front lines.  He went in prepared.  He was physically and mentally trained and he was equipped.  He knew what to do, how to fight and how to defend himself.  The battle of the Christian is the same.  We have to be prepared and equipped with the truth of God’s Word against all the untruth that’s out there that tries to pull us in and away from the things of God.  After all, we’re on the winning side and God has given us what it takes to be victorious (His Spirit and His Word), one battle after another. 

Thank you for reading and I encourage you to enjoy the gift of God’s Word today.