Abandoning Truth

Every person believes in something. We believe in truth. We believe certain things to be true.

An example of this is the truth that Jesus lived, was murdered and after 3 days, came back to life. There are many that will tell you it’s a lie. But even though it happened 2000 years ago and we didn’t actually see it happen, we believe it is something that is true. We believe it’s true because we know it in our hearts and spirits and see the evidence with our minds.

One of the most dangerous things a human can do is to be unwilling to abandon “truth”. To believe in something so much, that despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, to still believe it is true.

There are some people that believe it’s true that other people in the world that have different color skin than they have are inferior to them. Their thoughts, words and actions reflect this truth. They even believe that by acting on this truth they are benefiting mankind. Adolf Hitler believed in a truth that there was a superior race of people and for the benefit of mankind, he was obligated to eliminate everyone that was different. Millions of people died because of what this one man believed was truth.

When the Apostle Paul was still named Saul, he believed it was true that the elimination of Christians was good and he acted on that “truth”. Fortunately, when Paul was confronted by true truth, he was willing to abandon his truth for real truth. And because he adandoned what he had believed was true for true truth, millions upon millions of people have found the true truth about Jesus.

So many of us hold on to truths because we don’t want to consider even the possibility that we are wrong or that something else is right. We hold on to “truth” we aquire through life experiences and hurts. We also aquire “truths” from other people like parents, teachers, friends and aquaintances. Once we accept a “truth” as true, we begin to base our lives, thoughts and actions on that truth, even though it may be a total lie.

All our lives are based on foundations built on what we believe is true. But, if the foundation is a lie, what is built on that foundation is also a lie. That’s why it’s so difficult to abandon what we believe is true because it involves tearing down whatever has been built on that foundation, building another foundation and starting again. It requires us to change our thoughts and actions. It requires us to abandon longheld beliefs and relationships and whole ways of life. That is so hard, but it is so worth it.

So many people believe that God either doesn’t exist or doesn’t care about us because of bad things that have happened. To them, the fact that there is no God is truth. To others, God is completely different than who He really is. Instead of a loving, caring God, He is a wrathful taskmaster that finds joy in his followers killing other people who refuse to follow His way.

So many of the “truths” we embrace or just believe without really thinking about them must be abandoned, such as….

People that are different than us are inferior….

Unborn babies are not really babies and therefore disposable….

God is responsible for all the bad things that happen to us and in the world, or He is just apathetic….

Marriage is disposable…..

All church denominations that are different than our own are wrong and harmful…

These are just a few of the truths we hold on to either actively or passively. To believe these things to be truth can be deadly.

So how do we evaluate our truths to make sure they are true truths and not a lie? Think about the things you believe are true. Really think about them. Ask yourself honestly, does my belief feel true in my heart and sound true in my mind. Ask God, even if you’re mad at Him. Let His Spirit talk to your spirit. Get a Bible and read the message He has written to you. All these things will guide you to true truth.

What will happen is a discovery of truth that isn’t true and needs to be abandoned and a joyful discovery of truth that is worthy to embrace. A truth we can build our lives on.

The fact that God truly loves us is the truest truth.