The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth.

When we take an oath to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, we are declaring that we will tell the absolute truth about something without omission, embellishment, or alteration. We can be held in contempt of court if we bear a false witness when witnessing in court. Everyone gets this, and most take it seriously. 

Sadly, few are concerned about bearing false witness about the truth regarding God’s Word. What if more people were concerned about and sought Biblical truth? What if everyone realized that following God’s plan without omission, embellishment, or alteration would fulfill them and bring them peace? Wouldn’t that be amazing? 

It troubles me how few people take time to read Scripture these days. Although most Christians own at least one Bible, less than half read it consistently, and fewer still treat it as a source for living their daily lives. In this world where new age philosophy is growing in popularity, the Bible has fallen from favor because it doesn’t say what many want it to say. They believe the lie that the rules are restrictive and will hold them captive. 

Nothing could be further from the truth. 

Our world is a mess, and so much of what we see in the news is chaos. 

People don’t know where to turn. Even some seemingly faithful Christians forget that the Bible is our guide for life. Too often, we struggle with decisions and will turn to other people or methods to find direction. But the further we stray away from Biblical truth, the further we get from the order that God intended for us in this life. 

Too many believe that the old testament is outdated and no longer applicable in our world today. In reality, the law, or the old testament, teaches us of our need for salvation. It shows us how to love as Christ calls us to love and shows us when we lie, steal, commit adultery, kill, or commit any other sin, we are not living in that love. 

The old testament shows us the nature of God, what His desire is for His people, and the moral laws by which He wants us to live. It truly is our guidebook for living. But try as we might, we can never fully keep the law—fortunately, God knew this was the case, and He sent His only Son to die for our sins. But to benefit from this incredible gift, we have to trust Jesus. We must ask Him to show us our sins and ask for forgiveness of them when we fall short. And we will fall short. Over and over again. 

We’re in training!

I love how one of my favorite coaches, Kim Avery says it. We aren’t trying; we are training. It doesn’t feel so bad when we miss the mark when we think of it that way. Think of all the things we train for in life. Babies use walkers to help them learn to walk. Children use training wheels when learning to ride a bike. We go to tech school or college to train for our skills for our life’s work. Baseball players go to spring training, and our soldiers go to training camp. In not one of these situations, we look down on those in training for trying and failing. Nor should we look down on people growing in their faith for trying and failing. 

I love how Paul encourages Timothy in his letter to him. He says, “keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.” (1 Timothy 4:16)

Be aware of what you believe

Don’t get me wrong. How we live out our faith is not more important than what we believe. False beliefs can quickly lead us down the wrong path. We need to watch out for those who will try and convince us one is more important than the other. We must believe both the Word of God as truth, and we must live our lives accordingly.  

Paul warns us in the 4th chapter of Timothy that some will turn away from the true faith. He urges us not to follow anyone whose message does not align with the Bible. He says to guard against any teacher or leader who will dilute or reject any aspect of God’s Word. Some leaders in the church are very dynamic and very direct. Others will be very subtle in their presentation style. If you ever question anyone’s message, do not hesitate to ask questions because even those who seem to know the Bible can lead us astray. 

So how can you recognize these false teachers? Watch for these signs:

1. They teach what is contrary to the truth found in Scripture. 
2. They waste their time on endless discussions of divisive controversies and meaningless speculations instead of helping people live a life of faith in God.
3. They are more interested in these conversations of speculations than in seeking evidence of God’s presence in their lives.
4. They are more concerned about making a name for themselves than about knowing and understanding the purpose of God’s law. 

We have both a map and a guide

Though it can seem daunting, be reminded that the beautiful part is that you are not on it alone in this journey of faith. The Holy Spirit is with you and is willing to guide you step by step on your path. Think of the Bible as your map to show you direction and the Holy Spirit as your guide, your constant companion who can give you immediate knowledge of the way and help you interpret the directions. There is no decision you need to make that your map and your guide can’t help you maneuver.  

Once you begin to use this process and trust it, the peace and confidence you will gain are incredible.  

How do I know? Because I’ve been on a path that has me in training to trust God. I’ve relied on too many people to show me the “right” way when I later learned it was their way, not mine. I wasn’t placing my trust in God. Once I started using the Bible as my map and inviting the Holy Spirit to be my guide, things became so much clearer for me. I’m not going to delve into all of it today, but know that I will be making subtle changes that will bring me back into alignment with God’s will for my life over the weeks ahead. I will share more of my journey and hopefully will inspire you to follow the path God created specifically for you. 

The key point to remember

But back to the key to this message of truth for today. Friend, if anyone ever tells you that your instincts aren’t right or you aren’t smart enough to go to Scripture for guidance yourself, walk away. It can be good to have people who can offer you spiritual advice, but they should never steer you away from reading God’s Word. If someone is filtering what you receive from God, they may be doing so for ulterior motives, and it may not be in your best interest to follow them. Be on guard. Jesus opened the way for us to have direct access to our Father when He died on the cross. No one can take that away from us. 

God uses His living Word to revive our souls and refresh us when we get weary. It is the tool He uses to speak to us and encourage and empower us to do the work He created for us to do. 

Indeed, many verses will not make sense every time we read them. Not all fit every season of our lives. Know that our guide, the Holy Spirit, will lead us to the words we need when we need them. He will also open our eyes and hearts to understand what we need to understand. It is so beautiful that He reveals the wisdom we need when we need it. The same verse read over a series of months or years may have a different meaning to you every time you read it, depending on the situation you are in as you read it. We can’t understand everything at once. But there is peace in knowing that God will reveal what we need when we need it.  

Make time to be in the Word. 

Trust God when He invites you to drink from the well and know that He wants you to walk in His will. The only way you can do that is to be in His Word. And that, my friend, is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So help me, God.

Thank you for reading this article today. I am blessed to share this exciting life journey with you. If you would like to listen to this message,  be sure to listen the podcast, Longing for More, and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode. 

I also invite you to join my Live Your More Newsletter for other updates and inside stories. 

Until next time, go, be blessed, and always live your more!