The Battle For Truth

Truth is one of the most powerful weapons we possess when dealing with the enemy. Unfortunately, in many cases, the truth has been replaced by lies from the devil.  Our culture is inundated with lies and falsehoods and those who refute the lies and falsehoods, by sharing the truth, are mocked and ridiculed as "extremists" and those who stand for the Bible and it's sound doctrine are labeled as legalistic.  The absence of truth has given the devil a real stronghold over people.  The Bible is full of scriptures that speak of the strong deception that will come upon the world in the last days and that it will even cause many to depart from the faith.

There are two areas God wants His truth securely established.  Those areas are in our own personal lives and in the church or Body of Christ.

1.  The Battle For Truth As A Weapon In Our Personal Life

If we are to stand we must gird ourselves with the truth and walk in the uncompromising truth of God's Word because Satan is sure to attack us with lies.  Ephesians 6:13 tells us: "Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."  Walking in the truth of God's Word is one of the most powerful weapons we have against the enemy and his schemes.  Satan has nowhere to stand when he is confronted with the Truth of God's Word.

2.  The Battle For Truth In The Church

God has chosen the church to be the place from which His truth flows.  The church of Jesus Christ has been guilty of compromising and watering down the truth of God's Word to make it more acceptable to society.  As a result there is a battle that is raging in the church today over truth.  This battle includes whether or not the Scripture is divinely inspired and whether Jesus was really God manifest in the flesh.  There are others, but these two are of utmost importance.  What does the church have to do in order to live free from Satan's deceptions and lies?  I believe there are "truths" that we must embrace if we are to win this battle.

• We Must Accept The Entirety Of God's Word As His Truth.  We can't pick and chose what parts of the Bible we want to believe as truth.  It is all truth!  2 Timothy 3:16 validates this: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."
• We Must Rightly Divide The Word Of Truth.  2 Timothy 2:15 gives us instruction that we are to approach the interpretation of God's Word without personal preferences. Unfortunately there are those who twist the scriptures to make them say anything they want to say.  When reading and interpreting the Bible it must be taken in context!  As one person stated "A text without a context is a pretext for a proof text." All scripture must be examined in light of the whole and we should allow the scripture to interpret itself.
• The Word Of Truth Must Take Precedence Over Experience.  One of the disturbing trends I see happening in the church today, is that there is more of a focus on experiences than sound doctrine. This is especially evident in the Charismatic churches.  Don't misunderstand me, relating experiences is fine, but they must be based on "sound doctrine" as taught in the Word of God.  God's Word must be the final authority.
• We Must Have A Love For The Truth Of God's Word.  David walked in faith and victory throughout most of his life because he had a genuine love and appreciation for God's Word. David declared that "I rejoice at thy Word as one that findeth great spoil."  Do you have a genuine love for the truth of God's Word?"

Being a part of a local church that is Bible centered and adheres to God's Word of Truth give us a strong foundation to walk in the truth that God so desires for us.  We must all take personal responsibility for walking in the truth of God's Word.  Are you ready to take up the "battle for the truth?"

--Pastor Temple