Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. -Aldous Huxley
Let's face it friends- sometimes the truth hurts. Have you ever had a gut feeling that you ignored because you didn't want to face the possibility that it was true? Have you ever had a close friend open your eyes to something in your life that was clear to everyone else but you? Even when the evidence is laid in front of us, sometimes the truth is hard to accept.
Societal norms in our world today can be confusing and misleading. If my truth disagrees with someone else's truth, I am often considered prejudice, homophobic, or judgmental. What the world doesn't understand is that I don't create my truth- my truth comes from Jesus Christ. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and His truth cannot be compromised to be made socially acceptable or less offensive. (Hebrews 13:8-9)
Over the course of my lifetime I have witnessed the cultural redefinition of truth. Truth is no longer absolute, but has become something to be negotiated, shaped, and manipulated until it fits the unique mold of each individual. Entire churches and denominations have altered their belief systems to accommodate and appease the changing lifestyles of society. There is a difference between loving the people in the world and living the lifestyle of the world. I believe our culture is just beginning to see the dangerous side effects of a people who have decided that they know better than God.
Dear friends, I warn you as "temporary residents and foreigners" to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among you unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when He judges the world. 1 Peter 2:11-12
SEEK
Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by Your truth and teach me, for You are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in You. Psalm 25:4-5
Our perception of truth dictates our perception of reality. Raw, honest pursuit of the truth begins and ends with Jesus Christ. If we do not have Jesus at the center of our hearts, we have no hope of discovering the real, unadulterated truth that our soul seeks. Without Jesus guiding our hearts and minds, we are too susceptible to the lies of Satan and too easily persuaded in other directions. Cover your search for truth in prayer, and put on the full armor of God daily. (Ephesians 6:11-13)
FIND
For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all. "So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them." Luke 8:17-18Most of us would say that the result of seeking is to find. However, God can only be found if He allows us to find Him. We can only see His truths if He allows us to see them. 1 Corinthians 2:10-12 says, ...it was to us that God revealed these things by His Spirit. For His Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets. No one can know a person's thoughts except God's own Spirit. And we have received God's Spirit (not the world's spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.
We can only see the truth if we have the Holy Spirit within us to reveal the truth to us. Pray that God will give you eyes to see the truth when He reveals Himself to you.
BELIEVE
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13The Pharisees came face-to-face with Jesus and still did not believe that He was the Son of God. It is possible for us to seek and find the truth, yet still refuse to believe it. That is why it is so important to keep Jesus at the helm of our quest for truth. It is tempting to deny things that don't make sense or are difficult to understand. We need Jesus by our side through the entire truth-seeking process.
Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, "You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:31-32The truth that Jesus spoke about in John 8:31-32 is the foundation of all truth- Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. The only way to eternal life in heaven is salvation through Him. (John 14:6) Not only will Jesus free us from the bondage of eternity in hell, but He will free us from the chains of sin and lies during our life on earth. Matthew 7:7 says, Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
Believe in the promises of God, and believe the truths that He reveals to you. Life is a learning process- I learn something new about God and my relationship with Him every day. He is always nudging me toward something greater, revealing things to me that I never saw before. Keep your heart open and your eyes on Him, and you will be amazed at the things God will do.