The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth

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What you heard me teach is an example of what you should teach. Follow that model of right teaching with the faith and love we have in Christ Jesus. This teaching is a treasure that you have been trusted with. Protect it with the help of the Holy Spirit, who lives inside us. (2 Timothy 1:13-14)

Teaching or instruction abounds, but knowing which one should be impacting your life is best left to the best tutor one could ever have - the Holy Spirit. When we ask the Holy Spirit to 'control' what comes into our minds, hearts, and emotions, we are trusting him to 'weed out' any instruction that isn't 'spot on' and 'zero in on' that which is truth. Any 'almost truth' isn't worth our time or effort!

What you hear me teach - God gives us so many positive examples, but is it wise to just 'accept without question' whatever it is they are teaching? No, absolutely not. We need to test every teaching against the Word of God and then rely upon the Holy Spirit to bring a confirmation of that truth deep within our spirit. If it doesn't ring true on ALL accounts, we aren't to buy into it. When I say, 'all accounts', I mean it lines up with the Word of God, is in keeping with the way God acts, and is born up by a confirmation from the Holy Spirit.

If we don't spend time getting to know the voice of God, we might just accept half-truths, or total untruths all together. One of the things we hear so much about these days is 'fact-checking' our political candidates. Maybe it is time we ask the Holy Spirit to 'fact-check' some of the things we have been believing as 'gospel' in our lives! Trust me on this one - the Holy Spirit is kind of like God's "Snopes" when it comes to 'sniffing out truth'!

God's teaching is something we are entrusted with - so we want to get it right. We don't want 'mixed messages' that are a bit 'muddied' by opinion, subtle untruth, or selfish ambition, do we? We want the truth, nothing but the truth, and the whole truth. To that end, we need the wisdom that comes from getting to know God's Word. We must protect the treasure of truth with the help of the Holy Spirit. Then we must share truth (and nothing but the truth), so others may know it, too. Just sayin!

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