Trading truth?

We swallow greedily any lie that flatters us, but we sip only little by little at a truth we find bitter. 

(Denis Diderot)

They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. (Romans 1:25)

Have you ever been guilty of 'trading truth for a lie'? I think we have all done that a time or two. We aren't all that 'flattered' by truth at times, are we? If I ask you how I look in a particular outfit and you tell me the truth that it does nothing to improve my appearance, will I be flattered by your comment? Not usually, but if the truth keeps me from looking frumpy, cheesy, or a little under/overdressed for the occasion, I will appreciate that you were honest with me. I might have to change a few times to get it right, but your honesty 'improved' me in some way. In much the same way, God's truth may not always 'flatter' our ego, but it certainly has a way of 'improving us' when we embrace it, regardless of how 'hard' the truth may be.

Anytime we decide it is too difficult to abide by a truth, changing it to fit our circumstances or desires, we are compromising that truth. God never asked for us to compromise truth - he asked for us to embrace it, trust it, and lean into it with all our might. Will it always be easy to identify truth? Sometimes it is hard to see underneath all the clever ways Satan tries to cover truth with his lies and 'things' he puts in its place. Truth will eventually come through even the cleverest of masks, though. It cannot be hidden from a seeking eye and a hungry heart! God will expose the lie, making the truth all that more evident.

When we embrace a lie (even the tiniest of lies), we open ourselves up for further deception. We might not do it intentionally, but when we just 'blindly trust' what we are told or have seen, we might not be doing ourselves any favors. God tells us to test truth: Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. (I John 4:1) Test all things - this is the wisdom we should live by. We sit upon a chair because it looks inviting, but if the legs are wobbly, we may find ourselves imbalanced and falling to the floor. Test what you hear, observe, and are asked to believe against the Word of God and the confirmation of the Holy Spirit within. 

God in his goodness and grace gave us both of these so we could know truth and so it could keep us free from all manner of entanglement with falsehood and sin. Learn to use them often and you will be less likely to believe the lies our enemy hands out so freely. Just sayin!