February 4th

The Power of Truth

⁴Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?" ⁵"Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. ⁶"I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground.  John 18:4-6 NIV

Just a few words of the truth can be very powerful.  I love the above passage from John describing what happened when the crowd came to arrest Jesus in Gethsemane.  As I read it, I thought of how powerful the truth can be.  Just those few words were powerful enough to knock the crowd down!

I’m so glad that God is gentle with us concerning the truth about our lives.  If we were to see our sins the way they would look to God, we would be horrified.  The revelation could likely overwhelm us, even to death!  Jesus told the disciples that he had much to say to them, but they weren’t ready to bear it (John 16:12-13).  Jesus said that the Holy Spirit, as the Spirit of truth would take on the task of guiding them (and us) into all truth.  Thankfully the Spirit is patient in dealing with us and reveals the truth as we are able to bear it and apply it to our lives. 

It’s very important that we heed the Spirit’s instructions in every situation, because if we don’t, we’ll be stepping off God’s path and into trouble. If we are having difficulty discerning the Spirit’s voice, we have the Bible as our default set of instructions.  Jesus said that when we hold to his teachings, we will know the truth and the truth will set us free (John 8:31-32). 

Truth breaks the power of the lies that keep us in bondage.  Just as Jesus’ words knocked the crowd down, so will the truth knock down strongholds built around the lies we’ve believed.   

Questions for further thought:

• What are some ways we can ground ourselves in truth each day? (Psalm 119:13-16)

• What is the Holy Spirit’s special role concerning truth? (John 16:13)

• What happens when we ignore the Spirit’s instructions? (1 Thess.5:19)

• How does habitual sin affect our ability to discern truth? (Hebrews 3:13)

• If we can’t hear God’s voice, what other resource do we have for knowing his instructions?

• How does truth help us get free of addictions? (John 8:31-36)

Prayer:

"Heavenly Father, thank you that your word is truth.  Please forgive me for my failures to follow your instructions and obey your commands.  Lord, please cleanse me from my sin by the blood of Jesus. Thank you, Father.  Please rekindle the fire of the Holy Spirit in me and open my ears to his voice of truth speaking in me.  Please strengthen me to obey his promptings and know the truth that will set me free from the lies I may have believed. I praise you, Father, now and forever, Amen.”