To Tell The Truth

Dear Friends,

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Romans 8:38 - where the Apostle Paul writes, “I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below - indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I love this verse because of the truth it tells us about how God loves us - a truth that’s been an anchor in my life more times than I can count. Here’s what I mean - one of the biggest challenges we face each and every day is discerning what’s true, and what’s not. It can be as simple as trying to figure out whether an individual is lying, or as complicated as trying to sift through the bombarding messages from our culture about who we are, and what’s important in life. But the biggest battle for truth is between God and Satan - between what God tells us is true, and the lies that Satan whispers…or shouts. And when the waves of life are crashing around us, knowing what the truth is can become even more difficult to discern.

On one hand we have what God tells us - things like: He has a good plan for us, He will work all things for our good, and He will never leave us. On the other hand, we have Satan talking to us as well - telling us things like: we need to handle life on our own, that God has abandoned us, or that we don’t deserve God’s help. And in the same way that lies and half-truths can change the way we think about ourselves and others, Satan’s lies can change how we think about God. Warping the truth is one of the main ways that Satan manipulates us, and when we listen to these lies and manipulations our relationship with God can be severely damaged. That’s why Romans 8:38 is such an important passage for us, because it counters Satan's lies, and it provides the anchor we need in the storms of life.

Here’s the truth for all who believe: God is for us. He will supply all of our needs. He has forgiven our sins. And He will never leave us. In these truths, our hope is protected and strengthened as we come to understand that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God - no matter what Satan says. And by hanging on to this truth, we will strengthen our walk with God, even when the world around us is falling apart.

So I want to end with this simple question: do you believe Romans 8:38? Do you believe that God is for you? Do you believe He will supply all your needs? Do you believe that, no matter what, He will never leave you? The reality is, if we can’t answer “yes” to each of those questions, then we’ve been listening to Satan’s lies.

But the good news is, that can all change today. Let’s each ask God to show us where we’ve been listening to Satan’s lies. And then let's ask Him to substitute His truth for those lies so that we can live fully and completely for Him, with a hope that never fails.

Amen?

Daniel