March 29
Be Strong and Grow in Truth (Day 2)
This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.
––John 3:19-21, MSG
All truth is God’s truth, and the truest thing about anything is what God says is true. What God says in the Bible is true. Jesus’ life and example communicate truth. What the Holy Spirit speaks to us about God and His will is truth. Our present circumstances as they are versus what we hoped they would be is truth.
In a relationship with the God of love and truth, reality is your friend. Interestingly, I find that most men who follow Jesus don’t have trouble with God’s truth about Himself or even His will. Where they stumble and become insecure is when God tells them the truth about themselves. Something is pointed out to them that reflects the truth about who they really are versus some perception or image of themselves. This truth is the hardest truth to work with when you aren’t rooted in God’s love.
Enter fear and insecurity.
Men who are otherwise the most confident and assured people begin to make excuses. We justify, rationalize, and blame versus taking responsibility in the face of truth. God is trying to bring his truth, transform us, and grow us, and we don’t even recognize it’s Him!
Deep, unsecured, and unhealed fears are still present, moving, and controlling our thoughts and actions. God is reflecting truth to us because He loves us, but we cannot humble ourselves before Him in this way even though it’s the safest place and the safest thing we could do. Fear separates God’s love from God’s truth that is coming to us, and instead of working with it, we deflect and avoid it.
Insecure men like the truth when it benefits them but loathe it when it exposes them. On the other hand, men secure in love seek, recognize, and respond to what is true regardless of the cost to their image or ego, because they know God’s love is operating within truth and reality. More importantly, working with truth and reality is working with God!
Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. ––John 7:18
Nourished by God’s love, we grow strong in truth by embracing and working with it. It’s not complicated—just difficult to do on a consistent basis. In fact, the only way to be consistent is to consistently surrender the process to the Holy Spirit.
Lord, take whatever insecurities I have—those I’m aware of, and the ones I’m not—and help me lay that at Your altar. I don’t want to carry them around any longer.