Bible-Prayer-Europe Equipping Center

Becoming a Man of God

by Jay Powers © 2009

CHAPTER 5-WHAT GOD SAYS IS TRUTH

I think perhaps the most important principle that I’ve learned in my life is this: what God says is truth and everything else is a lie. On the surface, it sounds like a simple enough statement, but in fact, it is very complex. For example, the world tells us there can be peace in the Middle East without the Prince of Peace. But Isaiah 48:22 clearly states “There is no peace, says the Lord, unto the wicked,” the wicked meaning those who do not know God or follow His ways. To believe what the world says is to say what God says is a lie. Another example of the world’s ways going against God’s ways is more innocent (so it seems): the idea of Santa Claus. We tell kids Santa is coming when we know Santa is imaginary and it is you that places the presents around the tree. God commands us not to lie. So what happens when older children learn the truth? They begin to doubt your word and then it is easy to doubt someone else’s word, namely God, whom the world believes to be as real as Santa.

This statement can best sum up my point: there is a right way, a wrong way, and nothing else. There are no “gray areas”, things that are neither right nor wrong. In Deuteronomy 30:19, the Israelites are given the choice of life and death, blessing or cursing. Life was dependent on following God; anything less than obedience would result in a curse. The same applies to us today. When we obey God’s word, we are blessed. When we don’t, the natural result of our sin is death, death of a relationship, death of trustworthiness, or death of a reputation.

In all things, we must learn what God thinks and then think the same way. Since I have been following God more closely, I have been radically changed for the better. Things that once would bother me don’t bother me as much anymore. Spending a few minutes with God and then doing what He tells me to do about the situation solves problems that before would last for days. The world does not need our intellect, our wit, or our “unique perspective” as much as they need to know the heart of God and His love for them. We cannot save them; Jesus can. How sad it would be to stand before God one day in heaven and try to explain to Him why we couldn’t help those in need when Jesus had all the answers all along. What would we say? “I just didn’t feel that the world would accept that methodology”, “I might have looked foolish”, “It had never been done that way before?”

The world needs those who will stand firm for God’s truth, no matter how temporarily uncomfortable it may be. We do not truly love people if we do not show them Jesus through our lives. We are not here on this earth to waste time simply doing what makes us feel good. We are here to love and glorify God. In John 14:15, Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Do we really love Him or just His blessings?

Over the next few chapters, we will look at the lives of men of the Bible who stood for truth in the midst of difficult circumstances and truly fulfilled God’s plan for them. By looking at how they overcame and then applying what we learn, we plant the seed for victory in every aspect of our lives.

KEY VERSES: Isaiah 48:22, Deuteronomy 30:19, John 14:15