Be sure to love the truth (Truth)!

"The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).

Who or what is the truth?

There is a truth called honesty in each one of us. We can choose to "stuff it" or to be honest with God, ourselves and our spouses or those close to us.

There is the Truth, Jesus the person. There is the Truth Jesus the Word. There is the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit. God is Truth.

"Pilate therefore said to Him, 'Are You a king then?' Jesus answered, 'You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice'" (John 18:37).

So there are two sides of truth. The negative and the positive we will call it. If we sow the truth, the honesty of our hearts, the negative, we will reap the positive which is hearing God speak. I have found that the people who seem to really love the Word of God, Jesus, also seem to be those people who are honest with themselves and God. Many who do not have a thirst and love for the Word will be found to be "stuffers" or people who hide from themselves and God.

I have witnessed so many people over the years that have started walking with the Lord and have fallen away, and/or have suffered horrible consequences in their lives, and each one of them did not love the truth. Little by little Satan took control of the puppet strings of their lives, and they paid the price. I have seen marriage relationships suffer due to hiding the truth from one another.

Do you really want to be free from the slavery and prisons in your life? Do you want a vital and real relationship with Jesus, with your spouse?

"Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free'" (John 8:31,32).

"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,' And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters They shall not come near him. You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah" (Psalms 32:1-7).

The truth will make you free, but first it may make you miserable; but it is worth it!

Larry Chkoreff

December 2003