Which do you think is harder to spot…
the truth or a lie?
There was a time in my life when I thought I knew. I used to follow the ‘Rule-of-Ands.‘ You see, I had a job where people lied to me fairly often. And the more times I counted the word ‘and’ in their story, the more likely I was to believe they were not telling me the truth.
At the time, I worked for a personnel agency, and placed people in temporary jobs. People used to call them ‘Kelly Girls’ or ‘Temps.’ I’m certain that one or both of those phrases would offend these days, but that was back in the ’80’s. I hazard to guess why we were so insensitive back then. Anyway, when I would go to work each day (because I was reliable) there would, on many occasions, be someone whom I had placed in a job previously, who decided not to go to work that day. And since my company was legally their employer, they were responsible to contact us instead of their place of work. We then would have to send another contract laborer; someone to get their work done for the day.
And oh, the excuses I heard!
Even though I can laugh about it now, in those days, I was simply irritated. Because there I was… living my life responsibly, when this person, with their excuse, was making me look bad to my client. On top of that, they had just started my day with undue stress as I had to scramble to find someone willing to get up, get dressed and be willing to go to work with very little notice.
Yes, I know there are sincere and honest excuses for not going to work. But they are pretty simple. Like, “My daughter is sick,” or, “My alternator went out and my car is in the shop.” These are excuses with a low ‘and-count,’ so I typically believed these people were telling the truth.
But as the ‘and-count’ began to pile up, that’s when I got suspicious. Here, let me give you an example. I remember one girl called me and said something like this…
“I tried to start my car this morning but the engine kept dying. And then my shoe got caught between the floor mat and the gas pedal and the car flooded out. And after I let the car rest a little, when I tried again, the car wouldn’t start and the key broke off in the ignition, so I can’t make it to work today.”
And… I don’t believe that’s the truth!
C’mon, really? I’m supposed to buy all that? For some reason, when we humans are trying to wiggle out of something, we let our minds go wild and our mouths begin to ramble. Unfortunately, we’re not really fooling anyone.
So why do we allow the world to do the same to us? Why do we allow all it’s crazy babble and rambling run rampant in our minds, listening to lies that wreak havoc on our identities? Maybe it’s because we aren’t aware it’s happening until we feel the effects of it’s stress. We subject ourselves most intensely to it when we spend too much unfiltered time on the internet or social media; when we allow ourselves to be constantly exposed to the overload of information. Until finally, we are tossed about like a tiny boat on the open ocean.
And that’s when the storm hits, and it feels as if we are all alone. Then wave after wave begins to crash over us and we feel helpless to combat the lies and doubt that flood our mind. It’s as if we are holding on for dear life, trying to gain our footing somewhere on the slippery deck.
So what can we hold onto? Where can we turn for help? It almost seems as if it’s too late for truth. Like that girl who told me all about her car. She let the waves get out of control. But at any moment she could have reeled it in, held onto the side of the boat, stopped the ‘ands,’ and faced the truth.
What about you? Do you ever feel like it’s too late to stop and seek the truth? Or will you just keep riding the wild ocean waves, hoping for the best… hoping to stay afloat in the sea of unknown?
What if there’s a better way?
I’m here to encourage you, Warrior, that there is! You see, we are never too far from finding our way back to a solid foundation of truth. In fact, as Warriors, God desires that we be girded with it; encircled, surrounded, hemmed in with; equipped, invested and prepared for action with the truth that He gives.
13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:13-17 NASB
So here, I’ve made a way for you, Warrior. I sat down and gathered 5 truths based on the Word of God that are foundational. How did I choose the topics? Well, each day, as I considered what to study, I thought to myself… if I could only tell you ONE thing about God, what would it be? And that’s when a new topic would come to me… one that God had used to change my perspective. So I wanted to pass these truths on to you!
5 Truths that Transform
will guide you each day to help overcome the lies and doubts that haunt all of us. These are not topics unique to me, nor are they to you. These are topics experienced by people everyday, but so often the busyness of life distracts us from really taking time to thnk about themm.
That’s why I want to encourage you to slow down and walk through this devotional for these 5 days. Here is a brief outline of what you’ll learn:
Truth #1: The Word of God is a Name of Jesus
You will find strength and power you never realized.
Truth #2: God Desires to Protect You from Shame
You will shed some lies of identity.
Truth #3: Worship Ushers in the Very Presence of God
You will connect with God in a fresh way.
Truth #4: Proper Thinking About Your Thoughts Can Bring Healing
You will recognize proper thought patterns
Truth #5: Fear is Actually Faith Facing the Wrong Direction
You will pinpoint and redirect your fears
Each day for 5 days you will receive an email from me with a devotional attached. You will want to set aside about 20 minutes to read it, look up the scriptures and reflect. I have formatted it so that you can either print it or complete it on your computer, tablet or phone. My goal is to make this accessible, yet still transformational for you.
Truth may not sound sexy, Warrior. But it’s the most foundational piece of armor that God offers. It’s basically the girdle that needs to be strapped on under all the other armor. Yet it surrounds us, up holds us, gives us stability when everything worldly wants to knock us down. And upon it, we attach all the other pieces of armor.
Without a firm foundation of TRUTH, Warrior, we would be lost, knocked down and tossed about. Please can I ask you to give this a try? Just five days. If it’s not for you, there’s nothing lost… because it’s FREE. But what if you find something that changes your mindset and sets you free? What if you find something that finally clicks? You’ll never know until you give it a try.
To get your FREE 5 Day Devotional, 5 Truths that Transform, click below!
If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy Sharpen Your Sword Skills: Duel with the Spoken Word of God and When the Morning Assaults our Mindset: How to Wake Up and Win.
But if you’d rather listen than read a post, this podcast about Martha and her Mindstorm is an awesome message: So How do I KNOW that Jesus Really Cares About Me?
