Tag: lies

Even when the world feels chaotic and unpredictable, Scripture reminds us that God remains sovereign and unshaken.

Scripture: Psalm 2:1–4; Isaiah 46:9–10

Examination:

Adversity, chaos and crisis has a way of making everything feel out of control. Current news headlines shift hourly, voices argue loudly, and fear quietly settles into the hearts of many believers. Yet one of the most grounding truths of the Bible: nothing happening today has surprised God.

Psalm 2:4-6 portrays a vivid picture of nations raging and rulers plotting, yet God sits enthroned, unthreatened and unmoved. While humanity continually scrambles for control, still God reigns in perfect authority. This does not minimize the pain or seriousness of what the world faces, but it reframes it. Just because there is chaos on earth does not equal chaos in heaven. 

In Isaiah 46:9-10 we are reminded that God declares the end from the beginning. He is not reacting, He is ruling. As believers when we forget this, anxiety replaces trust and fear replaces faith. However, when the Church remembers who God is, it regains its footing. The Church does not exist because the world is stable; it exists because God is faithful.

Crises will reveal where our confidence truly rests. If our peace depends on our surrounding circumstances, it will always be fragile. But when we choose to  place our foundation in God’s sovereignty, it becomes unshakeable. This is why the Church must begin every response to crisis not with strategy, but with surrender, acknowledging that God is still on the throne.

So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God, being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone; in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:19-22

Today’s devotion invites you to step back and realign your perspective. God is not pacing through heaven’s halls in worry. He is not overwhelmed by global tension or cultural shifts. He is accomplishing His purposes, often in ways we do not yet see. The Church’s strength has never come from certainty about the future, but from trust in the One who holds everything together.

Thoughts to Ponder

1. What current events have been stirring fear or anxiety in your heart?
   
2. How does remembering God’s sovereignty change your perspective?
   
3. Where do you need to surrender control back to God today?
   

Choose today to replace fear-filled thinking with faith-filled trust. Consciously place your concerns into God’s hands.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, You are sovereign over all things. When the world feels unstable, remind me that You are steady. Help me trust You more deeply and rest in Your authority. Strengthen my faith and quiet my fears. In Jesus Name Amen.

Getting to Know Him

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Jesus never separated love from truth. He protected the broken, confronted sin, and offered redemption. His love restored lives because it was rooted in obedience to the Father.

Scripture: John 1:14

Currently when people talk about love, it usually sounds like this: “If you really love me, you’ll accept everything I do.” In most cases love is often defined as agreement, affirmation, and silence. But if we look at Jesus, we see a very different kind of love, one that is deeper, stronger, and far more life-giving.

Jesus didn’t love people by telling them whatever they wanted to hear. He showed love to them by telling them the truth they needed to hear. “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things which I say? Luke 6:46

We can see in the Bible that Jesus came full of grace and truth. Not grace or truth. Not truth without grace. Both. Always together. That balance is what made His love so powerful. Grace made people feel safe in His presence. Truth made them want to change.

Take a look at how Jesus treated broken people. He welcomed them. He ate with them. He protected them from shame. But He never pretended that sin didn’t matter. At no point did He ever say, “Stay exactly the same.” His love always moved people toward freedom, healing, and obedience to God.

That’s important for us to understand, especially as we are people surrounded by a culture that says love should never challenge anything. Many will follow their immoral ways, and as a result, the way of the truth will be maligned. In covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words: whose sentence now from of old doesn’t linger, and their destruction will not slumber. (2 Peter 2:2-3)

Jesus’ love was not weak. It was courageous.

He loved people enough to confront them. He loved people enough to say the hard things. He loved people enough to risk being misunderstood. Because of this there were times that some people walked away from Him because of it. But Jesus never watered down truth just so He could keep followers.

That kind of love is rare today. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. (Hebrews 12:11)

Throughout our lives we will often face pressure to choose sides: be loving or be truthful. Be kind or be biblical. But Jesus showed us that real love does not compromise truth, and real truth is never spoken without love.

Loving like Jesus means caring more about someone’s future than your current comfort right now.

That’s hard, especially with friends. It’s easier to stay quiet when someone is making choices you know aren’t good. It’s easier to avoid awkward conversations. It’s easier to go along with the crowd than to stand out. Understand that silence isn’t always loving. Sometimes silence is just fear wearing a friendly face.

Loving like Jesus doesn’t mean being rude or judgmental. It means being honest with humility. It means listening before speaking. It means checking your heart before correcting someone. And it means being willing to be patient, even when change doesn’t happen overnight.

Jesus never rushed people, but He also never lied to them.

He met people where they were, but He didn’t leave them there.

That’s the model for us.

This also applies to how Jesus loves you. Sometimes we like Jesus’ comfort more than His correction. We love when He forgives us, encourages us, and reminds us of our worth. But when His Word challenges our habits, relationships, or attitudes, it can make us feel uncomfortable. That doesn’t mean He stopped loving you. It means He loves you enough to grow you.

If you are never challenged by Jesus, you’re probably not listening closely. His love always calls us higher. It invites us to live differently, think differently, and choose differently, not because He wants to control us, but because He knows what leads to life.

If you want to love like Jesus it will mean learning how to love people who disagree with you. Jesus didn’t cancel people. He didn’t insult them. He didn’t compromise the truth either. He stayed grounded, calm, and faithful. He trusted God with every outcome. That’s a challenge for our generation.

You don’t need to win arguments to love like Jesus. You don’t need to be loud to be bold. You just need to stay rooted in truth and motivated by grace. But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6)

So here’s the real question for today:
Are you loving people the way Jesus loved, or the way culture tells you to?

Jesus’ love doesn’t just make people feel accepted.
It makes people feel invited to repentance, healing, and real life.

And when we learn to love like that, we don’t just represent Jesus well, we become part of how He changes the world. As His followers, we are called to reflect that same balance, firm in truth, rich in mercy, unwavering in hope.

Thoughts to Ponder

1. How can I reflect Jesus more clearly?
   
2. Where do I need balance between truth and grace?
   
3. What does Christlike love look like in my life?
   

Ask God to shape you into a person who loves like Jesus.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, train my mind and heart to discern what is the truth. Let Your Word be my standard and guide me to find the truth. Shape my heart to love as You love. Let my words and actions reflect both truth and grace. Prepare my heart to receive and live Your Word. In Jesus Name Amen.

Getting to Know Him

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Scripture commands believers that we need to test every spirit.

Scripture: 1 John 4:1

Let’s be real; just because something sounds good doesn’t mean it is good. A lot of ideas today come wrapped in confidence, positivity, and “good vibes.” They sound encouraging. They can feel supportive, and they can even get likes, shares, and applause. But the Bible reminds us that not everything that sounds right actually leads right. But false prophets also arose among the people, as false teachers will also be among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master who bought them (2 Peter 2:1)

The Bible tells us to “test the spirits.” So what does that mean? God doesn’t expect us to believe everything we hear just because it’s popular, emotional, or well-presented. We need to understand that God wants us to think, discern, and measure what we’re being taught, especially when it comes to truth about life, identity, and purpose. Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2)

One of the hardest things about testing ideas for truth is that many of them don’t sound evil at all. They can sound kind, sound freeing, might even sound like common sense. This is what makes them so dangerous. If a lie sounded ugly, no one would believe it. Lies are the most effective when they sound reasonable.

Stop and consider how much information you take in every day, social media posts, videos, music, podcasts, influencers, friends, news, and comment sections. Every voice you ingest is shaping how you see yourself, God, and the world. The problem is not that voices exist; the problem is when we let those voices become louder than God’s Word.

Feelings are powerful, but feelings are not reliable leaders.

Just because something feels right in the moment doesn’t mean it’s right for you long-term. Our emotions can change fast, Truth never does. That’s why Scripture is our standard. God’s Word doesn’t shift with trends or opinions. It stays steady, even when culture doesn’t.

Testing what sounds good means asking better questions.
Not just: “Do I like this?”
But: “Does this line up with God’s Word?”
Not just: “Does this make me feel affirmed?”
But: “Does this draw me closer to Jesus?”

There are times when these ideas sound good because they remove any responsibility. They tell us we don’t need to change, grow, or surrender anything. They will promise freedom without discipline, identity without accountability, and purpose without obedience. That can feel relieving, but it’s not the kind of freedom God offers.

God’s truth doesn’t always feel easy, but it always leads to life.

When testing truth it requires humility. It means that we have to admit, “I don’t know everything,” and be willing to let God correct us. Our pride will always resist testing. Pride says, “This feels right to me, so it must be right.” Humility says, “God, show me if I’m wrong.”

Jesus let us know and warned us that people can be sincere and still be wrong. This is why sincerity alone isn’t enough. Even though you believe something so deeply it can still be wrong. Truth isn’t determined by passion, it’s revealed by God.

This doesn’t mean we have to walk around suspicious of everything. Having discernment isn’t a form of paranoia, it’s wisdom. Wisdom will listen carefully, check Scripture, and invite the Holy Spirit to guide our thinking.

Here’s some brutal and honest truth: if you don’t test what you hear, something else will shape your beliefs for you. Silence doesn’t protect you. Ignoring the truth doesn’t make confusion disappear. God wants you rooted, so when opinions shift and pressure comes, you don’t get swept away. That we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error; (Ephesians 4:14)

Testing what sounds good means choosing depth over popularity. It means valuing God’s approval more than applause. It means trusting that God’s Word is not limiting, it’s protecting you.

So when you hear a message that sounds good, pause for a second. Open Scripture. Pray. Ask God, “Is this true?” That simple step can save you from years of confusion and regret.

God’s truth doesn’t just sound good, it holds you steady when everything else changes.

Thoughts to Ponder

1. Do I measure beliefs by Scripture or feelings?
   
2. What voices influence me most?
   
3. How can I grow deeper in God’s Word?
   

Commit to becoming a student of Scripture, not just a consumer of the latest ideas.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, train my mind and heart to discern what is the truth. Let Your Word be my standard and guide me to find the truth. In Jesus Name Amen.

Getting to Know Him

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Faithful wounds are better than silent harm. The Bible calls believers to love boldly, not passively.

Scripture: Proverbs 27:6

If we think about it, most of us don’t stay silent because we don’t care. We stay silent because we do care; about being liked, accepted, and not creating some awkward moment. Speaking up can feel risky. There are times it can cost friendships, reputation, or comfort. So instead of saying something hard, we tell ourselves, “It’s not my place,” or “I don’t want to be judgmental.” Silence feels safer.

But the Bible shows us that silence can also be costly.

Proverbs 27:6 says  “faithful are the wounds of a friend.” That sounds strange at first. Why would love ever wound? Well sometimes the most loving thing you can do is say what needs to be said, even when it’s uncomfortable. When we consider it a friend that stays quiet while you walk toward harm isn’t protecting you; they’re avoiding discomfort.

Silent love often looks kind on the outside, but it can be dangerous underneath.

Think about it this way: if you saw someone you cared about walking into traffic while wearing ear buds looking down at their phone, love wouldn’t be quietly hoping they notice the cars. Love would shout. Love would interrupt. Love would risk embarrassment to prevent disaster. Being silent in that moment wouldn’t be kindness, it would be neglect.

Currently in today’s world, silence is often praised over truth. We’re told, “Let people live their truth,” or “Don’t call anyone out.” But the Bible calls us to something deeper than leniency, permissiveness, and tolerance. It calls us to care enough to speak, especially, when being silent would allow harm to continue.

Jesus never stayed silent when truth was needed. He didn’t use truth to embarrass people for attention, but He also didn’t avoid hard conversations. When He saw sin, confusion, or hypocrisy, He addressed it, not as something to shame people, but to help them heal. His words would sometimes make people angry, but those same words also set people free.

Here’s the hard part: speaking truth doesn’t guarantee a good reaction.

There will be times your friend might get defensive. They might even misunderstand your heart. Some might even pull away. Yes, that’s scary, especially when friendships mean everything. But true love isn’t measured by how well it’s received, it’s measured by whether it’s real.

Choosing to be silent is often rooted in fear: fear of rejection, fear of conflict, fear of being labeled, particularly in our current culture. But by choosing fear-driven silence we are slowly training ourselves to value comfort over compassion. Over time, it becomes easier to sit back and watch quietly than to engage lovingly.

The Bible does not tell us to be cruel or harsh. Ephesians 4:15 tells us to speak the truth in love. That means your tone matters, your timing matters and your motives matter. But being silent is not the same as love, and agreement is not the same as understanding, compassion and support.

Sometimes the most loving thing you can say is, “I care about you too much not to say this.”

This is not permission to lecture or attack. It means you need to speak with humility, honesty, and prayer. It  is important that you check your heart before opening your mouth. Are you speaking to prove a point, or to protect that person?

There is also an eventual cost to silence we don’t always see right away. When we choose to consistently stay quiet, our conscience dulls. We start calling our inactive passivity “peace.” We will inevitably convince ourselves that staying silent is actually spiritual maturity, when sometimes it’s literally spiritual avoidance.

You need to remember, God didn’t place you where you are by accident. Your voice, your influence, and your relationships matter. You have to consider that you may be the only person willing to speak truth into someone’s life at the right moment.

Love that stays silent when truth is needed isn’t a love that lasts.

I guarantee that speaking up won’t always be easy. But choosing to love like Jesus never has been.

Sometimes, the most loving thing you can do for someone is to risk your comfort to give someone else freedom.

Thoughts to Ponder

1. Where have I stayed silent when truth was needed?
   
2. What fears keep me from speaking lovingly?
   
3. How can I speak truth with grace?
   

Ask God for the courage to love people enough to be honest.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, give me courage to speak truth with humility and love. Help me not confuse silence with compassion. Guide my thoughts and mind so I have a heart like Yours. Thank you for being there when I needed You, now please help me be able to do the same. In Jesus Name Amen

Getting to Know Him

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Scripture tells us that truth can divide before it heals. God’s Word penetrates the heart before it restores it.

Scripture: Hebrews 4:12

Let’s be honest, nobody really likes being told they’re wrong. If someone calls us out, corrects us, or challenges how we live, our first reaction is usually defense. We’ll think, “Why are you coming at me?” or “That’s just your opinion.” But sometimes what feels like an attack is actually God trying to help us grow. Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8

The Bible tells us that God’s Word is like a sharp blade that cuts deep, not to hurt us, but to heal us. Think about a doctor removing something harmful from your body. The process isn’t comfortable, but it’s necessary. In the same way, truth can feel painful because it goes straight to the heart.

Today’s influencers and culture often says, “If it offends you, it must be wrong.” But Scripture teaches something different. Just because the truth makes us uncomfortable doesn’t mean it’s hateful. Sometimes this discomfort is a sign that God is working on something real in us. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. (Psalm 23:3)

Here’s the difference we need to understand: conviction vs. condemnation. Condemnation says, “You’re a failure. You’ll never change.” Conviction says, “God loves you too much to leave you like this.” One pushes you away from God. The other draws you closer to Him. Holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching, that he may be able to exhort in the sound doctrine, and to convict those who contradict him. (Titus 1:9)

Jesus offended people all the time, but not because He was mean. He offended people’s pride, hypocrisy, and fake faith. Whenever Jesus spoke truth, it exposed what was really going on inside people’s hearts. Some got angry, some walked away, some got offended, and others changed forever. For the time will come when they will not listen to the sound doctrine, but having itching ears, will heap up for themselves teachers after their own lusts, and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn away to fables.(2 Timothy 4:3-4)

Truth becomes offensive when it threatens what we are holding onto.

Maybe it’s a habit you don’t want to let go of. A relationship that you know isn’t healthy. It could be an attitude that feels justified. When God’s Word points at these things, it can feel personal, because it is meant to be. God isn’t calling you out to embarrass or humiliate you. He’s calling you up to something better.

The problem is, we often want God to comfort us without correcting us, our definition of love. We want encouragement without change. But real love doesn’t ignore what’s hurting us. We wouldn’t cut ourselves and take ibuprofen to fix it. A good coach doesn’t stay quiet when a player is doing something wrong. A good parent doesn’t let their child run into danger just to avoid conflict. Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid. Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid. (Proverbs 12:1)

If the Bible never challenges you, it might be because you’re only listening to the parts you already agree with.

Spiritual growth happens when we stop arguing with God and start listening to Him. That doesn’t mean the we will understand everything right away. It means we trust that God knows us better than we know ourselves, trusting that He knows what He is doing. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Matthew 10:30

Jesus said the truth will set you free, but freedom usually comes after truth challenges you. Before the chains that are holding us back can be broken, they have to be revealed. Before we can heal, the wound has to be exposed.

So the question we need to ask ourselves is not, “Does this offend me?” The real question is, “Is God trying to show me something?”

When truth feels offensive, we need to pause first instead of pushing back. Pray before reacting. Ask God what He’s doing in your heart. That uncomfortable feeling might not be an attack, it might be an invitation.

Psalm 139:23-24 is the ending to Psalm 139 with this courageous prayer: “Search me, O God, and know my heart… and lead me in the way everlasting.” That is a prayer of trust. It assumes that whatever God reveals, He also intends to heal. God doesn’t expose you to shame you. He exposes what is needed to free you.

And the truth that confronts you today may be the very thing that changes your life tomorrow.

Thoughts to Ponder

1. How do I react when God’s Word challenges me?
   
2. Do I confuse conviction with condemnation?
   
3. What truth might God be inviting me to receive today?
   

Ask God for a teachable heart willing to be shaped by truth.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, search me Lord and give me wisdom to help me recognize deception, even when it sounds loving and gentle. Anchor my heart in truth so I’m not led by emotion alone. Correct my understanding where it has been shaped by culture instead of truth. In Jesus Name Amen.

Getting to Know Him

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The Bible warns us that deception rarely looks dangerous at first. Lies are most effective when they feel reasonable and compassionate.

Scripture: Genesis 3:1

We can see that from the very beginning, deception has worn the mask of kindness. The serpent did not approach Eve with hostility; he approached her with questions that sounded thoughtful, profound, and liberating. With his words he suggested that God was withholding something good, and that disobedience was actually the gateway to freedom. The serpent didn’t deny the truth outright; he just twisted it. This is a warning that we need to guard our hearts and minds. Staying anchored in Scripture, discerning subtle lies, and trusting God’s voice over every competing whisper, fad, temptation, and doubt. Trust in the Lordwith all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

He uses that same strategy today, he has had thousands of years to perfect it. Lies rarely announce themselves. They will come wrapped in empathy, concern, and inclusive language. These lies promise relief without repentance and peace without surrender. When they make the lies sound loving, they become easier to accept and harder to confront. Honesty has lasting strength, even when it costs us in the moment. Speak truth with wisdom and patience. God honors integrity, and what is built on truth will endure long after deception fades away. Truth’s lips will be established forever, but a lying tongue is only momentary. (Proverbs 12:19)

This is why discernment is so essential for believers. Not every message we hear that appeals to compassion aligns with God’s heart. The Bible teaches us that God’s commands are not burdensome, they are protective. When we remember life’s brevity, we seek wisdom, not distraction, and invest each day in what honors God and lasts forever. When truth is removed, love becomes directionless. So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)

God never withholds truth to be kind. He reveals it because He cares. As an example if you are driving towards a cliff, would you want to know. Or would you feel better if you were told it is just a hill with nothing to worry about. When something contradicts Scripture but feels emotionally appealing, it deserves closer examination. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

Thoughts to Ponder

1. Why do lies often appeal to emotions first?
   
2. Have I mistaken kindness for truth?
   
3. How can I grow in spiritual discernment?
   

Commit today to always test what you hear against God’s Word. Always being diligent so that you will not be deceived by smooth talking, feel good words. 

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, give me wisdom to help me recognize deception, even when it sounds loving and gentle. Anchor my heart in truth so I’m not led by emotion alone. Correct my understanding where it has been shaped by culture instead of truth. In Jesus Name Amen.

Getting to Know Him

Do you want eternal life? Do you want to enter heaven through the only guide that can help you navigate your way there? To enter His home, get to know Him better, and make Him your Lord and Savior CLICK HERE…...