Are You Ready to Accept the Truth?

by Alexandra Copeland

The Pharisees hated Jesus Christ because he spoke the truth, and it was totally outside the box of what they believed. Like so many of us, they held on as tightly as possible to their customs, traditions, and beliefs. We should never do this to the point that greater truth has no way to get in. The truth that Jesus spoke threaten their way of life and the systems that allowed them to remain in their positions of power. The Pharisees considered themselves the upper echelon of Jewish authority and privilege, but nothing in the earth is a match for the authority of Jesus Christ. He came to set captives free. Those held in bondage by disease, sickness, deformity, and mental or emotional torment were released by the power of his love. John 10:10 tells us that he came to make a more than abundant life available. He came to reveal the heart of the Father, but traditions and customs had blinded many of the minds he wanted to set free. They would not accept the truth, and because of this, they became further entrenched in darkness and made themselves more comfortable with living a lie.

A lie is insidious, and it will always cheat us out of what the Father wants to give us. He is a Righteous Judge, who never makes a mistake. He said of Himself in Jeremiah 17:10(NLT), “But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” He offers us the truth, and most of us accept it in very small doses. Our actions follow the secret motives of our hearts. Sometimes these secret motives are operating without us being fully conscious of them. We’re asleep to them, and this is why we sometimes make choices and decisions that cause us to miss what God has in store.

Exodus 12:37 tells us that when the Children of Israel were delivered from slavery by God under the leadership of Moses, there were about 600,000 men, not counting the women and children. Heavenly Father wanted to give them a beautiful place to call home, but the men were afraid and would not trust God. His people witnessed many plagues that came on the Egyptians as a result of pharaoh’s refusal to release them from slavery, but God kept His peoples safe through it all. He parted the Red Sea and kept the Egyptian army from harming them, and He performed many other miraculous wonders for their benefit, but even though they witnessed these incredible miracles from Heavenly Father, they would not trust Him.

They were entrenched in a mindset that caused them to miss the promise of the Father. This happens to many people today. We are so convinced about the path we’re on that our lack of humility is preventing us from perceiving, hearing, and receiving the directive from God we desperately need. 

 

It takes spiritual strength to reach out and grab the blessings with our names on them. Heavenly Father didn’t just plop the Promise Land in the laps of His people. He told them to be of good courage and get after it. They needed to go in and possess the land. Moses told them in Deuteronomy 1:21(NLT), “Look! He has placed the land in front of you. Go and occupy it as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. Don’t be afraid! Don’t be discouraged!” They didn’t follow God’s instructions. Moses then said in Deuteronomy 1:26(NLT), “But you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God and refused to go in.” 600,000 men along with their families went around in circles for 40 long years in the wilderness, because they wouldn’t trust God. They didn’t enter the Promise Land but died in the wilderness. The generation after them had a different mindset, and they received the promise because they trusted God.

Sometimes there’s a way that seems right to us, but it lands us on a trajectory that’s opposite from the direction of where God desires us to go. He wants to give us a truth that places us squarely on the path to His rest, provision, and promise, so that we’re strengthen in those problem areas. We then have the truth, fortitude, and wisdom to release the things that hold us back. It’s not us doing the heavy lifting. It’s partnering with God in faith. As we take one step to move according to His Will, He does everything else. We can’t afford to make assumptions on this Christian journey. It’s a moment by moment decision to press-in to the Father—to hear His voice, and to have the maturity to accept the truth. It’s not always a comfortable thing. We may have to give up relationships, possessions, and situations that have been with us a long time, but we must be confident always that what God gives us is far greater than anything we stand to lose.■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.