TISHRI
20
On
What is True
“…FOCUS
your thoughts on what is TRUE …”
(Phi 4:8 CJB, emphasis mine)
Years ago, as a young child in grade
school, I remember a teacher playing a game with us, the purpose being to teach
us the use of synonyms and antonyms. She
would give us a word, and we would have to first, give a word in reply meaning
the same thing, and then second, give another word opposite in meaning to the
original word. It was great fun, and a
terrific learning experience that has stayed with me through the years. For example, the opposite of light is
darkness, good is bad, cold is hot. And
the opposite of what is ‘true’ is obviously a lie, or something that is false.
The definition of ‘true’ that we find
listed is “being in accordance with the actual state or conditions; conforming
to reality or fact; not false; exact; precise; accurate or correct”[1]. Noah Webster goes one step further with his
definition: “Honest; not fraudulent; Not false or pretended; real; as, Christ
was the true Messiah”[2]
(emphasis mine).
We can safely say that a thought life
out of control is dangerous. Those of us
that have chosen to walk this walk called Torah must now make the choice to
rein in our wandering minds and bring them under control – His control. And first and
foremost, we are to meditate on those things that are true, that are the truth.
“The
sum of Your word is TRUTH, And all Your righteous right-rulings are forever.” (Ps 119:160, emphasis mine)
Why do we need to focus on the
truth? Because of who our adversaries
are, beginning with haSatan, and
including our own yetzer hara, our
carnal, selfish, earthly nature. Messiah
spoke clearly in John 8:44, telling us that our adversaries are liars,
specifically haSatan, for everything
he says is an absolute lie, and there is no truth in him. It would stand to reason, then, that we must
know the truth in order to not be deceived and taken in by this enemy.
“Yeshua
said to him, “I am the Way, and THE TRUTH, and the Life. No one comes to the
Father except through Me.”
(John 14:6, emphasis mine)
“If
you stay in My Word, you are truly My taught ones, and you shall KNOW the
truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32, emphasis mine)
©2020
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