Separating Truth from Fiction

Did you see the baby born with the heart outside of his body?  How about that Detroit cut off 30,000 water customers in order to build a giant water slide in town?  And did you hear that Walmart has a watch list for Christian employees?

Well, none of the above statements are true.  In fact, I mined them from a website called truthorfiction.com that exists to help clarify rumors, specifically internet-based rumors, and let people know what is true and what is fiction.  With Facebook, Twitter and other forms of social media, rumors spread even faster. Fake news stories look slicker than ever.  It can be hard to know the truth from a lie.

In Ephesians 6:14, Paul gives us instructions on how to prepare for spiritual war.  The first thing he tells us to do is put on the belt of truth.  Now, the Armor of God is based upon Roman armor.  They wore belts to keep their clothes tight to their bodies so that in hand-to-hand combat, the enemy wouldn't grab it and use loose clothing to their advantage.  Symbolically, Paul has the same thing in mind.

Paul tells us that truth protects us.  As we surround ourselves with truth, we will not be tripped up by the loose lies we tell.  Similarly, when we are truthful, the enemy (that's Satan and his minions) don't have lies to grab hold of and use against us.  Truth keeps us out of trouble and allows us to fight a fair fight.

That's why the truth is so important. Armed with the truth, we can discern false ideas, stories and doctrines from the real things.  If we know the truth, we don't get suckered in by fake news stories and false rumors.  In our lives, when we wrap ourselves in truth, false doctrines and false teachers don't lure us in.  We must be on guard and tighten our lives with the truth of God's word.

It's not easy.  Lies are everywhere. The truth seems far away at times.  We can be tempted to lie our way out of trouble.  Paul says not to do that, but instead, to be truthful and represent Christ with integrity.

In the spiritual battles we face, we will not win by sheer force.  Only character will win the day.  That includes being truthful.

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