Battling for Truth. Battling with Truth.

by Susan Sampson

We fight for truth by believing the truth and obeying the truth and not relying on our own insight–even when we don’t feel like it. Jesus wants the truth to be forged in us. “Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being” (Psa. 51:6a).

Truth being forged. I am reminded of different movies I have seen where weapons and battle armor are being forged in the fire to make them strong. Paul describes our weapons in Ephesians 6. Two of them are the belt of truth and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. He tells us we need the armor to “be able to withstand in the evil day” (Eph. 6:13). And in 2 Cor. 10:4, Paul says “the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” We destroy strongholds with the truth.

The example of the little girl in the lecture was so helpful for me. Her parents have told her the truth. They have commanded her. They have cared for her and loved her. She has received multiple consequences for not obeying the truth. And she loves her parents. Yet when the time comes to make her choice she goes the way of Eve who saw that the “tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate” (Gen. 3:6a).

I know God’s Word in 1 Peter 3:1 & 4 says, “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct...but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” And yet in the heat of the battle, in the smoke filled room truth fades away before my very eyes and the flesh takes over and I respond by snapping at my husband with an ugly tone of voice.

What was so powerful in my morning quiet time, the truth that I wholeheartedly agreed with in my mind, escapes me in the battle with my flesh. Clearly this is why the truth must be forged in us. Not just in our minds, but in our hearts. This is why we must continue forward by faith taking the truth to our hearts and live it out day by day. This is why we must continue to hide God’s Word in our hearts by meditating on Scripture and memorizing Scripture.

Ultimately, this is something only the Lord can work in us. It is something He has promised to do for His people. Only the Lord can change a human heart. “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord; I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jer. 31:33).

And in Ezekiel 36:26-27, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

So what do we do? What is our responsibility, our calling? The lecture was so helpful at this point. We live lives of repentance and faith. We run to our Lord and not from Him in shame. For there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. I confess again and again that I don’t have a gentle and quiet spirit and ask the Lord to reign me in! I confess that I believe the lie that by “one more word” I will save my family when I know the truth that says to adorn a gentle and quiet spirit. I must repent of the lies that I believe and choose to place my hope in the Truth, Jesus Christ. My way only leads to death. Jesus is the Way to life.

He is the light. He is love. And He is our advocate. We are in the light and the light is in us. This is the truth to stake our lives on. This is the truth we must believe whether we feel like it or not. This is the truth we need to cry out to God to forge in our hearts. Our advocate pleads our case; is on our side; is for us and cares for us. He sees our situation and wants to see us through it. He wants to listen, hear, know, and understand. He has the ear, heart, and mind of compassion. He will fight for us and with us! He is there to fight with us against the darkness. He helps us navigate and shows us the ropes. And He brings all He has to bear to our situations–His wisdom, love, and power. He is the light and the darkness has not, nor ever will overcome the light!