Reality isn’t what you think.

Psalm 25:1-5 “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies be put over me. Indeed, none of who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I will wait all day long.”
Isaiah 44:9, 18-20 “All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame.
They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, ‘Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?’ He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself to say, ‘Is there not a lie in my right hand?’”
We have been walking through a series called “The Truth Project” on Wednesday nights, which asks and answers questions such as, “What is truth?” A familiar quotation from Jesus in John 14 might pop into your head “I am the way, the truth and the life”( but what does that mean?). We also read in John 18:37 the reason Christ was born, “to bear witness to the truth.” So, what is truth? It’s obviously of great importance since testifying to it is the reason Christ was born! Truth is God’s perception of reality, and Jesus Christ is in ultimate authority over this. It is imperative that we see things through the Lord’s perception of reality. It is the only truth, everything else is a lie. It is for this reason that the writer of Psalm 25 pleads for the Lord to lead him in truth. He knew that on his own he did not have the ability to discern truth from lies. His perception of reality, and ours, is not the same as the Lords. We should desire to look at everything through the lenses of truth. Colossians 2:8, the memory passage for this month, gives us a warning, do not be taken captive by lies! What lies are you believing and acting on? Let me ask you; what is the definition of insanity? Loss of touch with reality, believing and acting on things that aren’t true, right? So, then, wouldn’t it seem that sin is insanity? A few years ago when we went through John Piper’s “Battling Unbelief” we learned that the root of all sin is unbelief. Every fundamental sin can be traced back to a lie that was believed, for example; idolatry believes the lie that God doesn’t exist or isn’t good enough. Sin is suppression of truth.
Now, let me turn the tables and ask another question; Do you really believe that what you believe is really real? Then, Christian, why is your faith so small? Why do you struggle to leap into the arms of your Father like a small child does to his dad? Don’t you trust that He will catch you? Why do you have a hard time praying? Why do you doubt? Why do you have to “get in the mood” to worship? Why do you struggle to seek him as your treasure? And why is your motivation so small to memorize His word and hide it in your heart? Why don’t you speak the truth with boldness? I am much more quick to speak a lie and be confident in that than I am the truth.
I would encourage you, Believer, to seek the truth and live by it. The world fights hard to keep you from it. Put on your armor (Ephesians 6) and stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

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