The power of knowing

1 Chronicles 14:1–15:29, 2 Timothy 1:1–2, Psalm 83

When God answers prayer, His people know it. When God does something, or allows an event, or has His hand in our lives, we know it. Knowing what and why God does what He does makes a huge difference in our responses to Him.

“And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that his kingdom was highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel.... And David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army from Gibeon to Gezer. And the fame of David went out into all lands, and the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations.” (1 Chronicles 14:2, 16–17)

David knew God set him up as king. He knew that God exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people. This was not about David , but about the power and purposes of the Lord. Because of these realities, “David did as God commanded him.”

I’ve noticed that my behavior is based on what I know, those things that I am certain of. If there is doubt in my heart, then I begin to become immobilized, or stop doing what I should, or start doing what I should not. Losing my certainty is destructive.

The very definition of faith includes knowing that what God says is true. This is why the enemy of our souls uses lies to keep me and all of God’s people from living rightly. If he can mess up our knowing, then we become useless in our faith and falter in our obedience.

Knowing has several dimensions. I need to know that without Christ, I am nothing. However, that kind of knowing by itself can put me in despair. I also need to know that in Christ I can do all things, that with Him I am a precious child of God, forgiven, justified, beloved, equipped.

The New Testament is filled with what the people of God need to know in order to function as ambassadors for Christ, as God’s people. We need all that only God can give to live the life that He has also given to us. This is why many of the NT books begin with an expressed desire for God’s grace in the lives of those who read them: “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” (2 Timothy 1:1–2)

When I am praying, I need to know the power of God and His promises. This gives power and confidence to my prayers. Every child of God needs God’s continual reminders of our identity in Christ.

Today I am pondering the idea that those who are against Christ and His people also need to know the truth about themselves. They need to realize that they are in error and in a grave situation. They need to know that trying to thwart God is folly because they cannot oppose Him and come out of it as winners.

This is why the psalmist prayed: “Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek your name, O Lord. Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; let them perish in disgrace, that they may know that you alone, whose name is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth.” (Psalm 83:16–18)

These are some of the reasons for praying that God will give me understanding about Himself, and that others will increase in the knowledge and wisdom of God. Knowing God changes everything and gives His people victory over the lies of Satan, the lure of the world, and the sins that otherwise will entangle us. Knowing myself enables me to realize how much I need to know God!

The power of truth

Truth is the highest virtue, at least in my estimation.

The most painful things that have ever happened to me involve lies. Nothing hurts my heart more deeply than to be lied to, and nothing separates me from others more than falsehood.

When someone lies to me and I realize it, I am like a terrier after a rabbit, digging until I get to the bottom of the lie or better, until the truth comes out. This is because several good friendships and some family relationships have been strained by lies, but it is also because lying is an affront to Jesus, the One who said, “I am . . . the truth” (John 14:6).

A wise person said that the relationship between truth and holiness is similar to that between light and vision; light cannot create an eye or give a blind eye vision, but it is essential to seeing. Wherever light penetrates, it dissipates darkness and brings everything into view. In a similar manner, truth cannot regenerate or impart spiritual life, but it is essential to the practice of holiness. Wherever truth penetrates, it dissipates error and reveals everything for what it really is.

This is why Paul affirmed the need for truth. He wrote about behaving as a Christian and the importance of putting off the old ways. He said, “Put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” and because this new person is united to Christ, the consequences of that union will show up. So he added,

Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. (Ephesians 4:25)

This speaks to individual Christian conduct, but is really for all of us together. Paul’s reason is that we belong to each other. The body of Christ is built up with truth and by “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) to accomplish that growth. Lies will tear apart our unity and ruin our progress in holy living.

Some people do not like the “do not’s” of the Christian life because they assume these will “ruin all my fun.” This is not so. In particular, this “do not” forbids one of the most destructive and sinful practices in our world. Lying began in Eden when the devil (called the “father of lies” by Jesus) convinced Eve to disobey God. Because of his deception and the human actions that followed, sin entered the world. From that point on, lies have torn apart lives, even whole cultures and nations. In the New Testament, the first sin judged in the church was a lie.

Going back to this “do not” verse, notice that it begins with “therefore” which is a “so then.” Paul is showing there is a logical relationship between Bible theory and Christian practice. If I have new life in Christ, I will not lie, but I will replace falsehood with truth.

Truth is the cement that holds the Body of Christ together. Because we are united and being built up together into one body, what each person does affects the others. For instance, if I lie because I think someone is not competent to handle the truth, I destroy any honest and intimate association I might have with them.

I’m totally with God on this: falsehood divides, and even though the truth hurts at times, truth and Jesus cannot be separated. Both are powerful to change lies and unite people.

Truth hurts but lies destroy

As long as I can remember, honesty has been the character trait that to me is the most important. Lies make my body tense and my teeth clench. If I suspect someone is lying to me, or if I know that it is so, I either pull back from them or am immediately confronting them about it. Lies can destroy relationships. Believing a lie could destroy me. Besides, and I’ve said it more than once, truth, however bad it might be, is far easier to deal with than lies.

When it comes right down to it though, I’ve lied, and everyone I know has lied, either to me or someone. Scripture says, “Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: ‘So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge’” (Romans 3:4).

We fall short in the truth department because our sin nature basically tries to disguise itself. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they covered themselves with fig leaves, the first attempt to hide their shame, a shame over something that wasn’t a problem until they disobeyed God. Humanity has done similar hiding and disguising ever since. We want to look better than we are, and we want our sin to be hidden too.

Sin essentially comes from a word that means to fall short. I once saw a movie where archers aimed at targets and when their arrows fell to the ground without reaching the target, bystanders shouted “Sinner, sinner.” In this case, their judgment had nothing to do with morality or disobeying God. It was about the arrows.

By falling short, shame is often produced. A few might seem to brag that they missed the mark, but whether boasting or covering it up, we don’t like the feeling of failure. When I do it, I might make excuses or shift the blame, but if I am honest, I need to acknowledge my falling short. By doing that, I can be forgiven and move on.

The model for honesty is God. He never fudges with the truth, even though truth can be painful or difficult for us. Hebrews 6:17-19 says,

Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

It is the nature of God to be totally honest. He cannot lie, and as I realize this in my experience, instead of it being an enemy and difficult on my pride, more and more I find that relying on Him to tell me the truth is an anchor for me. Others might lie, but God never will.

If I am unsure about any decision or course of action, people often offer advice that suits their agenda or their idea of what is best. If I want advice about a dress that I think makes me look fat, even those close to me might not say what they really think. They don’t want to lie, but neither do they want to offend me with truth.

God is not like that. I can be sure that I will get straight answers from Him. He does not soften it with artificial flattery or weasel words, nor does He have ulterior motives. He says it like it is and I know exactly where I stand with Him. While it might be painful, I’d like that same honesty from everyone.

The best part of knowing the truth, even though the truth about my spiritual life is often dismal and disappointing, along with showing me that about myself, God also reveals the truth about Himself at the same time. When I confess my sin (falling short), He is right here to forgive me and cleanse me, which is the truth about Him. It is in that truth that I am firm and secure.