Truth vs. Lies
Truth can be surprising
Listening to the preaching of those who emphasize miraculous healing, it is common to hear it said, “sickness is a lie!” But it’s not always made very clear what the truth is, and symptoms of illness, pain and physical exhaustion are so real in our experience that they can appear to be the truth-teller.
Hearing a message last week that included the story of Peter walking on water gave me a new perspective on truth and lies. You know the story; Jesus comes through the storm and waves, walking on the water. Peter says, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to you on the water.” And Jesus says, “Come.”
Peter was doing fine walking on the water until his attention turned to the waves, then he began to sink. Here is what I saw that shifted my perspective: the truth was that Peter really COULD walk on water at the Lord’s command. The lie was, “You are going to sink.” When looking at the waves, Peter was reminded of the lie, and the truth seemed impossible, in fact it looked preposterous. The lie seemed the only reasonable thing: “Of course you are going to sink, water can’t hold you up.”
Faith is, of course, the vehicle by which we are able to live in the truth. Jesus chided Peter for having little faith, even though by faith he had walked on water. His amazing faith had given him something solid to stand on for a minute. No matter how impossible the truth seems to be, faith can live it.
Richard Gordon, one of the pastors of our church, said, “Speak to your soul to align with your spirit, and the spirit will lead you.” It is the soul which takes in the reasonable, normal perspective of things. Only by the spirit, where the Spirit of God rules, can we live in the preposterous truth.
We must recognize the lie as a lie, because that is what it is, and it stands opposed to the truth. Galatians 5:17 says that the flesh and the Spirit are in opposition to one another. In the flesh dwells that logical way of thinking that would say water won’t hold me up. In the Spirit is the faith to hear Jesus’ invitation to “Come!” and step out of the boat. We will think some more on this next week. May the Good Lord help you to live in the truth.