Kept By The Spirit

January 20

The wisest man who ever lived, King Solomon, said in Proverbs 23:7, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he…” Man is very good at concealing the intentions of his heart. From glib-tongued lovers who promise the world but give just a night, to nations that sign false treaties, to a religion that includes in its doctrine the use of lying to propagate its influence and further its endeavor to attain its goal of world domination, our world is steeped in deception.

How does one guard himself from the consequence of being gullible? How does one protect himself from being deceived? Perhaps even more importantly, how does one prevent himself from becoming like the schemers and distorters and deceivers around him? How does one anchor himself to truth when lies have become the stock-in-trade of fallen humankind?

The only sure way to anchor oneself to truth in an age of deception is to know the One who IS TRUTH. Jesus says of Himself, “I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. No man comes to the Father but by Me,” John 14:6. The importance of knowing the truth that makes you free (John 8:32) transcends a mere shielding of oneself from the deceptions encountered in time and assures man that JESUS, who is TRUTH, will be his way to an eternity spent in the presence of our Triune GOD!

When one has received Christ, who is TRUTH, into his heart, he becomes inured to the wiles of the wicked one, the ‘father of lies’ (John 8:44) whose intent is to deceive man so he will die eternally. In receiving Christ, one shall receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) who will endue him with power to discern truth and to share the gospel of truth. And the promise is, “The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and truth—and peace” Romans 8:6. One who is in the keeping of the Spirit of Life and Truth cannot be deceived.