Why You May be Accepting Lies Over Truth
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What is truth? This is a loaded question that will receive many different responses. I am not writing to teach people about what is real or what is a lie, and I am not debating.
I am simply hoping to show why seeking truth in your life and from God is something you SHOULD be doing and WANT to be doing. Also, way more people are living some lies, and are content with lies, than may be aware.
What is so amazing about truth? Why should you seek it? Why should you want it?
Truth is real. It’s not open to debate. It’s not subject to opinion. It just IS. It is not affected by how many people know it, believe it, or see it. Truth is its own defense.
Truth is truth.
Why do people accept and believe lies?
Lies can be comfortable and easy. They are often what we want to hear, what we want to be real, and what we choose to believe. People accept lies in their lives, and then they defend these lies, become passionate about these lies, to the point that they fully accept and believe them to be true.
Then people will exert great effort to convince others of the lies they have accepted as truth, believing it to be the “right way.”
This is nothing new. Many lies have become so widely accepted as truth that people have no idea how much in their lives may be rooted in complete falsehoods or lies because they have never even questioned it.
But at the end of the day, a lie is a lie and the truth still remains true. Sometimes we want the lie because it makes our bad decisions seem good. It’s the easy way out. It feels safe and comfortable.
The lie is custom fit and hand tailored to accommodate our weaknesses and alleviate our fears.
But think about it. What do you really get from the lie? From living the lie? You get a false sense of hope and no true freedom.
Yes, sometimes the truth hurts; however, choosing to acknowledge and accept what is real or choosing not to has no changing affect whatsoever on the fact that it is still the reality.
Why do people lie? Media and governments lie – for a political agenda, for money, for influence and power. Sometimes people lie for what they believe to be the greater good, “protecting” people from hard truths. Churches lie. The truth may offend people, and they don’t want to lose members. Friends and family members lie. They coddle or enable to make you feel loved and accepted.
Above all else, people lie to themselves, to self-preserve, and try to have peace and “freedom” to do whatever they want to do. And the scary part about all of these lies in our lives is that the people doing it, including ourselves, don’t always even know or recognize they are doing it. Some lies are so deeply ingrained in our society, and they are accepted as truth; however, truth cannot be changed based on opinion or acceptance.
It is fitting that while my greatest passion is for truth, my biggest pet peeve is liars. Be flawed, be human, make mistakes; but do NOT lie. Own who you are and the choices you make.
In a relationship where you are being cheated on, but you don’t know, ignorance is bliss right? Or it can be… for a time. But the bliss is not real, only temporarily perceived.
I was in love, and my boyfriend was amazing. We were super happy… or so I thought. But he was cheating on me. And it was not just a momentary lapse; he had a whole second girlfriend and it had been going on for months. While discovery of this truth was heartbreaking, the hardest part was me feeling like such a fool because the lie I had believed was simply that… a lie.
Despite the heartbreak though, this was one of my easiest heartbreaks to overcome. I didn’t have to mourn the loss of my amazing boyfriend. It wasn’t real. I never had an amazing boyfriend. I didn’t have a happy relationship and he wasn’t truly in love with me. This truth was so liberating and it made it easy to let go of something I never actually had.
Is YOUR truth THE truth? I disagree with the phrase “that is MY truth.” All that really means is that is your PERCEPTION.
There is no such thing as personalized truth. There is truth, and then there is perception, belief, and opinion. There is only one truth. There are just people who see it and people who don’t.
The world is either flat or round. It’s not both. And it’s not one or the other based on who wins the debate or which perspective gets the most votes.
“There is a God” is an absolute truth. There either is or is not. God doesn’t exist for believers and not exist for atheists. There is a difference of belief and opinion but one belief is wrong and one is right, and it doesn’t change based on number of votes, number of believers, or any debate or reasoning around what is true.
God is the revealer of absolute truth, and all truth is rooted in him. There are commonly accepted beliefs in this world, and within Christianity, that are lies. Satan is the master deceiver, so do you think he hasn’t pulled a few things over on people? Seek God to reveal truth to you, and He will.
Truth believed must be truth followed, for to not live by truth is to deny truth, for morals not applied bring no true benefit.
Why do you want the truth when there is contentment in lies? Knowing what is true and right and following it is the path to many blessings, and to true freedom. Some truth is physical, based on actions and what’s going on around you, and some truth is spiritual (knowing the heart and will of God).
But let’s take a physical example. Smoking is unhealthy and can lead to many health problems, even death. For years, people did not know this. It was commonly accepted and practiced to smoke, and it was not known that there were so many side effects. The fact that the truth was unknown did not change the truth. A cigarette 70 years ago was just as bad for people as it is today, but there was a different level of understanding.
Again, the lack of awareness and truth revealed does NOT have any affect on what is. But knowing the truth of how unhealthy smoking is has set many people free from the consequences of smoking because they were led to different choices.
The truth will set you free. Sin is sin. But what if you do not know the truth about what is sin? You may not be guilty of rebellious sin (purposeful) but that doesn’t mean that sin doesn’t still have a consequence. Knowing the truth about God’s law and His will, will help you to obey Him and avoid poor choices and consequences.
The more you devote your life to the search for truth, the more liberated, free, empowered, and enlightened you will become. Some truths are well known and accepted. Others are deep and obscure and not commonly known.
All truths are exciting to discover, and once you have eyes to see something, it is so clear. You cannot believe that you never saw it before. For some truths, once God reveals them to you, you just KNOW. It IS. Now, this is not an excuse to become closed minded and entrenched in your opinions. Some things you think may be truth may still just be your strong opinion.
Learn the power and ability to KNOW and to see clearly revealed truth from God.
Also, know that while the truth will set you free from being a slave to the lie, it also comes with responsibility. Do not seek truth if the truth requires you to make changes that you are not prepared to make. Remember sometimes we want the lie, believe the lie, and buy the lie because it is easier.
I can guarantee you that truth will be the road less traveled, it will be the harder pill to swallow, and it will not be the popular opinion. But trust me that road leads to beautiful places that the lie will never take you.
~ Kristin ~
