Perception, Reality and the Truth

Earlier this week I heard someone say, “the first casualty of the continual spiritual battle between good and evil, light and dark, God and the Devil is truth.” I can’t get that idea out of my mind. The Apostle Paul wrote, “We battle not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces.” (Ephesians 6) The battle is real, but it is not what we usually think it is. The battle is a battle for truth and the truth. When an angry confrontation occurs, it is not just a battle of wills; it is a battle for truth. It’s possible that I’m angry because I believe something that is not true. It’s possible that the other person is angry because they believe something that is not true. Most likely, we both believe things that are not true. The untruth, deception, or distortion we believe leads us to take up an adversarial position. In an angry moment, the appropriate response is to check the story I’m telling myself. Do I have the right story or do I have something out of place. I need to check the story I’m believing before I worry about the story the other person is telling themselves. Often, we’ve told ourselves stories about situations and people that were distorted, imagined or simply not true. The battle is not with the other person. The battle is about perception, reality and truth. None of us can compromise the truth. We can’t back down, give in, or to surrender lies. Jesus’ brother Jude encouraged the early believers to “defend the faith.” “Dear friends, … now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives.” Jude 1:3-4 (NLT) Jude’s words illustrate that the battle for moral purity and integrity is not a battle against flesh and blood but for truth. Stick up for the truth, don’t back down, and don’t give in. Stand firm in the faith. BUT IN EVERY INTERACTION, RESPOND WITH KINDNESS! We can “defend the faith” and stick up for truth without being ugly or unkind! That’s the Jesus way.