The following brief devotional study was sent to me by one of our readers and I thought it good to share it with you all.
Today is a day of ‘half truths’, which of course is not the truth for any deviation or deletion from the truth and it is no longer TRUE!
Preachers are required to proclaim, as did Paul, “all the counsel of God,” Acts 20:27. There is a strong temptation today to leave out that which might offend some. Sadly, it is a temptation all too many yield to!
Read and heed this exhortation and timely warning, please.
Sincerely in Christ’s name,
Ivan Foster
Beware: Half lies
(B. McCausland)
This world, being mastered by the prince of lies, has always functioned on the verge of truth, either economically, educationally, socially or politically at its best.
Such a trend regularly manifests itself in Christian thinking through half-lies we base our judgement upon, making us miss sanctifying grace in our Christian walk.
For instance, we take in the half-lie that the government’s duty is to ‘protect’ and even ‘care’ for the people at all cost, providing all sort of benefits, housing, education, and tailored support. With that we welcome massive protocols, amoral taxation, and unnecessary regulations that not only dictate personal choice but often impair freedoms. In reality, governments are set only to punish evil and with that, ‘protect’, not everybody, but honest citizens.
Then we have the half-lie about public education. We maintain that the state schools are ok because they might have ‘Christian teachers’, ignoring how helpless the teachers are when the state’s measures, curriculum and agendas are imposed with no chance to be opposed. The same applies when we underestimate the peer pressure our children face from the ungodly or from other children belonging to unseparated Christian homes.
Or the half-lie about appearance: ‘The Lord looks on the inside’, as if He were blind to the body language and message portrayed by provocative clothing and sloppy dressing.
Never mind the half-lies about media usage: ‘I only like documentaries, informative news, and educational programs,’ which may seem more innocent than movies and other series. However, in all of these we still have our work cut out to cut out indoctrination, Disney transgenderism, occultic influence, feminism, incitement to parental rebellion, or development of questionable musical tastes.
The problem has David and Goliath dimensions that need handling. As a rule of thumb, it is always safer to distrust non-Christian producers to say the least.
Jesus told his disciples to “beaware of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees”, which was infested with half-lies. Their half-lies distorted the people’s vision and undid their most sincere aspirations to the point of disastrous eternal consequences.
Any time the word ‘beware’ is mentioned in Scripture, it comes with the urge to use acute discernment beyond simplistic understanding. This is where half-lies can be spotted and dealt with.
“The simple believes every word:
but the prudent man looks well to his going.”
Proverbs 14:15.