Building Truth Into Your Life

Understanding truth’s importance is not enough. We can see from our past failures that dishonesty is never worth the consequences. Instead we must build honesty into our hearts and minds by recognizing truthfulness is a foundational principle for life, and filling our minds with God’s Word. Then, we will become trustworthy, reliable people whose words are true.

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In touch, the teaching ministry of Doctor Charles Stanley, reaching the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Next on in touch, building truth into your life.
Where does truth fit in your personal list of essential character qualities.
Do you just take it for granted? For example, that you’re a truthful person?
You take it for granted that everything you say is truthful, or is truth an issue with you?
And when I think about how important it is, I think oftentimes we overlook how central it is.
For example, when truth loses its particular area of strength When it loses its supreme position in our life individually, on the life of a nation, everything begins to crumble on the inside.
All you have to do is to look around and see something is happening, the truth, and our land.
Well, the Bible has a lot to say about truth.
And you’ll remember in the Proverbs chapter 3, and, uh, one of these verses that I is one of my favorite verses in this 3rd verse.
He says, do not let kindness and truth leave you.
Bond them about your neck write them on the tablet of your heart, kindness, and truth.
Why would he put those 2 together?
For the simple reason, they’re very essential in a person’s character, who they are, how they respond, how they relate to other people.
Remember, Jesus said, I am the way and the truth. All truth is to be found in him.
He said, for example, speaking of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit is the spirit of truth.
And, uh, you remember what pilot asked Jesus when they were before the trial, pilots said to Jesus, what is truth, and I believe pilot meant exactly what he said.
He had no earthly idea that corrupt society of Rome, what truth was really all about.
But it was all about corruption and power and, uh, all the things that were going on around them at that particular time.
And on one occasion, for example, in the Galatians, the the script says that the apostle, uh, Paul had written 11th at the Galatians, and one of the things that he was having to deal with was the fact he said, uh, uh, he said now that I have written you this letter, he said, you hate me because I tell you the truth.
And I wonder how many pastors could say that. They tell the truth and oftentimes people don’t like the truth.
because the truth hurts. It cultivates. It digs up. It reveals.
And so when you come to this passage here in, in the ephesians that I want you to turn to.
If you will turn to this 4th chapter in ephesians and, uh, look at this one simple command that the apostle Paul gives, I want us to start with the 17 verse because he’s describing and beginning in the 17 verse the lifestyle that people are living and so forth.
And so he says, in beginning in verse 17 of chapter 4.
So this I say and affirm together with the lord that you walk no longer.
That is stop walking just as an unbelievous. That’s when he goes gentiles.
Unbelievers also walk in the futility of their mind.
being darkened in their understanding excluded from the life of god because of the ignorance that’s in them, because of the hardness of their hearts.
And they having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity and greediness.
but you did not learn Christ in this way.
If indeed, you have heard him and have been taught in him just as look at this, truth is in home, in Jesus.
That in reference to your formal manner of life, you live side deal life.
I just walk away from that, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lust of deceit and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
Look at this next verse and put on the new self which in the likeness of god has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
Therefore, laying aside falls to it.
speak truth each one of you with this neighbor, but we are members of one another.
Now I would ask you this similar question. What does truth fit into your life?
Would you say I’m a truthful person, or I’d like to be truthful?
um, truthful sometime, or how would you say truth fits into your life? Let me just say this.
It doesn’t happen. It doesn’t just happen.
So first of all, Let’s clarify the meaning of truth and put all these on the screen so you can jot them down so you won’t forget And it’s simply this.
It’s, listen, truth is what corresponds to what actually is, what as things really are.
truth isn’t what I feel like it is. Truth isn’t what I want it to be.
Truth is what corresponds to what absolutely is reality.
And when you think about it in that way, then, uh, you realize that truth is something that is very specific.
That is uh, true statements of those that correspond to what is really true.
Now falsehood, for example, is a misleading statement. That is falsehood.
It’s not telling it like it is, but it’s telling it in a way.
It’s it’s a misrepresentation of the truth.
So we either tell the truth, or we don’t tell the truth.
Now some people say, well, I sort of tell the truth.
That means you sort of sand it off here and sift it off here and cut it here and And by the time you get through massaging it, it may look like the truth, feel like the truth, but it’s not the truth.
If it’s not the truth, use some of the consequences of telling a falsehood.
Now let’s just take a few moments to have a little self examination.
This is just between you and god’s, nobody else’s business, But I think it’s something that would be good for us to think about, as we think about being honest, and I would just ask you to consider these questions.
that you consider yourself a truthful person? You still that’s an odd question. No.
would you consider yourself a truthful person?
And some of you might say, well, sometimes, most of the times, And, uh, oftentimes, that’s the way it is.
Many people are truthful when it’s convenient.
uh, when it protects them, they think, or when it profits them in some fashion.
But truthfulness is a character quality. It isn’t just a word. It’s a character quality.
Now that is a 2 full necessity in being truthful and having true relationships.
And the first one is this.
That is when we build when we build truth into our life, it’s for our protection.
For example, you do not want a pastor who does not tell you the truth.
Now you can’t say that about everybody, because there are some people who deliberately willfully go to a church where they know that it’s okay to drink They don’t expect you to tithe.
You can do this and you can do that.
And especially since they will tell you that all the Bible is not true.
Now most of it is true and a lot of it is left to to personal interpretation.
And therefore, that gives you a lot of freedom. That the kind of church you want?
In other words, do you want a church where truth is not absolutely essential.
If you, if you, if you want to go to a church where truth is not the bottom line, and where the Bible is not the ultimate expression of divine truth, then what you’re saying is I don’t really wanna know the truth.
I wanna I wanna know the truth that I I wanna know the things that I agree with, but I want some I want some room.
In other words, I want some liberty that I can do some things that, uh, I don’t have nobody’s gonna bring it to my attention.
That’s deadly. Truth is part of our protection.
If I said to you, that snake is not gonna bother you, and it’s a diamondback rattler.
Is that what you you want me to tell you that it’s okay? No. You do not.
Truth is a protection. It’s a form of protection.
And god has given us that quality in our life because he wants it there.
If I know the truth, I can protect myself from error, and missing out on things that god for evident has given us in his word.
And so people deny the truth. They resist the truth. They don’t want the truth.
And when you don’t have truth, let me ask you, what do you have to anchor your soul when you don’t have the truth?
What do you have to anchor you in times of difficult and hardship and pain when you don’t have the truth that god is with you?
What do you have to anchor you when you are trying to make a decision.
And you don’t know which way to go and everything in your life hinges on that decision.
It is the truth of almighty god. I will guide you with my eye.
I will teach you in the way of what you should go. Not on that, it provides, listen, this.
guidance to know what to do.
That is if I if I know the truth, I will know what to do in a given situation.
Secondly, I will have wisdom to know the best way to go because truth will show me the best way to go in whatever that situation may be.
Thirdly, truth strengthens us enables us because we have a solid firm.
You see, it’s a foundational part of our very being truth is.
Then, of course, truth gives us the courage to do whatever we need to do.
It motivates us And this is why when you and I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of god, and he’s the only way of salvation, it gives us courage to state that clearly to people whether they like it or not, whether they accept it or not, it’s not the issue.
We’re being truthful. And many Christians today compromise what they believe for fear of rejection.
Oh, well, you know, if I were to say that, and this is what Paul meant again.
I said, again, he says, do you hate me ever? Cause I tell you the truth.
And I think many pastors, many, many pastors face that very thing. They will not tell the truth.
They will compromise what they really truly believe. because they don’t want their congregation to not like them.
So you have to make a decision in life. Do I want to please god or other people?
Listen, once you settle that issue, then it’s over.
If people like you, fine if they don’t like you, that’s that’s not your issue. It’s their issue.
And so it’s a protection. To be truthful is to be protected.
And when you say I’m committed to the truth of the gospel, Whatever that means, you’ll make enemies from some people and you’ll make people who love you forever because you tell them the truth.
Then, not only that, it’s a comfort. It produces a comfort in us to lift us in situations.
Well, I know this is a truth, and I have done exactly what god said.
Now, lord, I’m gonna leave all the consequences to you because this is what you said I am to do.
And then, of course, I think it produces a faith in us to act on the truth that we need.
That is if we are truthful persons, that there’s a sense of faith in god that he is going to do what.
He’s gonna sustain you in living, walking, and speaking the truth. Truth is very, very, very important.
Then What can we expect if we fail to build truth into our life?
As we said, it doesn’t just happen, I’m thinking about most people who don’t go to church, so they’re not hearing the truth.
And if you ask the average person what is true, they don’t even know where to stand.
on that subject. They don’t, they don’t even know how to answer that question because they don’t know the truth.
And I simply said to you, the truth is a basic foundational principle of life.
And that’s why one of the reasons Jesus said, I am not only just the way and the life I am the truth.
All truth that relates to anything about life is wrapped up in the person of Jesus because he is the answer in some form of fashion.
You think about how many children are growing up today in homes where there is no no Bible.
Nobody goes to church. Sunday is a day of recreation, and god has never mentioned.
What do they know?
They know about money and cars and clothes and booze and sex and all the rest.
What do they know about life? or what do you find out about life?
What do you what do you find out about life and death? What do you find out about eternity?
What do you find out about dealing with guilt and sin?
Where do you find out about getting victory over those things that destroy a person’s life?
You find it from the truth of the word of god. And that’s why truth is so very important.
And if you’ll think of it, listen, every single one of us who is a walking spiritual believer is a personification of of truth.
That is we know the truth, and we speak the truth. We live the truth. We share the truth.
Truth is what it’s all about. You want your children to trust you? You wanna trust them?
want your husband to trust you. You wanna trust him. And so it’s all about truth.
Truth is such a foundational principle that god’s built in does.
If if we don’t practice truth, we’ll never reach what god wants us to do in life.
That’s where he’s created us. And Jesus said, I am the truth.
He is the epitome of all truth.
Now that all being true, how do we build how do we build truth into our life?
And all these statements are on the screens, and I hope you’ll jot them down.
How do you build truth in your life?
Well, first of all, You have to recognize truthfulness as a foundation life principle.
That’s how important it is, foundation life principle. That’s how we start.
That’s the that’s the bottom line of building truth in your life.
Secondly, we evaluate the results of past failures of truthfulness.
And so, all right, I didn’t tell the truth here. I didn’t tell the truth there. Here’s what happened.
And you look at the consequences. and you recognize the consequences was not worth it.
That was telling the truth is far more important.
Thirdly, you accept the Bible as the ultimate guidebook to practicing. Listen. Truth.
There’s gotta be some there’s going to be some ultimate guide. What’s the ultimate guide?
Average person would say, my opinion is good as your opinion.
And so why do you think you know more than I do?
So that’s the in other words, you have the privilege to think that your way you wanna think, and I can think that don’t try to pull me into your mold.
And so people wanna jockey it around, for example.
And the truth is there has to be some ultimate, final principle or truth.
And that truth is found in the word of god. And so what happens?
Well, the way you build truth into your life is practice telling it and watch the consequences.
practice telling it and be careful to watch the consequences.
For example, I told him the truth I felt like I was gonna be really rejected as a result of it, but I had to tell him anyway.
Well, with the consequences, the consequences you may have been hurt or you may not have been.
But the fact is that you told the truth freed you up from any inhibitions you may have had.
You have to be honest when you with yourself, when you fail, and discover why.
Why didn’t I tell him the truth? Why didn’t I tell him the truth?
And I think sometimes, oftentimes a person doesn’t tell the truth for fear of rejection.
I wonder how many people, for example, who are dating a prospective husband or wife, and they don’t tell the truth about something because they think, oh, if I tell her that, she never married me.
Well, if I told him that he wouldn’t want me, well, you don’t, you know, what it just may be the fact that you told him what you’d had to go through early in life and be one reason he’d love you that much more.
There’s something about truth that just just covers a lot of stuff in life.
and people are more often, more willing to accept truth than to find out later and then learn to be distrustful all the days of their life.
Then ask god to give you an ever increasing desire for truthfulness.
Lord, just just show me how to be truthful in every area.
When I hesitate god bringing to my attention, that that you can trust me and that I can trust you with truth, whatever’s going on.
Identify any area of weakness uh, which pops up the most often.
And, uh, found the scripture that relates to that.
and begin and and and begin to quote that verse of scripture in your heart.
There’s something about the that’s the cleansing power of the word of god. the truthfulness of god.
For example, let’s just say you’re fearful, uh, a rejection. What does god say about you?
He loves you unconditionally. And so whatever the whatever the opposite is is the way you want to go.
If you fear this and find out what god says about it, and then you can tell the truth trusting god to work out all the results of that.
Then, of course, fill your mind with the word of god sowing your mind with the truth of god’s word.
And what happens is it strengthens you and encourages you and gives you the courage to tell the truth.
And you’ll find yourself becoming more truthful, more honest when the word of god is more powerful in your life.
And then, of course, purpose in your heart to be a person whose words are true, making you trustworthy, reliable and believable.
Is that what you wanna be? If you’re not, you can’t have any relationship.
And a person, for example, they want to be your friend.
They can trust you to tell them the truth. I have friends who will tell me the truth.
Listen, if you have a friend who will not tell you the truth, they’re not a true friend.
In other words, Watch this carefully because it’s not the way it looks.
If a friend will not tell you the truth, because they don’t wanna hurt your feelings.
The truth is they don’t wanna be rejected by you.
If you have a true friend, they’re gonna tell you the truth.
They may get you by yourself and tell you the truth.
They may get you on your knees and tell you the truth.
they may say, let’s go to lunch or something. I I I need to share with you.
The truth is the bottom line. Let me ask you this question.
do you know the truth about eternal life?
You see, I’ve been to church, and I’ve heard all that. Are you sure you’ve heard the truth?
I’m not sure you have. So let me just tell you what the truth is.
Here’s the truth about eternal life. The truth about eternal life is this.
God recognizes the sinful condition of mankind, which has separated him from all of mankind.
His love for you caused him to send Jesus Christ to this earth to reveal to us who god is and what he’s like.
and then to go to the cross, lay down his life on the cross, shed his blood, which paid your sin dead in full.
and only by his paying your sin debt in full can your sins be forgiven.
You can’t ever be good enough. I get what you have to be.
can’t ever do anything long enough, give enough, be good enough, it’s what he did for you.
And the moment you’re willing to ask him to give you of your sins based on what he did.
He is willing to forgive you. That is the truth.
He says, if we contest our sins, he’s faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and de cleanses from all unrighteousness.
Believe on the lord Jesus Christ.
That is who he is and what he’s done, and you will be saved for giving of your sins.
name written in the lamb’s book of life, sealed by the Holy Spirit of God. That’s the truth.
When somebody says, Well, if you just be good, god’ll god’ll take care of you, that’s not the truth.
What you have to ask is this, do I want to know the truth?
And when I’ve heard the truth, am I willing to abide by the truth?
My responsibility is to tell you the truth. Your responsibility is to respond wisely.
And that’s what I trust you.