Justifying the Truth Away

Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. Even though the LORD has not sent them, they say, “The LORD declares,” and expect him to fulfill their words. – Ezekiel 13-6

This morning, after showering and getting ready, I looked at my watch and it said 7:00am. I was surprised at how early it was and decided that I must have gotten ready faster than usual. I then ate my breakfast and glanced at the clock sitting on the mantle. The time on the clock was different then the time on my watch and I assumed that the clock’s batteries must need to be changed. I then took my daughter to the bus stop, but the bus had already left. It wasn’t until she had missed the bus that I realized that my watch was twenty minutes behind. All morning, I was believing my watch had the correct time and anything that told me differently I justified away.

Lies can become like that. Sometimes we fall into the trap of believing only what we want to hear even if it is a lie. And when someone or something else tries to tell us differently we justify away the truth to make the lie seem more believable. It is this trap that makes it easy to fall into sin and difficult to escape from it.

In Ezekiel’s day the false prophets of Israel were telling lies and believed these lies so much that they even said that they were from the Lord. We must always be on our guard and be ready to listen to others even if they are telling us something we don’t want to hear. Then we must be willing to examine what we hear against God’s word so that we will not be deceived into believing lies that lead us away from God’s will.

Prayer: Lord, give me ears to hear the truth and wisdom to believe the truth. Give me discernment to know the difference between lies and truth. Forgive me when I believe the lies and justify away he truth that is before me. Amen.

Faith Tip: What lie(s) are you holding onto today? What truth(s) do you need to take hold of today to keep you from believing the lies of the evil one?

Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson