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Only the Truth, and nothing but the Truth

John 15:26 (AMP) But when the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of Truth who comes from the Father, He will testify and bear witness about Me.

Have you ever had a relationship strained because of a reason that you had no idea of? I personally can tell you that it is the hardest to navigate. I was in prayer yesterday about such, asking for the truth to be revealed. I wanted them to know that I am not against them, that the issue could be so much deeper than me, that it could be an inward conflict taken out on me. The Holy Spirit stopped me and said, ‘the Spirit of Truth’. That was all. So what do you do when you hear a word, you go to your Bible.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (AMP) For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth [and the gospel—the good news of salvation].

What is the Spirit of Truth? The Spirit of Truth is going to reveal the gospel. That even though I did not deserve it, I have been forgiven. Christ paid the price for me. The Spirit of Truth is going to reveal that in us time and again. He is going to remind us that we are now in Christ Jesus. Anything that tries to work against that truth will not stand. The same with others who are in Christ. We are unique, the level of faith we have may all be different, but we are in the Beloved (Christ).

Ephesians 6:11-14 (AMP) Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places. Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious]. So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart)

I cannot do anything about anyone else’s thoughts, but I can do something about mine. The scheme of the enemy is to keep us divided. He wants us to think that we are not for each other. He wants us to think that they are mad at us and nothing we do can be right. He wants us to think on anything but the truth. The first part of the armor of God is the belt of truth. Here it talks about personal integrity and moral courage. In the Passion Translation is says to, “Put on truth as a belt to strengthen you to stand in triumph.”

In Greek the word for truth here is aletheia. It means the state of not being hidden, also reality or unforgetting. What is the reality of a believer? What is it that we do not forget? Why are we not hidden and put under a basket (or in a cave)? We are placed on a stand to give light to the whole world (Matthew 5). The Spirit of Truth is going to reveal Jesus. Every day we need to put on the belt of truth, that we are in Christ.

Philippians 4:8 (AMP) Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].

This is my go to verse when my mind starts to go to a place that does not think on things that are lovely. Do you know what happens when we do not get our mind in correct alignment with His Word? Our demeanor and our reactions start to show. We will start to hide, and not in a good way. We just learned that the belt of truth is a state of not being hidden. So that should be a sign to us that if we are wanting to do that, we have not put on that part of the armor of God. Again, I cannot do anything about anyone else’s desire to live this way. I can only do something about myself. When I asked God to increase His love in me so that is all that flows out of me, that gave Him license to change my thinking and to clean up my heart attitude. So when He told me the Spirit of Truth, I am going to listen. The Bible says those that have ears to hear, let them hear. I am not just a listener of the Word, I am a doer.

Everything goes back to the Spirit of Truth, that I am now in Christ. I have a location of residence. The Holy Spirit has empowered me to live a victorious life accepting who I am in Christ. I am never alone. The orphan spirit cannot be attached to me any longer. I know that may be an odd term to you, but I can tell you that it is not from God to feel rejected, alone and insignificant. If you feel that way, there is freedom, and it comes from finding out who you are in Christ and fully accepting it. That is why I am constantly encouraging others to ask God for the revelation of what it is to be rooted and grounded in the love of Christ. What does this have to do with the Spirit of Truth? Everything. How you perceive yourself in relation to the body of Christ has everything to do with the Spirit of Truth, you receiving the fullness of the gospel.

Adonai, our Creator, our Banner, You are so Wonderful and Awesome. We want to honor You with every part of our being. Thank You for Your Son who restored us in every area, but especially in our relationship with You. Thank You for the Holy Spirit, our Counselor, our Intercessor, our Strengthener. Thank You Holy Spirit for being the Spirit of Truth, for revealing the fullness of the Gospel, that we are in Christ. Let us know more and more what that fullness is. We repent for the times we put on identities that do not line up with what it truly means to be in Christ. We are not alone nor insignificant. We forgive those that made up feel that way, and we forgive ourselves for allowing us to take on identities that are not true. We choose love today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Even Here

Genesis 39:20 (AMP) So Joseph’s master took him and put him in the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined; so he was there in the prison.

I love the story of Joseph. There is so much you can glean from someone who overcomes to a story of forgiveness. Today I want to look at how much favor was on Joseph. Joseph had a relationship with God that he did not fret when bad things happened to him. We do not know what faces he made. I am the type of person that if I have a little bit of frustration it shows. I do not have to put any actions to it, my brow furrows.

If you do not know this story, I encourage you to read Genesis 37-50. He is a very important person to the Israelite’s, second to Moses. First he is sold into slavery by his own brothers and now, in the above verse, he is imprisoned for something he did not even do. If anyone had a reason for self pity, it would have been Joseph.

The next verse:  But the Lord was with Joseph and extended loving kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the warden. Even in prison he still had purpose. It was not when he got out of the situation, it was right in the middle of it. It was while he was going through some of the hardest moments of his life favor was still there. These were the steps he had to go through to save a nation.

The Apostle Paul had something similar to say while he was in prison. If you did not know, he wrote most of the letters to other churches while in prison. He had favor there also.

Philippians 1:12 (AMP) Now I want you to know, believers, that what has happened to me [this imprisonment that was meant to stop me] has actually served to advance [the spread of] the good news [regarding salvation].

Philippians 1:14 (AMP) Because of my chains [seeing that I am doing well and that God is accomplishing great things], most of the brothers have renewed confidence in the Lord, and have far more courage to speak the word of God [concerning salvation] without fear [of the consequences, seeing that God can work His good in all circumstances].

Here is my question: Do you think these two men waited until the right circumstances to do anything for God? Did they have to get to a certain place? Paul was waiting to speak to Caesar. He was not the only one he was going to share his faith with. He shared the story of how he received Christ whenever he got the chance. He told of the change that Christ made in his life and how he cannot help but serve Him everywhere he goes.

Joseph as a slave and as a prisoner served. He did it to not get him out of a situation, but to glorify God while he was at any place. Those over him recognized the favor on his life and wanted to be a part of that.

Matthew 5:14-16 (AMP) You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.

I know life can throw some really tough things at us. If you need to write Matthew 5:14-16 on a mirror, or on your refrigerator door, and say it out loud to your self as often as you see it. Memorize it. So that every time the enemy tries to get you down on your self because of your situation you can tell him ‘even if’ and ‘even here’ “I am the light of Christ”. “I have purpose.” “I am going to continue to glorify my God with whatever I put my hands to.” ” I will continue to talk about his goodness.” “His mercy and goodness follows me wherever I go.”

Do not believe the lie that you are hidden for later use. You were created for now. You are needed now. You have purpose now. People may not recognize it until later, but who are we doing it for anyways. I choose to glorify His name today. I am actively looking for opportunities to tell about His goodness and show them through my good works. How about you?