#wtsdevo truth

[walkthesame]

Sinking Ships (#wtsdevo truth)

“Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.’” -  Luke 5:5

A back-breaking night of fruitless labor is now over. James, John and Peter have just spent the night trying desperately to catch fish and their nets have come back empty. When at last the sun rises over the water, they think to themselves, “Finally, we can leave this miserable night of failure behind us.”

But Jesus has something different in mind.

He sees the three men washing their nets, resigned to defeat and He makes a simple request: that Peter take Him out in the boat just a little ways from shore. Peter must have been a little puzzled and maybe a little reluctant to return to the boat he just spent several hours of defeat in, but he fulfills Jesus’ request all the same.

For a while, he listens to Jesus teach and then, completely unexpectedly, the spotlight falls on him. Jesus is speaking directly to him.

“Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch” (v. 4), Jesus says.

You can catch the hesitancy in Peter’s reply: “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.”

I’m so tired.

We’ve spent hours in this boat already.

These are the same empty waters and I am the same tired fisherman.

Please don’t make me go through this again.

But some hope must have clung to Peter, some suspicion that everything had changed the moment Jesus stepped into his boat because his next words are, “But because You say so, I will let down the nets.”

Peter didn’t let the expectation of failure have the final say.

Though Peter couldn’t possibly have anticipated all the richness and joy and challenge of the coming years with Jesus, he followed Jesus’ command all the same, took a deep breath and let the nets fall. The result of this surrender is stunning.

The nets began to break they were so full of fish. Another boat came to help and both boats became so full that they began to sink. Jesus’ joy must have been wonderful to see as He watched awareness dawn on Peter.

“Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man,” Peter cries, but Jesus does the exact opposite. He tells Peter, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” He invited Peter to be a part of God’s plan and share this new life with others.

Failure wanted to hold Peter back from a life of knowing and loving Jesus.

Truth wanted Peter to step into this abundance.

Failure wants you and I to believe that there’s no point in getting back into the boat.

But Truth reminds us of the beauty of sinking ships, weighed down and revived by the grace and blessing God gives as we surrender to Him.

“So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed Him.” - Luke 5:11

_________________________________________

Devotional Series: Truth (#wtsdevo truth)

By: Alexandria // Personal // Walk the Same

[walkthesame]

Outtruth the Lies (#wtsdevo truth)

“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” - John 8:44

Gut-wrenching. These are the undiluted words of Christ. Point blank, he calls us out based on the case-sensitivity of who our father is. We either obey our father or we obey our Father. One is a murderous liar and the other is the quickening essence of truth. Both are unchangeable character traits.

Ever since the garden of Eden, the evil one has whispered lies and wrapped them up in beautiful, alluring packages. He can appear to be quite convincing—even as if coming from above (2 Corinthians 11:14). But we can say that if God said it then it's true. That's the confidence we all have (John 8:47).

When truth doesn't tickle our ears it can be unwanted. When it confronts our sin and wrecks our agenda it's much easier to find an alternative. And Satan is able to distort what God says, or worse, block our hearing altogether (John 10:10). It explains how the Truth-bearer Himself was rejected and sought to be killed (John 8:40).

So how do we counter that? How do we discern the lies from the truth? By abiding. When we abide in Him and in His Word we are becoming saturated in His character, His truth and His wisdom. Those are some of the fruits and benefits that come from really knowing Him (John 15:1-10). It's also where we find our armor (Ephesians 6:10-18). In Him we can spot the lies and feed them truth.

____________________________________________

Devotional Series: Truth (#wtsdevo truth)

By: Julian // Personal // Walk the Same

[walkthesame]

The Truth Hurts. But it Redeems (#wtsdevo truth)

“The truth hurts” is a common saying that I’ve heard in passing over the years. And yes it does hurt which is why I believe that most people (Christians and Non-Christians alike) try to avoid it when they possibly can. The lie seems easier to deal with….. until we have to face the consequences of that lie.

We may be able to dodge a bullet or two. Even possibly a hundred but a lie can only go so far. Because it is merely a facade. It’s a “something” that doesn’t exist in reality. There’s only so much that we can do to stretch it until it gives away and exposes reality. If you think about it, a lie in of itself reflects the deception that is the core of the devil - falsehood and fake.

On the other hand the truth, whilst it may hurt, it has reality backing it up. It has solid substance that makes it meaningful and foundational. It remains unshakeable and immovable. Sounds just like Christ doesn’t it? Christ endured extreme amounts of pain being an ambassador of the truth. But His truth was so powerful that even death couldn’t contain Him. His critics were shut down and the truth stripped away the darkness of the world and made everything new. God’s truth made history and sent out ripples that you and I feel to this day.

The truth is scary but it redeems.

____________________________________________

Devotional Series: Truth (#wtsdevo truth)

By: Elle \ Personal // Walk the Same

[walkthesame]

Some Simple Truths (#wtsdevo truth)

In the wake of Resurrection Sunday, I figured that it would be pretty neat to share a couple of Bible verses that share some amazing yet “so-true” truths that never fails to inspire or encourage.

Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him. - Romans 5:8

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

19-21 “This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.” - John 3:16-21

But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won’t know what we’re talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells—even though you still experience all the limitations of sin—you yourself experience life on God’s terms. It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s! - Romans 8: 9-11

I hope that these verses encourage and inspire you and helps you understand and realize the goodness of God and the amazing truth that He has to share. May it strengthen your faith and help you grow everyday as you take on your pursuit of Christ.

____________________________________________

Devotional Series: Truth (#wtsdevo truth)

By: Jude \ Personal // Walk the Same

[walkthesame]

Trouble or Truimph (#wtsdevo truth)

“Now there was no water for the community, & the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. They quarreled with Moses & said, ‘If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness, that we & our livestock should die here? Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!’” -  Numbers 20:2-5

Distractions come to distort truth from every side. Satan wants us limited, forgetful; resentful that things aren’t happening in our own time or way and hyper-aware of what we believe is our lack. More than anything, though, the enemy wants us with heels dug in and hearts bent on proving our indignation justified.

In Numbers 20, the Israelites are deeply entrenched in this attitude of entitlement and complaint and, little as I like to admit it, their words are a reflection of my own heart at times. But to truly understand the scope of what the Israelites are saying here, we need to rewind to Numbers 16.

Picture this with me: a man named Korah, one of the Levites, who has decided that the portion God gave him and his people is not enough. He confronts Aaron and Moses, accusing them of pride and demanding more for himself. But it’s not just him; Korah has succeeded in riling up countless others, who now add the clamor of their cries to his selfish protest.

Despite their distress at this division, Moses and Aaron leave this in God’s hands. They are directed to take the leaders’ staffs, including Aaron’s and Korah’s, and whichever staff God causes to bud will make plain who He has chosen to serve as priest.

But, of course, Aaron was already handpicked by God. His staff is the one blooming the next morning. Korah is left with a bare staff and the unsatisfied desire for more. Verse 33 shows us the terrible result: “They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, & they perished….”

An eternity of craving, surrounded by the material possessions they coveted, a continual reminder that their need for more would always be present, but never satisfied.

And this is the reality the Israelites said would have been better than walking with God’s Presence alongside them through the wilderness. This is the fate they angrily insisted they would have preferred.

I want to make sure we understand the weight of what they’re saying. The Israelites were angry because they didn’t have water in the wilderness. They were impatient and their impatience became anger and Satan used that anger to create a sense of entitlement that completely blinded them to this truth: although they didn’t have the water yet, God was sure to provide it, just as He had faithfully provided food, water & shelter all this time.

But they were so disillusioned by their complaint that they desired to die like those under God’s wrath. The desire for more consumed them so much they argued that an eternity of separation from God would be better than having His very Presence with them in the wilderness.

When I think about the enormity of what the Israelites are saying, I realize how drastically truth is being distorted here and my heart breaks for them. But then I wonder how far my own heart has travelled down this same road. How often have I forsaken God’s Presence and provision in favor of something that seems more immediate and secure?

Asking these hard questions, though, reveals something new. The Israelites made their choice, but God planted their story in Scripture with a purpose in mind: to break through the cloud of deceit that the enemy is creating around us and replace it with the unshakeable truth that God has given us the opportunity to choose differently.

To cling to truth instead of living in deception’s heavy shadow.

To remember that God’s Presence is enough, regardless of circumstance.

To trust that, even when we don’t receive something in the time or manner we think we should, God always has the very best plan in mind.

To choose to turn our focus away from our troubles and receive the triumph we have in Jesus.

_________________________________________

Devotional Series: Truth (#wtsdevo truth)

By: Alexandria // Personal // Walk the Same

[walkthesame]

This is Us (#wtsdevo truth)

The truth of the Gospel is this:

We we’re fallen to sin. We we’re lost in darkness. The Father then sent His Son, Jesus Christ to earth in the form of a man. He faced every trial and tribulation we could ever face and more, he performed miracles of many kinds, and taught us the Word of God. He died on a cross, carrying the whole of our sin on his shoulders so that we no longer had to carry that burden. He lay in the grave for three days, and on the third, rose back to life. This was done so that through God’s Son, we could live free from the guilt of our sin and rest in His holy presence.

This is the story of Christ. This is our story of rebirth. This is our story of hope. This is us.

____________________________________________

Devotional Series: Truth (#wtsdevo truth)

Posted by: Conner Folger \ Personal // Walk the Same

[walkthesame]

Standing on God’s Truth (#wtsdevo truth)

Ephesians 6:11-14 – “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness…”

In much of the modern-day world, truth is becoming increasingly relative in the minds of many people. People like to think that truth can be different for different people – but that isn’t real truth. By definition, truth is something that is always correct or factual no matter what, across all boards. Why does this matter? One of the many reasons we find in the Scriptures is that standing on God’s truth helps us to resist the schemes of the devil and have spiritual victory. If we don’t know what truth is, how can we stand on it?

God tells us through Paul in Ephesians 6 that we need to put on the belt of truth to prepare us for the spiritual battle that is always waging in this world. We have to equip ourselves with truth so that we know what is real when the enemy tries to plant lies in our heads. For example, if I hear the enemy telling me that God doesn’t love me as much anymore, I remember that God’s Word says that NOTHING can separate me from the love of God, which is perfect love.  We know that because it is TRUE, it is never-changing and always right and correct. Nothing will ever change the true promises of God. I stand on God’s truth to defeat the lies of the enemy in my life. The way that we put on the belt of truth is to know truth by reading it, studying it, and memorizing it in the Word. Today let’s spend time in God’s Word equipping ourselves with the belt of truth so that we can have spiritual victory in Christ!

__________________________________________

Devotional Series: Truth (#wtsdevo truth)

Posted by: Rebecca Hankins \ Personal //  Walk the Same

[walkthesame]

The Freedom that Truth Brings (#wtsdevo truth)

During the earlier days in my life growing up, I was told once from a peer that if I didn’t come to Church on a Sunday or missed out on Sunday school, God would be angry with me. Naturally as a kid, this kind of hit me in a negative way and I always made it a point to go to both church and Sunday school…. not because I was a fervent believer but because I was freaked out that I would go to hell. The question here is - is this the truth that Christ wants us to believe in?

In the Bible, we are shown so many people follow traditions meaninglessly all because these came down from their lineage and forefathers. Imagine if we did the same and we merely did something not because we truly understood it but simply because we were told to do so on the basis that it was how it was done in the past. If we are doing this, we are not truly free. Instead we are experiencing this bondage that comes with outdated tradition and thought processes.

One of many reasons why Christ came was to show us all that there was more to life and living than tradition and old rules. He shared context and showed us all how to live in the truth that would completely and truly set us free - God. Christ showed us that works alone and dated-thinking wouldn’t bring us salvation and freedom but rather, it was faith and belief in God that would make all the difference for us.

This truth not only shed a light into the darkness that we were in but it also paved us a path that help us get all the more closer and intimate with God. It broke the chains of defunct beliefs, old thoughts, traditions, and rules that bound us and set us free into the truth of God.

Gone are the days when we were driven by beliefs and thought-patterns of yesterday. Allow God to take control of you life and experience the freedom that comes with the truth that only He can provide.

____________________________________________

Devotional Series: Truth (#wtsdevo truth)

By: Jude \ Personal // Walk the Same