When Truth Looks You in the Eye.

There is a lot of deception and compromise in this world, and its reach is not far from any of us or the media we let into our homes. Deception knocks on the doors of the church, our schools, our governments, and even our own minds and hearts. Keeping our spiritual compass set to the truth is a challenge.

Today, truth is a rare commodity, but it was no less an issue at the time of Jesus. Pilate brazenly asked, ‘What is truth?’ His heart was so hard that he didn’t recognize the truth standing right there in front of him, looking him in the eye. Much of the world we navigate today stands in the same camp as Pilate and the Jewish leaders pontificating at that terrible trial.

So how do we safeguard ourselves and others against deception? The answer might surprise you. It’s not about praying for clarity or divine protection, though these have their place. Instead, the key lies in becoming a lover of truth. This echoes Jesus’ profound teaching to His disciples:

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. (John 14:6–7)

To Jesus, truth isn’t just a doctrine; it’s a person. The ‘way’ is not a law or a treasure map we call the Bible; it is a person. Life, and eternal life, is not a detached gift we cling to in hope; it is a person. Anytime we veer away from the person and focus on the product, the waters start to cloud and confusion sets in.

If truth is a person, then we need to abide in that person—Jesus the Christ. Yes, we need to speak his word correctly, but that is only the doctrine, but when we speak his words in the anointing of his Holy Spirit, his abiding presence in us, that’s when it becomes truth—the truth that sets the captive free and the demons running for cover.

Let me share how this understanding has transformed my own spiritual journey and practice.

I don’t just pray to get answers anymore; I pray to encounter God. I don’t just read my Bible to get solutions, but to meet God in the pages. I ask that the Holy Spirit will inspire me the same way the Holy Spirit inspired the Bible writers, and when I speak to people about Jesus or preach him from the pulpit, my prayer is, ‘Lord, I don’t want to speak about you; help me to speak for you.’ To me, that is ‘truth,’ and just to let you know, the demons can’t bear it.