By Deborah Lovett:

 You can find truth in Bible FACTS if you are willing to seek those facts out.

John 4:2…although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples.

Image by Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I love finding God in the facts, because the truth always comes out. The Pharisees thought Jesus had been baptizing followers, “although in fact it was not Jesus”! I bet those control freaks that always had to get their own way sure were having a hissy fit over this one!

“What?” I can almost hear them saying, “You mean I‘ve spread that information about Jesus among my closest friends, and now I find out it’s not true after all?”

Gulp, I think foot-in-mouth syndrome just set in. Now they had a choice: They could go hide in the corner, or they could make up another deliciously juicy lie—this time bigger and better! That would take the attention off them and put it back on someone else.

This is called the “pass the blame and then complain” game. Some play it really well, and they never stop to think their complaints and accusations might be wrong. Never in a million years! We can complain and be drained or praise and be raised—that’s a fact!

The fact remains, that the facts are the facts are the facts, and that’s a fact. But in today’s society, it’s not that simple, is it?

People lie about the facts; some lawyers change the facts; the news media embellish the facts; many citizens are misled about the facts.

Isn’t it amazing how two people can see the same thing happening, and yet they come up with two entirely different descriptions of the event?

Take for instance, the stay-at-home mom who drinks to ease her pain from living with an emotionally abusive husband. The neighbors may only see the drunken wife and are quick to pass judgment on such horrendous behavior, while the husband charms their socks off. But a family member of the woman may see a hurting mom stuck in a situation that looks hopeless.

Most of us have seen circumstances such as this. The facts present themselves differently, depending on where you’re standing, whose eyes are doing the seeing, and whose heart is doing the listening.

So what’s the answer?

We need to see what God sees and hear what God says. We need to consider the wisdom of God, which is called “spiritual discernment.”

Because the Holy Spirit takes up residence inside Christians, we can always look to Him for guidance, instruction, and insight on any matter. All it requires is a choice to ask and listen. (That’s the hard part!) God always presents the truth to us in Bible FACTS: His Word. When we believe God’s Word over man’s word, we get the truth, pure and simple.

A warning to us is written in between the lines of today’s lesson: Beware of people who use one verse of Scripture as the basis for an entire theology. Even the enemy knows Scripture. Be alert and find God for yourself so you can discern the truth for yourself. 

© Deborah Lovett. This article is an excerpt from the book Gushing Springs by Deborah Lovett, available on Kindle, for iPad, or at DeborahLovett.com. Deborah is a contagious speaker for Women’s Events and also the author of  22 Days in the County Jail.