Knowing the Truth – Faith
Isn’t it interesting how someone acts when they know something with 100% certainty? I saw one of my boys do something that they were not supposed to be doing the other day. When I questioned him what he was doing he denied it emphatically. When I told him that I saw him do it, he still denied it. Bless his strong spirit! He will be a world changer when he gets a hold of the Holy Spirit. The force is strong with this young one. Now I know that he did something, 100% for certain, because I saw it with my own eyes. So my line of questioning, my approach was different that if I had not. If I had not seen him, I most likely would have changed my approach and maybe backed off when he denied it. But I knew because I saw it with my own eyes, and nothing was going to change that. “But I…” “nope”. “Well he was” – “nope” – “But you don’t” – “shhhh”. No argument held any weight. I wouldn’t even listen to what I knew to be fake news because I knew the truth.
Image courtesy of: mikemacmarketing
Scripture:
“But Peter and John replied, ‘Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to Him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard’.” – Acts 4:19,20
Observation/Application:
In Acts 4 Peter and John were brought before the elders, high priests, and teachers of the law – the same ones who were behind having Jesus crucified. When Peter and John were questioned by these men about a man that they saw healed with their own eyes, nothing was going to change their minds on what happened because they knew exactly what happened. They shared that truth with them. And notice how he spoke so boldly to them?
A great example that shows both how you act when you know and when you don’t know can be found in Acts 4:8. Peter knows, and he stands before the rulers and elders and speaks the truth, probably with his arms raised wide open and that “silly rabbit I am the only one who knows the truth here and nothing you are going to say is going to change that” confidence about him. In contrast, in verses 13 and 14 we read about how those respond who don’t know the truth, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and… “since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say.”
People act different when they come across someone who they knows. At home when my boy knew that I knew the truth and nothing he was going to say was going to change that, his stance changed. The same holds true when it comes to our faith. When we walk in the boldness of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit because we know the truth, people will change how they interact with us, not us to them. I love when he says, “Which is right: to listen to you, or to God?” When we know Jesus is our Lord and savior, and that all things are possible through Him, our posture changes, how we speak to others changes, and what we expect changes… because we know.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, build our faith today so that we know beyond any doubt that you are our Lord and Savior. Shed away whatever it is that is holding us back from you. Release these chains in our lives. Reveal to us your Will Lord through your Word and through prayer and in the quiet with You. Help us to walk boldly in Your Ways. Your Way is good. You are the one Holy and true God and Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things seen and unseen. Receive us today. Bless us. Anoint us. Fill us with your Holy Spirit. We receive you, and all of your Promise and glory, in Jesus mighty name, Amen.
Photo By mikemacmarketing