Fact or Fiction

Friends of Faith:

There is so much talk about what is fact or fiction. It has become increasingly difficult to know what is the truth and what is a lie. The passage of unnatural and self-serving laws and the influence of popular media have blurred the lines so much between right and wrong that this difficulty has multiplied exponentially (one lie building upon another) in the last few years. So what is fact, what is fiction and what and who should we believe?

“Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth, who have observed His law; seek justice, seek humility;
perhaps you may be sheltered on the day of the LORD's anger.
“But I will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly, who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD: the remnant of Israel. They shall do no wrong and speak no lies; nor shall there be found in their mouths a deceitful tongue; they shall pasture and couch their flocks with none to disturb them.” Zep 2:3, 3:12-13

Fiction: Popular news media, reality TV and most of what the culture wants us to believe. (I find myself in disgust of not only of the lies I can easily discern, but of our vulnerability to believe, without further research, everything we are told.)

Fact:  God’s Word, Scripture, Jesus & the Church He left here under the guidance of the Holy Spirit are always right.

These two alone might be enough to convince you that we need to be much more discerning about what we believe and who we trust; that the propaganda we are hearing and are subjected to by popular culture is a lie and that God is the Way, the Truth AND the Life. But if you either have time, or yearn to be further convicted in truth, please read on….

Fiction: Wealth creates happiness and we have a “right” to happiness so happiness can be bought with money or should be given to us because we “deserve” it.

Fact: We deserve an opportunity to attain knowledge of riches and we will be judged by what we do with that knowledge because our greatest responsibility is to love God and our neighbor and to do whatever God asks. If we are blessed with money it is our duty to do “good” with it. (Know who it is that you donate to – this is a great area of hidden deceit).

Fiction: The sports god, entertainment god, Facebook god, shopping god, food god, envy god, or any other addiction god that consumes us and blinds us from the needs of others and makes us self-centered in our thoughts and actions.

Fact: Spending a few minutes in prayer, an hour in church, or some time helping a neighbor will gain us more peace, joy on earth and happiness in a day than hours, days or years of time spent with the above mentioned gods. And time with God and service for his “least ones” will be doing the will of the Father while offering us a glimpse of the peace and joy in heaven.

Fiction: Freedom means the right to choose without responsibility or consequences. And women and men lack this freedom, this “right,” when they are asked to do something contrary to what they feel like doing.

Fact: God equally gave all women and all men life, liberty (free will) – the freedom to choose between right or wrong --and the ability to pursue eternal happiness. To choose between God’s will and the devil’s temptations; to choose between eternal life or death; and to choose to live by God’s law or man’s. And every choice we make has a consequence and a responsibility. True freedom is to be free of the grip of sin allowing us to focus on the “good of the other” which is true love.

Fiction: Men and women are created exactly the same.

Fact: Every man and every woman is extremely different. In fact, even twins aren’t exactly the same. That is a fact of nature and of God’s design. Male and female are created uniquely Holy and supremely sacred. As such male and female together are designed to give life and have been given the responsibility to protect human life while subduing and having dominion over all other forms of life (Gn 1:28).

Fiction: Sex is free. Sex is without responsibility, consequences or cost. Sex isn’t a choice, it’s a right.

Fact: Sex is a gift given to us by God when HE chose to create a man AND a woman. Choosing to act sexually as God intended: for the binding of a man and a woman in marriage and for the continuation of His creation story through procreation is Good (Gn 1:28). And like all good choices it comes with a responsibility: to love the person we are bound to by it’s unifying nature and to love the gift of life which might be created by the act itself. Choosing to “use” sex for any other reason is to scorn God’s design.

And lastly: Fiction: Making it a law makes it right.

Fact: Just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s right and/or just.

He is and He will always Be the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Blessings,

Charlotte