Truth

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Truth's Presentation

 

Habakkuk 2:2-3

"And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry."

Truth should be the primary focus of every person. A church should keep its focus on truth.  A Christian should keep their focus on truth. A preacher should keep his focus on truth.  A teacher should keep their focus on truth. Truth should be your focus, for it will be your guide to true success.  Yet, how truth is presented is very important.  If truth is presented in a wrong manner, then there will be some who will not listen or follow it. In the verses above, God shows us how to present truth.  

First, truth must be presented in a plain manner.  I fear we live in a day when those who present truth try to make it complicated to the hearer. God commanded Habakkuk to "make it plain." God felt that it was important for truth to be presented in a plain manner so that the hearer could understand the truth and have no excuse as to why they did not obey it.  

Preacher, when you present truth, present it in a plain manner.  Your purpose in presenting truth is not to impress people with your intellect.  When Jesus taught truth, He taught it in such a way that the common person could understand it.  Every teacher should present truth so that it is plain and easy to understand. Every parent should present truth to their children in a plain manner so that they will understand what is expected of them.  Be careful about making truth complicated and difficult to understand, the purpose of presenting truth is so that the hearer can understand it.  

Second, truth should be presented in such a manner that the hearer will run.  Truth presented in a plain manner will motivate the hearer to run.  Notice, God wants truth presented so the receiver of truth will run and not walk.  Don't water down truth with political correctness so as to cause the receiver of truth to only walk in their service to God.  It is not a time to walk in God's service, it is a time to run and get truth out as quickly as we can.  In other words, don't water down truth to help appease the conscience of those who serve God in a half-hearted manner.  Present it to motivate them to do more for God.  

Last, present truth with patience.  Let the hearer of truth realize that its results rarely come immediately.  Notice in the verse above, when talking about truth God said, "...though it tarry, wait for it..." People must realize that the result of following truth will take time to see.  Let the hearer of truth understand that they must be patient with truth and not give up on it.  Following truth pays off if people will be patient with it.  

As the hearer of truth, be sure that you listen intently when it is presented so that you will run and do more for God.  As you present truth, make it as plain as you can so that the common person can understand, run with it and be patient while running to see its results.

Oppression

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The Oppression of Man

 

Micah 2:1-2

"Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand. And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage."

In the verses above, God pronounced a judgment against the pornographic industry.  God talks about how they devise their iniquity, they "work evil upon their beds" and they practice it because they have the power to do so. Who has given them this power? Those who partake of this wickedness. Everyone who partakes of pornography is contributing to the power of this wicked industry.  

In verse 2, God shows us that this industry will "oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage." The fingers of this sin go very deep in a man's life. It not only oppresses him, but also his house and those who follow after him. God uses a very strong word to describe this horrible sin.  The word God uses is "oppress." The word "oppress" means, "to deceive or defraud someone." In other words, this sin takes something from a man and his house through deceit. It cheats a man and his house and it will never give back to them.  God wants His children to understand that the pornographic industry will not give what it promises, but it will take the joy and innocency from you and your house.  

With the availability of pornography through technology, everyone should be careful to set up safeguards so that it doesn't take from them. Though many think this sin only affects men, surveys show that women are involved in pornography as well.  You need to understand that once you get involved in this wicked sin, it will control you to the point of oppression. There is a reason why this is a billion dollar industry.  With this in mind, some precautions need to be set up.

First, don't have private email addresses that your spouse or parents don't know about. Your spouse and parents should have the password to every email address that you own. Likewise, your spouse or parents should have the right to check your email any time they please without you blowing up. Too many times people who are hiding things from their spouse or parents say, "You don't trust me, do you?" The truth is, you shouldn't trust yourself. If you have nothing to hide, then it should not bother you if your spouse or parents to have access to your email.  

Second, be careful about spending too much time on the internet. Too many people have been lured into pornography by spending too much time browsing the internet.  Know what you are looking for when on the internet, and then get off when you are done. Be careful about spending massive amounts of time browsing the internet.  Furthermore, never go to websites that may be questionable without your spouse or parents by your side.  If you have a question about a website, then don't go to it.

Finally, if you have a problem with pornography, immediately get help.  The longer you allow this sin to oppress you, the deeper its roots will grow in your life. The sin of pornography will eventually control you if you don't get help.  

Pornography is a wicked sin.  Be careful about accepting the lies of this industry.  What they promise they never give.  The only thing pornography will do is take and oppress.  Stay close to God, pray daily and study the Scriptures, this along with the guidelines above will assist you in staying away from this oppressive sin.