Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; United my heart to fear Your name.   Psalm 86:11

When we don’t know the truth, we are susceptible to lies. This can cause some serious problems. When we believe a lie, it’s like we are fumbling around in the dark. No one likes to look foolish, but this is what happens when we don’t know the truth.

In our scripture passage for today, David asks God to teach him His ways. He wants to understand God’s ways. He wants to walk in God’s truth. He asks God to unite his heart or help him to have one single focus so that he can have a single- minded reverence to God. He wants to remove distractions and focus on God and His truth.

We all like to look at Eve and be upset with her because she took the bite of the forbidden fruit and brought sin into a perfect world. Adam followed right behind her. Had it not been for that, we would all be living in the Garden of Eden. There would be no yardwork. There would be no dangerous animals, we would all live in harmony in this beautiful paradise. It would be heaven on earth. But, we shouldn’t be so hard on Eve. She sinned for the same reason we do. She didn’t know the truth. She believed the devil’s lies. I have done the same thing many times. It leads to disastrous consequences.

When the police interrogate suspects, they generally know the answers to the questions they are asking. They simply want to see if the suspect is going to be truthful.

In the Garden of Eden the serpent asks Eve, “Did God really say that you couldn’t eat from every tree in the garden?” Here, Eve knew the truth. She replied, “We may eat of every fruit tree except the one in the middle.” She knows the truth and she goes on to say that God specifically told them that if they eat of that tree in the middle, or even touch it, they will die. So, she knows the truth. The devil can’t trip her up there. His next tactic is to distort the truth. She knows the truth, but does she have a good, solid understanding of the truth? He tells her a lie. He tells her that she surely will not die, but her eyes will be open and she will be like God knowing good and evil. Oh if only we could go back to only knowing good, right? She looks at the fruit, it looks good and who doesn’t want to be wise, right? So, she ate it. I am the same way with cakes and brownies. I look at it, it looks good. I know I shouldn’t eat it, but I do. I understand completely.

The truth is found in God’s Word. If we don’t study our Bible, then we don’t know the truth. The devil can use the same tactics on us. First, he will question our knowledge and see if we know God’s truth. Then, he will try to distort the truth and have us believe a lie. Once he gets us to believe his lies, then we are doomed. When we live a life of sin, we are in bondage to the devil. The only way we can be set free is from the truth found in God’s Word. If we are truly God’s disciples, we will study His Word (John 8:31). John 8:32 tells us that then we will know the truth and the truth will set us free.

When you don’t know the truth, you will believe a lie. When you believe a lie, you are headed for danger. You run the risk of being enslaved to sin. I strongly encourage you to study God’s word. Find a good Bible study. Go to a good, Bible teaching church. Know the truth that is found in God’s Word. So, that you won’t be susceptible to the devil’s lies.

You may be a Christian and may encounter those that need to hear the truth, but you can’t share it if you don’t know it. 1 Peter 3:15 tells us that we should honor God and always be prepared to give a reason or a defense for the hope that is in us, but that we should do it with gentleness and respect. People often question me about my belief. I need to be able to share God’s Word with them to explain the peace and joy and hope that I have in my life.

My prayer for you today is that you know the truth. If you don’t know the truth, or aren’t sure you know the truth, meet with like-minded individuals and study God’s word. Ask God to teach you His ways so that you will know His truth and you can focus on Him. Then you can truly be His disciple and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.

Have a great day!