1)
The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in
the truth.
2)
Beloved, I wish above all
things that thou mayest prosper and be in health,
even as thy soul prospereth.
3)
For I rejoiced greatly,
when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou
walkest in the truth.
4)
I have no greater joy than
to hear that my children walk in truth.
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ore
than ever, the people of God find difficulty in walking in the truth. Why? In
short, in that we are born "naturally," we are born with
"defective" minds. This means that in order to walk in the truth of
God's Word, we have to operate contrary to what is "true" in our own
minds.
Of
course, we know that the Scriptures are replete with examples of the importance
of operating in the mind of Christ—at the expense of our own. You see, the mind
that we bring into salvation is a mind tainted by the flesh and as such, is
incapable of pleasing God. Therefore, the only
way to meet God's requirement is to sacrifice one's mind which, in turn,
will sacrifice one's flesh!
Have
you ever noticed how people with no "life commitment" often seem to
be unstable in every area of their lives? The same is true of the saint of God
who has been born into a spiritual
kingdom, yet persists in operating in his flesh. By aligning himself with his
flesh (marrying it, if you will), he is making it impossible for the Lord to
lead and guide him. In other words, the Lord has no control over him. Whether
this be true of a "friend" or of you, as
long as it is true, you will remain
"wild" and "unmanageable" and therefore, unfit for the
kingdom.
Perhaps
one of the greatest "positive confession(s)" that we need to make is
to positively know exactly where we
"stand" with the Lord and in
salvation (virtually, the same thing). To know this, we must operate in the
truth. But, guess what? First, we must know what truth is !
That
truth is accessed and defined by the Holy Spirit—and Him, only! This means, then, that a Man in need and in search of truth
must first be in possession of the Holy Ghost. Thus, begins his journey, for
the Holy Spirit opens the door to truth and operation
in the Spirit allows us to know
and accept the truth. How else to
grasp the requirements of a spiritual God but through the Spirit?
We
live in a world full of "truth"—and all but the truth and Word of God is a lie. All "beliefs" not
based on truth have no foundation. We can make such a strong statement because
all religions not based upon Jesus Christ show themselves to be without foundation.
The "founders" of everything but Christianity closed their eyes in
the sleep of death and remained just that way—dead. Only Jesus Christ was able
to conquer death by rising from it to new life.
Aside
from gaining for us credibility and integrity, operating in truth (indeed, in
the Word) endows us with power. We must have supernatural strength, stamina
and awareness if we are to adequately resist the powers of darkness.
We
must begin to take to heart the importance of a consistent walk. As we should know, one's walk has nothing to do with posture,
but rather, refers to one's manner of conducting his life. You see, in this
"walk" with the Lord, just any "steps" won't do. They must
be holy and righteous steps, ordered by God and bent
on walking no ground but that of truth.
How
can we be sure that what we believe is
the truth? Since the truth is embodied in the Word of God—read it! If you
stand, today, without the Holy Ghost—receive Him! (For you see, the
"anointing" [a.k.a. the Holy Ghost] uncovers [or, reveals] truth.)
"None of the above" may apply to you. After all, you've got you some Holy Ghost and you read your Bible (albeit only on Sunday). So, what could you possibly lack? You must examine how far you have come. That is, are you forever "at odds" with the Lord; on the wrong side of an issue? Are you just downright "unhappy?"
Perhaps
the truth that you think you operate in is the very thing causing your problem.
Truth heard but not heeded is a
dangerous thing, indeed. Only one who
reads, hears, asks or seeks with no
ulterior motive will be blessed to ever know and accept the truth of the
Word of God. Now, if there is any hope left for us, we must now be honest
within ourselves and answer Gods inquiry as to whether we do, indeed, "walk in truth"—or are we aimlessly
wandering—as well as leading others astray? n