Yesterday we saw from Psalm 16, how closely David walked with God when he was in agreement with Him. The question is – ‘What exactly are we doing when we agree with God and why is it so important that we do? Then when we have understood that, we can look at how we can continue to walk in agreement with God on a daily basis.
Throughout the Old Testament we see God describe Himself as ‘a God of truth and without iniquity’, Deuteronomy 32:4, as being ‘abundant in goodness and truth’. Exodus 34:6. The Psalmist often talked of truth asking God, “Lead me in your truth, and teach me .” Psalm 25:5, or describing Him as ‘a God… plenteous in mercy and truth.’ Psalm 86:15. Look up the word ‘truth’ in a concordance, and it becomes clear that God is the source of all truth and that God is totally true in all His ways.
Our God is the God of ‘truth’. In the New Testament Jesus plainly stated it, declaring ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’. John 14:6. John also tells us that ‘grace and truth came through Jesus Christ’, John 1:17. When He was teaching and in His conversations with people Jesus would frequently preface what He said with “I tell you the truth…….” .
Jesus was very grieved when people didn’t believe Him. He even said to the Jews, who were doubting Him, on one occasion, “Yet because I tell you the truth, you do not believe me…… he who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God”. John 8:45-47. Serious words indeed, but may be this is because the devil is the exact opposite of God and Jesus said of him “there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”John 8:44.
God speaks the truth and the devil speaks lies. We can all agree with this I am sure. How is it then that most of us can find it easier, on occasion, to believe the devils lies than to believe God’s truth? May be you’re not sure about that, well consider how often you have doubted that God really loves you, that He actually delights in you, that Christ is in you, and that nothing can separate you from His love.
When you pay someone a compliment and they say something like “well it’s kind of you to say that, but…..” and then follows a ‘no’ in some way shape or form, we feel a bit shut out. The person is basically saying one of three things; either ‘you don’t really know me’, or ‘you don’t qualify to compliment me on this’, or ‘you’re just saying that to make me feel good’. In short when someone refuses our compliment or encouragement they are saying in effect, ‘you are not really telling me the truth’.
How much nicer is it when, after we have given someone a compliment they say, “Thank you, I receive that”, and we see them absorb our words and grow stronger in some way because of them? Well this is how the Lord feels about the things He says to us in His word. He is never going to be speaking lies or saying things to us just to flatter us or make us feel OK. And this is why we need to agree with God when he speaks to us through His word and when we read His truths about us – His ‘New Creation’. 2 Corinthians 5:17.
Trying to agree with God from deep down in our being exposes and deals with any doubt and unbelief. When we try and confess a truth out loud and it ‘sticks in the throat’, we know that we have not fully received that truth. When we find ourselves effectively saying to God “Well thank you God, but really I know you are just being nice to me, or just encouraging me”, we are in fact disagreeing with God, and believing the lies of the enemy. And that is the exact opposite of faith.
‘God is not a man that He should lie,’ Numbers 23:19. In fact ‘God cannot lie,’ Titus 1:2, so agreeing with God enables me to walk in harmony with Him because as I agree with Him, my faith levels rise and we know that God loves faith. He loves to see faith in our hearts more than anything else because without it we can’t please Him. Hebrews 11:6.
Tomorrow, we will look at some basic ‘truths’ that we need to agree with in order to grow in faith, but we can begin today by just thanking the Lord that He is totally true, in all His dealings with us, and that He only ever speaks speaks truth into our hearts.
