True or Truth?

I have run into several people saying, I am just telling you the truth or they will have the nerve to tell you about how they see you, but when you let them know it isn't the truth about who you are or what you do, they will get mad and insist on being right.

So what is true? Webster dictionary said, true is being in accordance with the actual state of affairs; conformable to an essential reality.

Well yes, it may be true that you have curly hair and a mole on your left cheek or it may be true that you are a female and it may be true that you live in Texas etc.

What then is truth? Webster dictionary said, truth is a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality.

I have found, through experience and learning, that the only irrebuttable truth is the word of God!

Isaiah 55:11

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

1 John 5:20

And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

1 Samuel 12:24

Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.

2 Samuel 2:6

And now the LORD shew kindness and truth unto you: and I also will requite you this kindness, because ye have done this thing.

Exodus 34:6

And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.

If we are going to be able to stand in this life, we must know the word of truth. God's word will not return to Him void. In other words, what we do in the name of Jesus; if it is not against God's word, and based on God's will, it will be accomplished.

Wonder why everything you do fails? Try matching it up to the word of God and if it isn't lining up, then you will need to change. Change is good! Now, before anyone takes off running with what I just shared, please be mindful that, sometimes your trails and pressures of life are God's hand molding you into who He called you to be. Not every set back is bad even though it may appear to be failure.

Example: Joseph was next to the youngest brother and his father favored him over all the other brothers. One day Joseph's father gave him a coat of many colors, which represented the covenant promises of God. One evening, Joseph had a dream and decided to share it with his brothers. In the dream, Joseph saw his brothers bowing down to him, well that mad the brothers angry! The brother's decided to get rid of Joseph, they took his coat of many colors and threw him in a pit. God moved on one of the brother's to not kill Joseph, so they sold him into slavery. Genesis 37:1-36

Now it was true that Joseph was highly favored by his father; it is true that Joseph went from favor, to being thrown in a pit and sold into slavery, but it was not the truth of who Joseph was to God.

Joseph's life seemed to be one failure after another, yet he never stop worshiping and praying to God. All the trails Joseph went through made him look like a failure, but was it truth or true?

It was true that Joseph's life was bad and painful, but it wasn't truth of who God called him to be, yet God chose to allow Joseph to suffer for a little while. Why? To develop and train him on how to become a great leader over a nation! When there is a high call on your life, rest assured you will go through a lot. Why? God wants to get the best out of you, and he wants you to be solely depended on him, to provide and make ways out of no way for you.

So, what was the truth about Joseph that was to be revealed? As you continue to read through the book of Genesis, you will find that God gives Joseph a break. Genesis 39: 1-6

And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.

And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he

did to prosper in his hand.

And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.

And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.

And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favored.

Wow! God always has a perfect plan, even in our suffering, He is with us. We will suffer for the sake of Christ.

As you read further, Joseph had another set back that landed him back in prison. Potiphar's wife laid eyes on Joseph and wanted him to sleep with her. The law in that day was to kill or be in prison for the sin of sleeping or trying to sleep with a leaders wife. Potiphar knew that Joseph was a good man, but he had to save face and go with the lie his wife was telling. Potiphar ordered Joseph to be sent to jail. It looked like God couldn't have been in this action against Joseph, but He was with Joseph.

1 Kings 8:57

The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us.

When we go through tough times or harsh treatment of others, it doesn't mean that we did something wrong. Joseph was a truthful up right man, who did not sin against God. Joseph's suffering was from the sins of others. As Jesus suffered for our sins, so shall we suffer for others.

Why was God allowing Joseph to be lied on and thrown back into the prison again? Let us look at Genesis 39, we see that God's favor was still with Joseph even in prison he had favor with the gate keeper.

In Genesis 40, Potiphar was upset with two of his top men and threw them in prison with Joseph. The men had dreams and couldn't understand them, but Joseph was a dreamer and a seer with the gift of interpretation. God would give Joseph the answers to the dreams of others.

God had the end in mind for Joseph, and He knew that Joseph had to go through what he went through, to get to a high place, to save a nation in the future. But Joseph's tragic life didn't look like God was in it or favored him...but he was highly favored of the Lord.

Be encouraged when you are going through, and know you are living for the Lord...you may just be His Joseph or Moses!

Joseph had been in prison two years, but God gave the Pharaoh a dream that none of his magicians could understand. But if you finished reading Genesis 40, you would have learned that one of Potiphar's two men that were in prison was restored back to the palace just as Joseph said he would be. Well, that man remembered Joseph could understand dreams and give its meaning. The man told Pharaoh about Joseph's gift to understand dreams. The Pharaoh sent for Joseph.

God gave Joseph the meaning of Pharaohs dream and afterwards, he set Joseph over everything and told the kingdom to do what ever he said and gave him rule over the house, the men and his people in the kingdom!! Look at God!!

Proverbs 18:16

A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.

The key here is to operate in your gifts that God gave to you. Joseph never stop using his gift to interpret dreams, nor did he get mad and stop serving or worshiping God.

Yes, it was true that Joseph's life looked like he was never going to make it or rise up, because every time he tired to do good, evil came and tripped him up. God will allow evil to trip us up, so that we can show God strong and prove our faithfulness to Him in every situation.

The truth was that Joseph is a great leader and people did bow down to him, including his brothers in the end. Did you finish reading Genesis 42? The chapter told us that the dream was about 7 years of plenty and 7 years of famine. God gave Joseph wisdom to store up during the 7 years of plenty, so when a drought came they would have food to feed their nation.

The famine did come and the people cried unto Pharaoh to feed them, and he told them to go to Joseph and do what ever he said t do!!

Well guess who else came to Joseph to be feed? His brothers, and they were force to go before Joseph and bow down, but it had been so many years that they did not recognize Joseph.

Joseph later revealed himself unto his brothers, after they brought back his younger brother Benjamin and finally his father.

True or truth? It was true Joseph went through a hard life, but it wasn't truth that what he went through was who he was...God's word tells us who we are and that is the only truth we should speak or say about others.

When a person approaches you and tells you negative things about you, they are not telling the truth. One or two things are happening here: One, they are being used by the devil to lie on you or you are acting like a nut, but it still is not truth! What do I mean? Example: You are always getting angry and quick tempered and that is true of the way you are acting, but it is not truth of who or how God said you are or should act.

What then do you do or say when a person is acting in a way that is not like the word of God? Example: Stan is being hateful and you hear him yelling and cursing...you pray for wisdom of the holy ghost and he will give you what to say in that hour. You say: Stan, why are you acting like that, that is not who you are, you are love and at peace with all men. Now, that may not be the way Stan is acting and that is true, but it is the way he should be behaving, by the truth of the word of God.

Stan may or may not receive it right away and he may get angry at you or thank you. What do you do if he gets angry? I love you man and God loves you...keep it moving! The next time you see Stan and he is acting like that, you tell him the truth. What you are doing is planting seeds of righteousness in him. Those seeds will begin to grow in Stan and his mind will start to change because light over powers dark all the time.

It is not our job to change people, it is our job to be an example, love, forgive, pray and speak truth into others lives.

I leave you with this: 1 Corinthians 3:6, I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

In other words, we can only plant a seed of truth or water it with love, but only God can change and improve people. We do not hold anyone's life in our hands, nor can we take or give life; therefore, we should only speak the truth of God's word and refrain from saying negative things about others.

Anyone guilty of that or have been guilty? My hand is up, and I have sought God to help me and teach me to speak His truth about His creation. Amen