June 2013 – Page 6 – Old Paths Journal

Lying, Does It Really Matter?

by: Allen Domelle

“With all due respect, the fact is we had four dead Americans. Was it because of a protest, or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided they’d go kill some Americans? What difference, at this point, does it make?” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at a hearing on the September 11, 2012. This hearing was in response to the four Americans who were killed in the attack on the American embassy in Benghazi, Libya.

The answer to his question is, YES, IT MATTERS! It matters because U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, Tyrone Woods, Sean Smith and Glen Doherty were killed in this attack. These are four lives whose families will live without them because someone didn’t properly do their job. It matters because American integrity is at stake. It matters because truth is at stake.

We then discover on May 10, 2013, that the Benghazi talking points were changed 12 different times to take out any reference of terrorism. ABC News obtained 12 different versions of the talking points that showed they were extensively changed to protect the president and his re-election campaign. Instead of telling the truth, they blamed the whole attack on a video made in the United States. President Obama’s staff knowingly went out and lied to the American people about what truly happened the night of the attack.

One may ask, “Does it really matter if they lied?” Let me make this clear, it always matters if someone lies. If the truth is not known, then the only thing that people have to believe are lies. To lie to the American people puts a question on the integrity of every one who told those lies from President Obama on down.

Proverbs 12:22 says, “Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight.” God detests lying because it is the opposite of Who He is. We find out that the father of lies is the Devil in John 8:44 when it says, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” Anytime you tell a lie, you are doing the work of the Devil.

On the other hand, we find that truth comes from God. John 14:6 says, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Jesus emphasizes the importance of being truthful by showing us that He is the Truth. God further emphasizes this in John 17:17 when He says, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” So, when you tell the truth, you are doing the work of God.

It is important that we learn to tell the truth all the time. They often say that the cover up, which is nothing more than telling a lie, is worse than the act, and God’s Word would agree. God calls lying an abomination. Even if telling the truth means it is going to hurt you, you should always tell the truth.

Let me take this one step further. There is no difference between President Obama lying, and Christians who lie to cover the truth. It doesn’t matter what your reasoning is for covering the truth is; lying is always wrong. Christians should never lie and this includes preachers. When a pastor knows something has gone wrong, he should not lie to cover the sin. Sin must always be dealt with, and covering it is dishonesty. You may think you are doing someone justice, but you are doing them an injustice because you are teaching them to be deceitful which is the same as lying.

Always remember that when you lie, you are doing the work of the Devil. On the other hand, when you tell the truth, you are doing the work of God. Lying always matters because it is always wrong and the truth is not being told. It doesn’t matter what the reasoning for lying may be, it is always wrong. Anyone, especially those who are in leadership positions, should be truthful at all costs and held accountable when they lie. Don’t let the Devil trick you into believing that the lies of President Obama and his staff don’t matter. They do matter because truth was covered up, and truth is one thing that is supposed to be upheld.

Allen Domelle is the editor of the Old Paths Journal which is more than just a Christian’s publication. It is an excellent place to learn how today’s headlines will forge tomorrow’s laws and statutes. Keep yourself in tune with what is happening around the world, as well as in your own backyard with our daily updates and devotionals.

The Power of Proper Terminology

SATAN’S CHOSEN BATTLEGROUND
by: Allen Domelle

The power of one word can literally change the meaning of what is said. If one word is misunderstood, then that one word can cause irreparable damage. One of the most common examples of the power of a word is when former President Bill Clinton made his defense by saying, “It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is.”

It seems that every generation changes the terminology of a word. One word that has good meaning in one country can carry a bad meaning in another. It all depends on the regional terminology of a word. What you say can make or break an interview. What you say can make or break a sale. What you say can make or break whether someone accepts Christ as Saviour. You can never underestimate the power of a word.

God makes much of words in the Scriptures. For instance, the phrase, “word of the LORD” is mentioned 258 times in the Scriptures. The phrase, “my word” is mentioned 15 times in the Scriptures. The word “word” is used 699 times in the Scriptures. God says in Proverbs 30:5, “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.” Notice, the power that God places on “every word” in the Scriptures. Jesus emphasized the power of a word in Matthew 4:4 when He says to Satan, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” How we use words is very important to every part of our life.

Satan knows the power of a word. That is why he has chosen to change wording as his battleground. He knows that if he can get us to use a modern terminology over what God wants us to use, then he has changed the paradigm. Once the paradigm is changed, then he starts the negotiating process to get us to compromise.

Let me use two illustrations to show you my point. Satan said to Eve in the garden of Eden, “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1) You will notice that Satan questioned God’s Word. By questioning God’s Word, he was able to get Eve to change the wording or terminology of what God said. When she changed God’s wording, then Satan had grounds to have a dialogue on what was right and wrong. If God’s exact wording was used, there would have been no reason for a dialogue.

When Jesus fasted in the desert for forty days and nights, Satan tempted Him by trying to change the meaning of the Scriptures. In each case Jesus corrected the definition of those Scriptures by quoting Scripture in their proper context or terminology. Jesus understood that if the terminology changed, then the dialogue begins.

One of the biggest reasons Christianity is in the mess that it’s in is because we have accepted liberal terminology instead of scriptural terminology. Most of the battles we face in society today would not exist if we stuck to scriptural terminology. Let me show you some examples.

Sexuality would not be a battle if we would stick to God’s terminology. When God created mankind, He made us male and female. I want you to notice God never says that He created heterosexuals or homosexual. God simply made man and woman. God makes it clear that a man is to “leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;” (Mark 10:7) As long as we stick to God’s terminology there is no battle over the definition of marriage or if being a homosexual is an alternative lifestyle. God makes it clear in the Scriptures that any other practice outside the boundaries of marriage between a man and woman is wrong. In fact, God calls those who commit intimate acts with the same sex, sodomites. Four times in the Scriptures God uses the word “sodomites” in describing the sinful lifestyle that we call homosexuality. If we would stick to God’s terminology, there would be no battle today over the definition of marriage. The battle happened because we accepted man’s terminology over God’s terminology, which gives them grounds to ask us to sit at the table to negotiate the true meaning. There is no negotiating on this subject if we stick to God’s terminology of sodomites.

The battle of the Word of God would not exist if we used God’s terminology. No where in the Scriptures do you find God using the word “Bible” to describe the Scriptures. Instead, God used the word “scriptures” 53 times. “Scriptures” carries a more powerful meaning than Bible. 49 times God uses the phrase, “Word of God” to describe His Word. No where in the Scriptures will you see God use the word, “originals” or “Bible.” That is liberal terminology to get us to question whether we actually have God’s Word today. If we use God’s terminology of Scriptures or Word of God to describe His Word, then there would be no battle of the validity of the Word of God.

The battle of abortion would not exist today if we used God’s terminology. God never says a lady is pregnant; instead, God says a lady is “with child.” There is a big difference between being “pregnant” and being “with child.” There is no life in the word “pregnant.” That is why there is a battle over when life starts. That is why proponents of abortion say that abortion is not murder. They can say this because their is no insinuation of life. Yet, if you say a lady is “with child,” then that says there is life. God’s terminology is much stronger and better than man’s terminology.

The battle over purity would not be as great if we used God’s terminology. The world wants to use the phrases, “extra-marital affair, pre-marital sex” or “affair.” Yes, all of these sound bad, but let’s compare them to God’s terminology of “adultery” or “fornication.” God simply calls a person who practices intimacy outside of their marriage an adulterer. That carries more weight to the thought process of the wickedness of this sin. Calling a young person a “fornicator” because they had intimacy outside of marriage will cause many a young person to think twice before committing the wicked act.

Nearly every battle we face in today’s society is because we have accepted the world’s terminology. You may think I’m nitpicking, but God’s Word is always stronger than man’s word. You must always remember that man’s wording will always water down sin and make it sound like it’s not as bad. If you want to stop the dialogue, then use God’s wording. Let me give you a few thoughts to think about.

1. God’s terminology does not change.

One of the great things about using God’s terminology is that you will never have to wonder what God said. Hebrews 13:5 says, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” What God called something a thousand years ago is still called the same thing today. God doesn’t change terminology just to appease a politically correct society. God doesn’t change terminology because He understands the power in His terminology.

2. God’s terminology carries more conviction than man’s terminology.

The heart of man is evil. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” If man’s heart is evil, then when man changes a definition he is not going to make it stronger, but he is going to make it weaker. God’s terminology will cleanse more lives than man’s terminology. Psalm 119:9 says, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.” God’s Word changes because it convicts. Conviction will bring a change.

3. You must retrain your mind to use God’s terminology.

One of the hardest things you will do is to change your thinking to use God’s terminology. Since God convicted me about this subject, I have tried hard to use His terminology, but I will tell you it has not been easy. I challenge you for the next month to purposely focus on using God’s terminology. Use God’s terminology of Scriptures when you are talking about His Word. Don’t call people “Gay” or “Homosexual” or any slang term; instead, use Scriptural terminology and call them sodomites. Every time you find terminology in the Scripture that is different than what we use today, I challenge you to use the Scriptural terminology.

4. God’s terminology never antiquates.

Psalm 12:7 says, “Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” God’s Word will always be the same for every generation. Not only is God’s terminology the same for every generation, but His terminology is relevant for every generation. What was correct terminology in the past may not be correct terminology today when it comes to man’s terminology; however, God’s terminology is always relevant and properly understood.

5. God’s terminology deters more people from sin.

There is more power in God’s terminology than in man’s. Imagine the difference between a youth saying they had premarital sex and saying they are a fornicator. Certainly God’s terminology would deter a teenager more because of the stain it would bring upon their name. Imagine an adult calling themselves an adulterer instead of saying they had an affair. God’s terminology will deter more people from adultery than modern day terminology. Imagine a doctor telling a lady who wants to abort her pregnancy explaining to her that she is with child and not just pregnant. Being with child carries more of an impact of life and ending it than just using modern day terminology.

Friend, this may seem foreign to most, but until we get back to using Scriptural terminology, we will continue to have to fight unnecessary battles. Don’t just read this and throw it aside, but rather take the admonition and get back to using Scriptural terminology. If we use God’s terminology, it will keep us away from Satan’s bargaining table of compromise; thus, it will keep us away from sin.

Increase Our Faith

Luke 17:5
“And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.”

One of the most important aspects of the Christian life is our faith. God says in Hebrews 11:6 that it is impossible to please God without faith. The disciples certainly had a desire to please God, and they had heard Jesus talk much about their faith. Knowing their faith was important to the degree of fellowship they had with Jesus, they asked Him to increase their faith. With this question there were several things they were admitting.

First, they were admitting that they already had faith. You can’t have something increased that you don’t have. I believe that God has placed a portion of faith in every person. The reason I believe this is because you cannot get saved without faith. So, if it takes faith to get saved, and if anybody can get saved, then that means that everyone has some portion of faith in them. If you are saved, then you have already exercised the faith you have.

Second, they were admitting that they didn’t have enough faith. It was an admission to Jesus Christ to ask Him to increase their faith. They knew their faith was not what it should be or could be for God to use them. Likewise, you must come to the point in your Christian life when you admit that your faith is not what it should be. Too many times we get to the point in our Christian life when we think we have arrived. Yet, if you have arrived, then why aren’t mighty works of faith being shown through your life? God cannot increase your faith until you admit that you don’t have enough faith.

Third, they were admitting that it is possible to increase faith. It doesn’t matter how weak your faith is, God can increase it. Likewise, it doesn’t matter how great your faith is, there is still room for God to increase it. As great as you think your faith may be, there is still room for God to increase it. No matter which side of the spectrum you fall on, it is possible for your faith to increase.

Fourth, they were admitting that Jesus is the only One Who can increase faith. Faith is a spiritual grace, and only Jesus can increase it. You will fail if you try to increase your faith alone. You need to realize your helplessness, and rely upon Jesus to increase your faith.

Why do you need your faith increased? First, you need your faith increased so that God can do mighty works through you. Jesus showed in verse 6 that with their faith increased they could move mountains. Friend, there are mountains in your life and in the lives of others that God wants moved, but it will take your faith to increase for those mountains to be moved. You need your faith increased so that God can move mountains through you.

Second, you need your faith increased so that you will keep a right perspective of yourself. Verses 7-10 talk about the unprofitable servants who, after doing their duty said, “…we have done that which was our duty to do.” When God increases your faith, you will realize what He did through you had nothing to do with you, but it all had to do with Him. The greater the faith, the better perspective a person will have of themselves. The smaller the faith, the more a person will point to themselves. On the other hand, the greater the faith a person has the more they will point to Christ.

Christian, your daily prayer should be to ask God to increase your faith. The degree of faith you have will determine what God can do through you. Realize your lack of faith and ask God to increase it so that He can do greater works through you.