We sat in a circle for the second week in a row. We ladies were still getting acquainted in our new Bible study group. The ice-breaker game began: Tell two truths about yourself and one lie. See who can figure out which is which.
I said these three statements about me:
- I eat two cookies almost every day.
- I’m the third of ten siblings (3 girls and 7 boys).
- I survived a hurricane on my honeymoon.
What Is Fake? What Is Real?
Sometimes it’s hard to tell the truth from a lie. It’s always been that way (ask Adam and Eve).
But in this age of social media, internet news, and photoshopped pictures, it is increasingly hard. And for the younger crowd, the ability to distinguish fact from fiction declines even more (see this study of students who can’t distinguish true from fake news).
But fake news doesn’t come at you only about current events and politics.
Fake news also tells you lies about yourself.
- You’re not good enough
- You’re not smart enough
- You’re not pretty enough
And fake news wants you to believe the biggest lie of all:
God could never love someone like you.
How to Disprove Fake News
But the truth is that God not only can love someone exactly like you, God does love you, exactly as you are.
How can you know that this isn’t another piece of fake news?
- Find a Witness
Because God gives you a first-hand witness.
As we study the Holy Spirit this month, one aspect of the Spirit that we often overlook is His role as a witness.
A witness is someone who testifies and gives evidence. He affirms what he has seen or heard or experienced.
What has the Spirit seen and heard? That we are indeed God’s children (Romans 8:16).
And where did the Spirit learn that? From God Himself. The Spirit knows the very thoughts of God (1 Corinthians 2:10-11).
- Consider Your Sources
You can also back up this truth of God’s love by fact-checking. Talk to other believers who are witnesses with the Holy Spirit. Jesus said those who walked with Him then would also bear witness (John 15:27). But you likely know many who walk with Him now. Let them also bear witness to you about His genuine love.
- Count Your Personal Experience
Another way to disprove fake news is to appropriately evaluate your own experiences. As a follower of Christ, you have received the Spirit Himself to help you grasp His love (1 Corinthians 2:12). Practice an intentional awareness of His presence with you. The Spirit is an internal witness who can affirm that you are truly cherished by your Creator.
The Truth Sets You Free
When you believe the Spirit’s testimony, you will better understand that you are never alone or unloved. You always have company wherever you go. The Spirit has been given to you as a gift of God’s presence (Romans 5:5).
The Spirit’s presence also gives you peace (John 14:26-27) and ultimate freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).
The Spirit is the one who testifies that you have eternal life (1 John 5:6 and 1 John 5:11).
The Spirit is truth. He is credible. You can rely on Him to be an honest witness.
Of my three statements above, do you know which two are true and which one is false?
Unfortunately, I do eat cookies (or something sweet) most every day. And thankfully, I did survive Hurricane Iniki in Hawaii at the end of my honeymoon (imagine a “romantic” four days on an island with no water, no electricity, no A/C, no clean clothes).
But I am not the third of ten siblings; I’m only the third of four. My family isn’t that large.
Or is it?
As a chosen daughter in God’s family, my siblings actually number more than the stars in the sky and grains of sand on the beach. The Spirit is my witness that I am surrounded by love.
That is true and good news!
How do you debunk fake news? Who has been a witness in your life of the true news of God’s love? Please share in the comments.
Read more in our series:
When something doesn’t ring true it is normally brought home to me by the Holy Spirit through that “something isn’t quite right here” feeling. I then try to line it up along side God’s Word…does it measure up to God’s Word, or is there a measure of “falsehood” in the statement? The witness part of it can be tricky for me because I am a pretty straight forward type of person and if this “fake news” involves another person it is hard for me to ask other witnesses in a way that wouldn’t put the “fake” in a bad light until I was positive of the fact that they were “fake”…if that makes sense.
That does make sense, Dianna. We want to think the best of others and assume they are telling the truth. And hopefully often they are. But when they’re not, what a gift we have in the Holy Spirit to give us that gut check. I appreciate you sharing this aspect of the truth here!
It’s so nice to meet you, Lisa. What a great post! The 3 ways listed to disprove fake news was encouraging and thought-provoking. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Mandy. We appreciate you stopping in to read. With all of us in this together, we can crowd out the lies and lift up the Truth.
I have been having a similar discussion with a friend this week. After he owed up to having never felt the Spirit’s witness, it was then my job, so the Spirit was telling me, to explain to him how the witness of the Spirit feels to me – first comes the message as words that i cannot deny and then comes a witness of warmth throughout my body and the knowledge of the truth. I have sent him home with the task to pray and ask God for a witness of the things that I told him about. That was Monday, he says he’s been thinking, but not done it yet. The Holy Ghost can only bear of the truth and can never lie and once you know something, you know and you have to do something about what you know.
Every word you write, Lisa bears testimony of the Spirit and of God.
Wow–I love this example that you took the opportunity this week to live it out, Beverley. Thanks for your faithfulness to be a witness yourself. May the Spirit continue to move in your friend’s life to reveal Himself.
My friend has a big work project he needs to watch over this weekend and normally he is depressed at the thought of it, but he was so happy and light on Friday, that his boss asked him if he was on something…not his usual self all – i wonder why that could be??
Oh, I love this, Beverley! Glad you followed up here with what’s going on with your friend. Sounds like the Spirit is definitely on the move in his life as he awakens to His presence.
Our church was blessed today to serve lunch to some homeless men, one of whom just got out of prison on Monday. He hadn’t had a meal since Wednesday. :( He ate and ate today. After the meal and worship songs and conversation, he told me he didn’t know what was going on but he had been feeling emotional all day, like he hadn’t felt in a long time. Spirit at work? I believe so!
We plant the seed and the Spirit makes it grow – we don’t have control of that.
Lisa, I enjoyed how you made the topic of fake news relevant to our spiritual lives. Truth in every area sets us free. I eat chocolate everyday! :-)
When I wrote this, I didn’t realize that fake news would be such a hot topic again today. But oh well. Yes, everything is spiritual when we get down to it. Glad you eat chocolate everyday too, a girl after my own heart. :)
Discovering truth takes persistence–and I agree with you, the help of the Holy Spirit. I believe God will guide us to the truth when we continue to pray and search the scriptures. Your post is so relevant to the current time.
Thanks, Carol. So grateful that God gives us His Spirit to find His truths so we don’t have to stumble in the dark.
This is so timely, Lisa. I pray Psalm 43:3 quite often these days … Lord, “send your light and your truth; let them lead me.” Otherwise, everything just remains a muddle.
That’s a beautiful verse to pray, Lois. Thanks for sharing it here. Definitely suited to the times we’re in!
Amen! God’s Word is true. Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy and he will use all sorts of half truths to destroy us.
The closer I draw to God the easier it is to distinguish fake news from His Words of love.
I agree with you, TC. Those half-truths can be just as damaging as whole lies. We are blessed to have such easy access to the Living Word and the written word, too!
Excellent advice. Although I think there’s a good possibility that you stole the subject from a Marvin Gaye song… !
The miracle of this flesh, our senses, and our minds in this fallen world leave us susceptible to the deceit of our enemies. It takes this very advice to keep our armor in place.
My greatest witness is God Himself, His word, then the people that He puts into my life. Thanks for being one of them, Lisa.
Gotta love google. I had to look up Marvin Gaye’s “Can I Get a Witness.” :) Listening now… Oldie but a goodie.
You’re one of my witnesses too, Floyd. Grateful for the army of God’s people who help us see truth. Which reminds me of another verse that it applicable here…
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
Hebrews 12:1
So timely to discuss “fake news” and use it in regards to spiritual discernment. Wonderful connection you made with it. The Holy Spirit is the truth, period. Never a doubt in my mind about that. Thanks for sharing and visiting.
Yes, I love that we can count on the Spirit to never deceive us. Pure truth! Thanks for stopping in, Sherry!
Aren’t we prone to believe the fake news? It can be so deceiving at times. I try to trace it back to who would gain from me believing something. It helps to try and look at the big picture with the witnoof the Holy Spirit. Thanks for this great application!
That’s a very good perspective to consider, Gretchen: who would benefit by me believing this? That’s another tool we can use as we discern truth from fiction. We often believe fake news because it appeals to something else we want. Thanks for sharing!
Lisa,
This was such a good reminder to look at things always through the lens of His Word. They are things that we know, in our head that we need to apply… that we need to see Him and ourselves through. And how much better would we be if we did, right? But it is that heart of stone we are prone to believe, the one that makes discernment difficult. Thankfully, He writes His Word on our stoney hearts and we are able to break free from the lies that steal, kill and destroy.
Thank you for sharing this at the #GraceMoments Link up!
Blessings,
Dawn
Yes, I’m so grateful too, Dawn, that God writes His Word on our hearts. I still am prone to letting distractions and selfishness hide those words from time to time, but I know His power to break through and to seek me out is greater than the obstacles I put up!