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Can I just be honest or should I say the truth?


Our subject today may not sound like a question you have heard many believers ask often, but it is a question that is always seeking for answers in the heart of many, particularly those who have been taught on the subject of faith, and who look forward to practicing their faith. To begin with, we must ask ourselves if there is any difference between being honest and telling the truth in the context of scriptures. The two words may seem closely related, and even used interchangeably, but they convey different thoughts in the context of the scriptures as we will see. In my last article on Deliverancethrough the word, I said to be honest is to be open enough to tell it as it is i.e. without any exaggerations or trying to introduce any form of deception. This description may also fit for the truth, but truth goes far beyond that, truth is the highest form of reality there is. We know that there are physical realities as well as spiritual realities, and we also know that spiritual realities are superior to physical realities, hence, truth may not lie necessarily in the domain of physical realities, but that of spiritual. So we can understand why Jesus described Himself as the truth. The truth isn’t just an opinion of someone, it stands alone all by itself and cannot be faulted in any way. 

The interesting thing about the truth is that while in some context it is just about the same as being honest, in many other context, it completely opposes being honest, and this is where the confusion is for most people, even faith taught believers struggle to grasp this concept. We know how well it is important to be honest, I mean this is a societal value to almost everyone irrespective of religion or tribe, honesty is indeed a good virtue. Like I said the confusion is that we have always assumed being honest and telling the truth is exactly the same, so when we come to that point where they both conflict, we just say it as we see it or just as it appears – being honest. But there are times that our faith must resist being honest, so that we can say the truth – the reality, without regards for how we see it or how it appears. This is the picture that the scriptures tries to paint for believes when it says let the weak say that I am strong (Joel 3:10). The scripture doesn’t encourage dishonesty, but where being honest stands in conflict with the truth, then the truth must take pre-eminence. Honestly you may appear to be poor and lacking, but the truth (the unseen reality) is that you are rich.

Now, if there is a sickness on your body, you have a choice to be honest to say it as it appears physically, or to give truth pre-eminence by confessing that you are the healed. I have met many “good Christians” who have tried to convince me that there is no point lying or hiding your feelings by saying you are strong and healthy when you appear sick, or by saying you are rich and abundantly supplied when you appear to be poor and lacking. Well on the side of being honest they may be right, but on the side of the truth their ignorance betrays them. Scripture encourages us to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15), and to speak every man truth with his neighbor (Eph. 4:25). So when I say boldly that I am rich when everything around me tells otherwise, I am not trying to be dishonest or deceptive, I am only testifying to the truth. Some others say that you are in denial when you say something other than what it appears to look like, but that will be an indictment on Jesus, it means certainly that Jesus was in denial when He said Lazarus was asleep or when He said Jairus’ daughter was asleep. Both Lazarus and the little girl were undoubtedly confirmed dead, but Jesus wasn’t trying to just be honest, He was saying the truth - a superior reality, they were only asleep and not dead, and He was going to wake them up. Don’t ever let the Devil intimidate you to just always say it as it appears, there are superior realities beyond what may be seen physically. Scripture says while we look not at the things which are seen, because they are temporal and subject to changes, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Cor. 4:18). Choose rather to persist in saying the truth regardless of how things may appear, and sooner than later, that truth will displace every other form of reality. The truth is higher than any other reality, seen or unseen, and your priority and highest commitment must be to the truth if you must lead a successful Christian life and be pleasing to God.


Shalom!




N.B
For questions on this subject and other subjects, kindly use the Prayer request/Testimony pane. You can also send me an email or reach me by Phone on 08081249992

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