2 Corinthians 1:12 English Standard Version (ESV) For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicityand godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.

These past few devotions have been with simplicity, so much so that the reader may excuse themselves from learning anything new. The point of this recent exercise was to remind us of our duty to the newest of disciples. When we began our journey with Christ we knew nothing, but we did not know that. Now our initiates are in that same position and we hope that these past posting will remind us all of that precarious position of thinking we know something when we do not.

1 Corinthians 8:2 English Standard Version (ESV) If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.

Yesterday we spoke about the issues of thought control and how the world fills our heads with false imaginations. They see things differently than how God see things. In order to see things as God sees them, we must put down every imagination even if it seems harmless.

This is why the past few days have been put as simply and honestly as possible so as not to stir up anything but the basic truths required to keep moving closer to God in relationship and trust. We may very well be there at this moment of our lives. We are human and as such subject to the inevitable degrading of memory and emotions.

Keeping our love for God and His word is not a simple thing for a busy mind. Distractions and urgencies will happen and draw us slowly away from those first moments of love and gratitude we held when we first believed.

Revelation 2:3-4 English Standard Version (ESV)

³ I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. ⁴ But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.

How well we are doing is not a direct reflection of our love.

We don’t need no education
We don’t need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone
Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!
All in all it’s just another brick in the wall.
All in all you’re just another brick in the wall.

Another Brink in the Wall Part 2 by Pink Floyd

Life is the teacher and the whole world is teaching us from the moment we are born. If we do not get the truth from our parents, we will fill that void with the voices of a thousand different lies. Sadly most if not all of those voices do not even realize they are lying.

These are the key ingredients of lies and how to eliminate them. It is written in Matthew chapter 4 and I quote only the relevant parts; “³ And the tempter came and said to him, ⁴ But he answered, “It is written,” It does not matter what lie is spoken, the answer is contained in God’s Word.

A lie is a counterfeit of the truth. Bank tellers do not study counterfeit money to detect forgeries, they handle and look upon the real thing over and over and over again. The counterfeit is seen for what it is because it cannot match up to the true thing. The Word of God is exactly like that. We do not need to study lies, we need to continually study and look upon the truth.

Ephesians 5:25b, 26 Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

He cleanses our mind of lies by the power of the Holy Spirit (washing of water).

Paul tells us in Romans 12:2 “be transformed by the renewal of your mind,” which is the process of eliminating those bricks and replacing them with truth. The real power of truth is being in its presence. He abides in us and if we will diligently read His Word, truth will prevail, but we have to read His Word.