The Offending Truth

" Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened ". - Winston S. Churchill

In any human society, citizens are expected to adhere to the "acceptable mode " of speech and behaviour .
This acceptable norm is that people should comply with this mode in their manner of speech and behaviour by being kind ,decent ,  reasonable, considerate, courteous and law-abiding .
Honesty and integrity are  the virtues which would enable human beings to adhere to the required norms.

The Truth

The definition of the Truth should not be limited in its scope ; therefore a few words cannot adequately encompass the definition of what is truth .

Concisely ,Truth is that which corresponds to reality and it matches the object of the Truth.

Truth by its nature excludes all that is opposite  to it ; therefore the opposite of truth are lies or falsehood , fraud , deception and everything that are not the actual descriptions of a person , a place or a thing.

 Therefore , simply , speaking the TRUTH means " saying it as it is " .
Now, truth that is diluted , soft-padded, embellished or seasoned ceases to be the truth.

Some people would say "The Truth is Relative ".
The Truth could be described as eccentric and arrogant utterances because of Truth's claims that it is absolutely unique.

But is it arrogant for a maths teacher to insist on only one right answer to an arithmetic problem? 
In arithmetic , 1+1 = 2 and forever it will be so.

Or is it eccentric and arrogant for a locksmith to state that only one key will open a locked door ? 
Truthful declarations though unusual , are backed with power and authority .

  " Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me". John 14 : 6 . ( NASB )
The Truth in order to declare itself accurately ; indeed, would seem arrogant and judgemental.

Truth could also be perceived as aggressive and judgemental as theTruth is declared. 

" 7.Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 

8. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 

9. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

10.The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly " . 

John 10: 7-10 KJV.

People feel betrayed and hurt when they discover that they have been lied to ; but telling people the truth could be just as hurtful and unpalatable to the hearers as when they are lied to. Some people would even prefer not to hear the not the exact truth about themselves.
The Consequences of speaking the truth.

In every society there are indeed serious consequences for speaking the truth .
The most severe consequences would depend on the perceived "harm " which the spoken or written  truth has caused.

The truth is bitter,indeed .
Therefore many people chose to exhibit the cowardice of not speaking the truth.
For fear of serious reprisals , being "mum"(silent) or the words " I don't know " have become the preferred response of people when confronted with any request for them to speak the truth.
Therefore the majority of the human race who know the truth would not dare utter it ,or write about it at all ; or if they did , they would present the embellished and diluted version of the truth.

In some homes , parents teach their kids from a tender age not to be " too forward , too out-spoken and never to be the one to "bell the cat" by declaring the truth always ".

The admonitions such as " Let other people speak it or write it ! But you keep quiet !" ; are the usual counsel from family and friends to those persons who want to tread where angels dread by revealing and speaking the truth about very sensitive matters.

When you speak the truth , you would become a marked person ; you would be hated , condemned and called names such as a "loose cannon and a loud-mouthed trouble-maker " Usually, the adherents to the truth incur wrath and they are seen not as heroes but as fools deserving social ostracism and elimination through imprisonment or even death !

Jesus laid His word bare to the Pharisees and Scribes , thereby  incurring their wrath.

" But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. 
Matthew 23:13.

John the Baptist incurred the wrath of Herod and Herodias for speaking the truth .

" For Herod himself had sent and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her. 

18For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 

19Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death and could not do so; 20for Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed; but he used to enjoy listening to him ".

John the Baptist became marked for elimination and eventually he was arrested , imprisoned and beheaded for speaking the truth.

 21. A strategic day came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his lords and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee; 22and when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you.” 
23.And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give it to you; up to half of my kingdom.” 
24.And she went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 
25Immediately she came in a hurry to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 
26And although the king was very sorry, yet because of his oaths and because of his dinner guests, he was unwilling to refuse her. 27Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded him to bringback his head. 
And he went and had him beheaded in the prison, 28and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. 
29When his disciples heard about this, they came and took away his body and laid it in a tomb.
Mark 6: 18 -29

The usual accusations against those persons who speak the truth are : "Why did he or she say it like that ?!".
 "He /she could have said it in a nicer , kinder , gentler and more cautious way !".

This accusation confirms that those who oppose the declaration of the  truth of any matter , know what the truth is; but they would rather hear it seasoned with salt or they would rather  not hear the truth spoken or written by anyone at all !

How then do you season these truths below  which some people find "offensive" and "politically incorrect " ? 
How do you "not say it just like that ! " or say them in a  kinder , nicer or more cautious way ? :

" The soul that sinneth, it shall die ...!" Ezekiel 18:20 .

24."That is why I told you that you would die in your sins.
For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in  your sins."
 25“Who are You?” they asked. “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied.… John 8: 24 -25.

17. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. 

18. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned but whoever does not believe is already condemned because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

19And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness more than light, because their deeds were evil.… John 3 : 17-19.

" 1 and the Father are one ". John 10:30.

8 " We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 
9 We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me".
1 Timothy 1 : 8-11.

There are persons who would speak the truth  not minding the consequences .

Such persons are a rare breed whose boldness are divinely -sourced.

They are men and women of integrity whose Rock and Stay is the Truth Himself.

John 10 : 27.

" Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.

Isaiah 51:1.

Just as there persons who would speak the truth ; not minding the consequences ; there are also persons who are notorious for not needing any reason or any encouragement before they would lie at the drop of a hat .

" None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

5They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.

6Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands" . Isaiah 59 : 4 - 6.

Among those groups of persons  who are most likely not to be willing to be  forth coming with the truth are :
1. The fearful persons who dread the consequences of speaking the truth such as Cowards who when faced with the truth would rather remain silent than speak the truth which they know .
The Coward's Mantra is " He who lies by keeping quiet , stays alive to lie another day !"
2. Sales persons and  advertisers are notorious for peddling half-truths and for their embellishment of the actual facts regarding the actual quality and real value of their products which they are offering for sale .
The desirable end  or purpose for this group of liars is their desire to close the deal for a lucrative sale .
For this group of deceivers , their mantra is "The end ( i.e.the sale)  justifies the means! ".
Through deceptive packaging of products ,some advertisers and sales persons have even succeeded in selling snow to Eskimos !
When dealing with this group, a wise person's policy should be "Buys Beware!" . 
3. Men { the male specie ) and Politicians are most likely not to speak the truth .
The general complaints against this group of liars is that the vows and promises made by Politicians to their electorate are similar to the vows and promises made by men to their girl- friends and wives .Their vows and promises are fickle and unreliable and as such they are subject to future "amendments".
Therefore , in order to avoid emotional shocks and disappointments in the immediate and distant future, promises and vows made by males and politicians should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Politicians in order to further their political ambitions, would deliberately choose to utter only "politically correct " words ; some of which they know are untrue and downright false promises to their electorates.
Therefore most Politicians believe that "political correctness" and not the actual facts or truth about their future intentions would please their electorates and that such falsehood would win them and their manifestos acceptance and many votes .  
 Some men believe that women do not deserve to be told the truth because according to such men ,  females prefer to hear not the truth from their men , but only the false promises and flattery which would make the women happy . 
Majority of men actually believe that all women are gullible and that women are not intelligent enough to see through men's lies and fake promises of  " everlasting love and faithfulness ".
4. Persons in positions of trust such as  business partners, solicitors , doctors, bankers and economists are expected to lay out the true state of affairs to their partners and clients ; but these group of people sometimes prefer to shield the facts for their personal gains .
Lies have been preached from the pulpit by Clergymen ; who covered up their lies knowing that the majority of  their audiences would believe anything they say which have the backing of scriptural reference to support such falsehood.

Consequences of not speaking the truth.
Just as there are consequences for not speaking the truth , also there are indeed consequences for concealing the truth and for remaining silent in the face of prevailing falsehood.

In every facets of human lives , the truth will eventually be revealed and it will always prevail.

If falsehood had a head-start of 100 miles before the truth,the truth would catch up with the lie and over take it.
Lies are like a web. Once inside it , the more you struggle to get out of your lies , the more lies you fabricate and the more entangled you become in the web of lies.
"Your sins will find you out "

The Gospel of Jesus is the Truth 
7."  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8. which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight  
9. making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ   

10. As a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 

11.In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 
12.so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.  

13. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,  

14 . who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory ".

Ephesians 1:  7 - 14.

This blog is an extract from the book  "Just  Say  It ? "  
by Tina Edgal David.

Strong, Enduring and Eternal

17." Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

18. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures ". 

James  1: 17-18. ESV .

The bond between mother and child is strong indeed ; so strong and enduring that even as adults , most people's first port of call when they seek someone to share the latest news concerning their situations with, are their mothers .

Naturally , in times of need or times of crisis, humans would think first of running to Mother for support , counsel and reassurance because Mother and no one else is the person who could be trusted to give them comfort and to keep their secrets secret from third parties.

Mother , indeed, in the one person to be relied upon for comfort and love when all around us have proved untrustworthy and  unreliable .

People would run to Mother not only for comfort and re-assurance when they are distressed ; but Mother is usually the first person to hear the good news concerning their successes, their blessings and joyous situations .

                                    

                                        

A Mother's love towards her children endures until her last breath.
Female animals have been known to take on bigger predators than themselves when the lives of their off springs were threatened.
Most mothers, if their children were under attack; even in the face of danger to themselves from stronger attackers , would fight off such attackers with all their strength even with their last breath , to protect the lives of their off springs .

Some trees and other plants are famous for protecting their leaves , buds and fruits from invasion by destructive insects, birds and humans. They repel such invasions by putting on their natural defences like thorns , colour camouflages or by emitting unpleasant odours and secreting bitter and poisonous liquids.

Thanks be to God the Creator of all things for giving all His living creatures  the gift of Mother's Love !

Maternal love was created and divinely programmed to be all what it is. A biological mother's love is the sample and the earthly shadow of the real thing which is God's love for His children.

The uniqueness of a mother's love is indisputable as it is the purest , strongest and most reliable manifestation of love which a human being could receive from another human being .
For these reasons , many humans, actually love and cherish their mothers to the extent that if they were faced with the difficult choice of pleasing their mothers and maintaining their relationships with their mothers or displeasing God and losing their close relationship with God ; they would prefer to please their mothers.

God's love deserves  to be cherished and appreciated above all other love existing among humans.

God is Love who is unconditional and eternal . 

God's love manifests as the caring Father's love and also as the multi- breasted Mother's all-sufficient love which is more than enough to supply abundantly above all we need or desire . 

" And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst." Zechariah 2: 5.

 All what humans would ever need regarding unconditional and unending love, provisions, faithfulness , protection and care is found in God alone. 

"Can a woman forget her nursing child and 
have no compassion on the son of her womb ?
Even these may forget , but I will not forget you ".

 Isaiah 49:15.

 How could a nursing mother " forget " to care and to have compassion for the child she bore?

Strange as the notion seems , many mothers have done just that. They forgot their children when they were most needed by their children !

A mother's forgetfulness could be deliberate or unintentional.
Even as unique as maternal love is, a mother’s love being human and earthly in its nature, is subject to human failings ; as such, Mother's love cannot measure up to the highest standard which is God's unconditional and perfect love .
Like a shadow is fleeting and is not the substance ,so could the uniqueness of maternal love be fleeting and fallible .
Unintentionally , a careless mother could doze off, forgetting to feed her child , or she could fail to position her child properly in the child's bed leading to cot-death !

Some mothers have ignorantly or carelessly fed their children with contaminated food and water which caused severe life-threatening diseases in the children.

 Some mothers have forgotten to give their sick children the correct dosage of prescribed medications.

When in public places, some mothers forget to keep an eye on their children ; resulting in missing children  and fatal accidents resulting from their children running into the paths of fast-moving vehicles!

These acts of carelessness or / and ignorance by mothers are just a few of such which could cause severe injury or death for their children.

But the Eternal Mother , Jehovah El-Shaddai neither sleeps nor slumbers on duty. Psalm 121:1- 4.

Yahweh , Jehovah God is always on duty , day and night , watching  over His children . 

Blessed be His holy Name.

In times of need , when we turn to our mothers , they would be willing to do everything they could do to come to our aid .
But much as our mothers would be willing to do everything to help us , what if their "everything" is not enough to meet our basic needs and wants? What then ?
Some mothers "forget" their love for their children when it comes to matters of the mothers' desires to spend the lion share of their money on their craving for drink , hard drugs, hard smoke, expensive holidays, the latest fashion, beauty and cosmetics products, jewellery and other desirable gadgets .

Another major issue for some mothers is their love of food vis-à-vis the love for their children .
Usually, mothers are responsible for the cooking and dishing out the food in the proportions as mothers deem fit, to all members of their household. 
Some mothers find it challenging to overcome the temptation of the sin of selfishness and gluttony when it comes to sharing equitably the family meals .
It has been alleged by some children that their own mothers start eating portions of the meat, fish and chicken during when their mothers are cooking the family meals.
By the time the food is ready to be dished out, such mothers would eat more by serving themselves larger portions of meals and keeping the best and biggest pieces of meat and chicken in their soups for themselves , while leaving the smallest and bony pieces for their children and husbands !
The excuse of such mothers for gobbling large portions of their family meals is :
" For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The labourer deserves his wages.” 1 Timothy 5: 18.
We have seen the distressing sights of the endless adverts of starving children in the media; used by numerous charities to source for donations .
People have often wondered how is it that the diseased , dying and skeletal children seen in those charity advertisements are ,usually, cuddled by mothers who look fit and rosy-cheeked ?!
I hear you !

In Jehovah El Shaddai God there is no lack , no turning or variableness.  James 1:17. 

Strong and sacrificial is maternal love ; but even a mother's love could waver and falter when her joy and her pleasure over the child she bore have ceased.

Some mothers have chosen to forget their love for their children by abandoning them ; may be because their joy as mothers has ceased , due to many reasons.

Reasons such as the fact that the child or children they bore have turned out to be children of sorrow because of the children's physical deformities or depraved characters which have caused shame and sorrow to their mothers and entire families .

Definitely not what or whom their mothers were expecting the children to become ! 

Strange as it sounds, some mothers in the event of their remarriage or starting a new love relationship have chosen to abandon their own children by seeking their personal happiness and fulfilment in the love of their current man.
 Some mothers have complied if their man demanded that such mothers forsake their own children for him ; as his condition for continuing the love relationship.
Also , some mothers have decided to "change gear " by shifting their love , care and attention from their children to their own personal interests ; by investing their love , time and energy in advancing their personal careers, businesses and their own future financial security .
Such mothers give their reasons for such change as the blatant ingratitude they have received from their children.

Appreciating the awesome dimensions of God 's love as Jehovah El-Shaddai "The Multi -Breasted One", is essential and imperative for maintaining our total trust in God as the ultimate provider and supplier of whatever we need in our lives .

Mothers are special , they are indispensable and where would most of us be without our mothers ?
But like all good things on earth, mothers' love is not eternal.

Some day, these great women who rocked our cradles , who are rocking our world, going the extra mile , spending sleepless nights and busy days to care for us and to nurture us ; like all humans , they will pass away.

Some day, you will wake up and hear that your Mother , your most-trusted confidante, your best friend and the greatest love of your life has gone away from this realm !
But , if she was a Christian , she is alive in eternity .

When Mother has gone Home , her God and your God lives and He is your Strong , Enduring and Eternal Multi-breasted One .
Jehovah , the El-Shaddai God alone deserves our adoration and worship.

Appreciate God's faithfulness and goodness .
 Worship Him . Hallelujah ! 

The book "Vibrant Missions "

Thank you for checking out my book "Vibrant Missions" on Amazon "http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01AJDI7WAhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01AJDI7WA

Excerpts from the book: 

Vibrant divine missions are not the run-of – the - mill types of missions.

They are remarkable divine missions, launched by power and by love with the intention of striking through all opposing kings to establish the reign of the Gospel of Christ on earth.

There are vibrant divine missions which were specifically ordained by God regarding what the missions will be like , who will carry out the mission and as to when , where and how the missions will be run,

 Vibrant divine missions are, indeed, love offerings and love songs from the love-filled hearts of men and women who offer them to Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Harvest .

For divine missions to be sustained as effectual offerings, the ministerial gifts of the Spirit of God must be used with Love for God and passion for the souls being ministered to.

“He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him “Feed my sheep “. 

John 21:17 ESV

When our divine missions are passed through the fire-test of the word of God which guides His Vision, would our work in divine missions pass the fire- test of the word ?

The end of all divine missions will be when they are laid at the feet of Jesus Christ at the Marriage Feast of the Lamb where all Christians will gather to receive their rewards.

As we present our works to the Lord Jesus  and we give account of our divine missions , would our labour pass the fire-test of LOVE ,FAITH, HOPE which the word of the Vision of God has set as the foundation and the standard for God’s Vision?

 “ For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 

Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;  every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 

 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

 . If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.. 1 Corinthians 3 : 11 – 15.

.....Because Jesus Christ is Lord !

It 's another Christmas season and once again the world rolls out the drums of celebrations and worship unto Jesus Christ the son of God who came to live among men and to give mankind  reasons to celebrate at Christmas .
The Christmas Season will end with fan fare with the entrance of the New year on the 1st January.
What a privilege and honour to celebrate another Christmas season being alive and well in the land of the living !
Such amazing grace to partake of God's faithfulness and goodness throughout 2015 !
We say "Thank you, Jesus  "!

This is the time of the year  to take stock of our lives and to give thanks for all the great things the Lord has done for us.
I am sure your own testimonies are as great as mine.
 I have every reason to sing praises , to dance and to shout with the voice of triumph  because the Lord God was very good to me and my household in the year 2015.
My testimony is this , in a nutshell :
As usual , at the beginning of the year 2015, I gave God a list of  requests for my family and for my friends and a list of my desirable personal blessings and victories which were dear to my heart and which I wanted God to do for me , ASAP.
Also,  I told God that in addition to these my desirable blessings and victories , I did not want to carry over any  unfinished projects into 2016.
Talk of giving my Father a "Tall Order!" of gifts desired !
Our prayer lives should not be at its peak at Christmas season only .
We must offer  fervent and continuous prayers and intercessions to God throughout the year .
The fervent prayers of the righteous avail much , coupled with the mercy and the grace of God.

You know what ?
 My God specialises in carrying out  tall orders :  even exceeding what I expected!
Glory Hallelujah ! Jesus is Lord indeed!
Every thing I asked my God at the beginning of  2015 to do for me before the year ended , HE DID THEM ALL for me , beautifully and He even gave me more blessings and victories than I asked for What an awesome God !!
"This is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in my sight !"
That is why I rejoice not only at Christmas , but everyday of my life !
For my God reigns in my life and in my situations , all through the year .
Taste the Lord and see that the Lord is good , indeed!

Donning one of the "silly head gears!" Hmmm...!

To those who " don't do Christmas " and for those Believers  who "do Christmas" but they believe it should be a season of muted celebrations , spent in sobre reflections over the "sins of the world",
 I say " sorry , but no apologies",  that all these loud Christmas celebrations are IN YOUR FACE , everywhere, all over the earth ! 
Well, you may wonder   why all this fuss , the shopping , the noise , the FEASTING  and the "silly" Christmas wares? !
You don't do Christmas ? Ouch ! 
Wishing you more days on the mountain of " sobre reflections" .
Well. The point is , I ,we , the billions of inhabitants of the earth " do Christmas " with all the fuss , the noise ,  the feasting, the shopping , the "commercialisation" (?) and all the Christmas wears and wares , every year.
How about that ?
We love Christmas  and the earth is rejoicing with loud celebrations and shouts of joy at the birth of  Jesus Christ the King of  Kings, the Prince of Peace who has given Joy to all the world .
Jesus is the Lord of Lords . His birthday is worthy of all celebrations ,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !

Big Thanks to you all my wonderful friends , hundreds of you and still counting , who have bought  my books on Amazon Kindle .
God bless you all , richly !
My latest book "It's  Christmas ! Let the Earth Rejoice !!" is about the different perspectives of celebrating Christmas by the different peoples of the earth ; including the discussions about the mentality which preaches the accusations of  "the worldliness and the commercialisation  of Christmas , the pagan Christmas date , pagan symbols , pagan icons and silly wears and wares !" .
This book is a good addition to your Kindle Library.
The contents of the book present a fresh and bright outlook on why all over the world , to the glory of God , both Christians and non-Christians celebrate Christmas .
It is selling fast on Amazon Kindle. 
Grab your copy . Thank you .

 http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B019TQNNPE