“Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.” – Blaise Pascal

I read once that when law enforcement officers train business owners to recognize counterfeit bills, they don’t spend any time looking at the counterfeits. Instead, they study a real bill, implanting every detail in their brains. Why? Because if they know what the real thing looks like, feels like, and smells like, they won’t be fooled by something that’s close, but counterfeit.

It’s one thing to be deceived about the validity of paper money; it’s quite another to be misled about matters of eternal consequence. The place we go to for truth we can rely on is God’s Word. The Bible is God’s revelation of ultimate truths about our purpose in this world, his character and standards, how we should relate to other human beings, how and why we should take care of the earth, and life after death. It really matters that we get those things right!

There are many theories out there about these issues, but there’s only one source of truth by which we measure everything else we hear, see, or read. If the message syncs with what God says, it’s truth. If it varies, even a little bit, it’s false. It’s of ultimate importance to know the difference.

The only way not to be misled, is for us to immerse ourselves, first of all, in reading and studying God’s Word. Then we can supplement that by listening to trusted biblical teachers and reading reliable Christian authors. When we have the truth firmly implanted in our minds and hearts, it will be easy to see and discard the counterfeits.

“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” – Psalm 25:5