“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD
God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from
any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1
Today we hear, “Did the Lord God really say, ‘Thou shall not bear false
witness?’” (Exodus 20:16) Surely, he didn’t mean ALL of the time. What about
during political elections? The other political party slanders and lies, that’s
what politicians do – right? In order to win, aren’t we required to take down
the opponent at all costs? The crafty serpent still tries to get us to doubt
what the Lord God has told us to do, and not to do.
The first novel in my Length of Days trilogy, The Age of Silence, warns us what can happen if we say nothing in
order to maintain political correctness. You and I both know a lot of what we
hear today about candidates is false, even deliberate lies in order to lead a
voter away from the truth. Must we remain silent? Of course not—we would sink
deeper into the Age of Silence.
If we are in mourning or are depressed, the best therapy is to help
others. The way to fight false statements is to spread the truth. That doesn’t
mean we’ll hear the truth from the news of the day. Lifted out of context by a
newscaster or a political campaign, they often twist a word or a phrase from a
speech or writing into something it never intended to mean. We need to do our
own research and spread only truth. Work hard for your candidate. Speak only
what you know to be true. Pray for the opponent, that all good things may come
to them through truth. When we heal others with the salve of Truth, God will
honor our efforts. Let us pray:
“Oh Lord God, author of truth and love, I bow before your holy name.
May your kingdom come to earth this day and dwell within me and me in your
kingdom. For this day, I pray for the ability to speak only truth to lies, that
the serpent may not deceive me. Forgive me when I have foolishly passed on falsehoods
for the sake of winning. When I trample truth with lies, no one wins. I cannot discern
truth on my own; deliver me from the lies of the serpent. In the name of your
son, Jesus my redeemer I pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2016 Doris Gaines
Rapp
"God gives us stories that testify to His
love. Let me tell you mine.”
Length of Days trilogy, by Doris
Gaines Rapp: All three are available in paperback and eBook at Amazon.com and
Barnes and Noble.com, as well at Cokesbury.com
Length of Days – The Age of
Silence (© 2014)
Length of Days – Beyond the
Valley of the Keepers (© 2015)
Length of Days – Search for Freedom
(© 2016)
Prayer Therapy of Jesus (©
2014)
