Truth Mission 2.0

Category: Spiritual Growth

Fruit of the Holy Spirit (What Jesus Meant by “Overcome the World”: Part 2)
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)

Historically, I have been a very task-oriented person. I was all about the to-do lists. It gives me joy when I check something off. It would stress me out when I got to the end of the day, and there were still twelve more things on my list.

Because of this, I tended to turn almost every facet of my life into a mental to-do list. Everything felt like a competition or a performance to me. I would emerge either as a winner or a loser.

Most of life really isn’t supposed to be that way, though. I have learned that it’s OK to simply live life as it comes and appreciate moments as they’re happening. I have also learned that it’s more important to start each day with gratitude than finish it with a gold medal.

So why is it that we keep wanting to go back to the things that we know didn’t work before? Are we just futility addicts? Or is this just part of the natural state of being human?

“Winners” and “Losers”

The problem lies in our tendency to define ourselves by what we do or fail to do. If I win, then I am a winner, but if I lose, then I am a loser. Nobody wants to be a loser though, so we do everything we can to win at life. And if we find we cannot win, then we start doing things that are truly ridiculous.

Some people try to downplay life’s natural consequences by trying to eliminate the concept of winning and losing, a concept that I call the “participation trophy” mentality. You’re a winner just for showing up! And if you didn’t even show up, we’ll try to find an excuse for you, so that you won’t lose. After all, you deserve to win!

Then there are the “glory days” people (I was one of these). These are the people who used to be the best at something. But then they went somewhere else where there were other people that were better. Or maybe they just got old and weren’t as good as they used to be. If a person like this is focused on winning, and he isn’t winning anymore, bitterness takes over in a hurry.

A person in this kind of a rut can’t let go of the past, can’t be happy for anyone else who wins in the present, and is bleak about the future that he sees for himself filled with nothing but losing. Because if you lose, then you’re a loser. But you can’t be a loser because you used to win. But now other people are winning and keeping you from the victory that is rightfully yours. So, if you can’t beat them, then you must tear them down, so that you can be on top again.

Both of these misguided worldviews lead to the same error—trying to put everybody else on earth at the same level so that we can feel good about ourselves, either by having no distinction of greatness, or by declaring ourselves great by attrition. Both philosophies fail, because they both stand on the foundation of defining our worth by what we do, rather than who we are.

God gave us a better way to live.

In the Bible, Paul calls it “living by the Spirit.” This is a churchy way of saying “getting out of your own way and letting God do His work through you.” Living by the Spirit isn’t about checking things off a religious checklist. It is more about being aware of God’s influence in our lives and allowing ourselves to be led away from our own plans and deeper into His.

Notice in the verse at the beginning that it is the Holy Spirit that produces the fruit in our lives, not us. We don’t overcome the world by accomplishing all nine of those things on our own. Rather, when we yield to God’s leading in our lives, these fruits are the natural result of the change that He works within us.

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Tony Cyphert/flickr)

Keeping In Step with the Spirit

Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original. Galatians 5:25-26 (MSG)

The Christian Walk is not concerned with how good we feel about ourselves for being Christians. While we don’t need to do things for God to get His attention, we do still have a part to play. Even a simple game of follow the leader needs effort.

Grace is the free gift of God, but it did not come cheaply. If we had no role to play in working out our own salvation, then what would be the point of God saving us in the first place?

The work that God does within us by the power of the Holy Spirit ought to be evident externally. We have been changed from within so that we may bring change to the world without. So, what does that look like?

More spiritual fruit, less religious nuts. . .

We began this post by listing the nine “fruits” of the Holy Spirit, which is to say, the characteristics that God produces in us, which are the evidence of His existence in our lives. Let´s zoom in on these.
1. Love. Love is an action word, not an emotion. Love involves sacrifice, or always putting the needs of others before your own.
2. Joy. Like love, joy is more substantial than just a feeling of superficial happiness. It is a powerful force that is God’s response to our praise and thanksgiving. This strength renews and refuels us, giving us the proper attitude to carry on with whatever comes our way next.
3. Peace. Peace is more than just an absence of discord. It involves trusting that God is strong enough to bring us through whatever trials await us, no matter how dire they may seem.
4. Patience. I KNOW this one’s coming from the Lord because it sure didn’t originate with me! This is the supernatural ability to stay chill and let things roll off your back. In many people, this is the first fruit of the Spirit that others notice in a new believer. Short fuses get a lot longer.
5. Kindness. Kindness is love in motion. This is the act of lifting up another who needs it. Before the Spirit’s work in your life, there were people you might not have even noticed. Afterward, though, you might find yourself helping these folks out without giving it a second thought.
6. Goodness. I’ve always wondered why this one came after “kindness,” because goodness is the attitude from which kindness flows. To be able to do good for others, we must first have the mindset of doing good for its own sake.
7. Faithfulness. A person under the influence of the Spirit will live a life of integrity. He will say what he means, mean what he says, finish what he starts, and always, ALWAYS keep his word. Lack of faithfulness is one of the quickest ways to spot a fake Christian. Someone who is timid, wishy-washy, unreliable, or plain dishonest is not living by the Spirit. It doesn’t matter how long he or she has been going to church.
8. Gentleness. Along with patience, this is another obvious sign that God is working in someone’s life. If a person has a history of anger issues (as I have), and you see that person holding his tongue, not raising his voice, being less competitive, etc., it’s a good bet that person didn’t learn those techniques from a self-help book.
9. Self-Control. Along with gentleness, people under the control of the Spirit are able to keep themselves together. They can hold themselves back and keep themselves from going to pieces in stressful situations. Again, when you see someone with a reactive nature not taking the bait and going for the throat anymore when someone tries to start an argument, you know that something’s up that didn’t start with that person.
I cannot stress enough that this is not intended to be a to-do list for you to check off.

The goal here is not to get these things done. It’s to keep in step with the Holy Spirit by letting His influence in our lives rule our conduct. If our goal is to live lives of strong moral character and integrity, then the characteristics in the list above will shine through naturally, sometimes without our even being aware of them.

Other people will notice, however, just as they notice when we claim to be filled with the Spirit but do not display these characteristics.

Again, the characteristics are not the goal. The character is.

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October 13, 2025
God Bless America? (Part 2–Fight the Real Enemy)

The most popular post in the history of this blog was Part 8 of the Overcoming the World series, entitled, “The Struggle.” I think the reason that so many people related to this post was simply because we all have the same struggle, that is, remembering that the real enemy is Satan, not the people under his control.

The media has been trying to turn us against each other for years. Social media has driven this divide far deeper.

And the government has only made things worse. The people that side with the political party in power demonize the other side, and vice versa. And the people in power just stoke the anger and hatred instead of trying to put out the fire.

Nevertheless, even the government is not our real enemy, because the government is made of individual people. Peter explained it like this:

Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life in your neighborhood so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.

Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens. Respect the authorities, whatever their level; they are God’s emissaries for keeping order. It is God’s will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you’re a danger to society. Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government. (1 Peter 2:11-17 MSG)

So, the message here for Truthseekers is that our mission is not to take America back from the radical left. It’s to start taking the individual members of said radical left back from Satan. Remember the second tenet of the Truthseeker Manifesto:

A Truthseeker makes the most of every opportunity to learn and grow, striving to understand other points of view, with the purpose of establishing common ground.

The problem with our discourse in America now is that nobody seeks the common ground. Nobody even seems to believe that there can be such a thing. “How can I possibly reason with someone so stupid as to think that a fetus is not the same thing as a baby?” “Why do I even have to breathe the same air as these domestic terrorists who are a threat to our democracy?”

But if we all just take a breath and look at the situation as it really is, we will see that no matter how polarized our political points of view, we do have common ground. Our common enemy.

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The Real Enemy

Looking back over the years that I have been posting here, it seems I keep coming back to this theme—Fight the real enemy. This is the rule I cling to when the world gets stupid, and I want to break out my beatin’ stick and go to town.

In Reasonable, our study of Romans 12, we observed that people who persecute us are not our real enemies. The biggest reason that Satan doesn’t want us seeking common ground with our earthly adversaries is because if we find it, then we might start doing crazy things like listening to each other, encouraging each other in our common struggles, even (gasp!) praying for each other!

Might lead to dancing!

So, while our real enemy is trying to divide us all into Us and Them, God is trying to create an Us of every tribe, tongue, and nation. Anyone who responds to the Holy Spirit’s message, and is faithful to obey it, can be one of Us.

This point is absolutely critical, for everyone everywhere, but especially here in America in such a time as this.

Every “Them” is a potential Us. Even though “them” may deny that God even exists, the reality is that “them” were created in His image, the same as Us. This is why God calls us to love our “enemies.” Because “them” are not the real enemy.

At least, until…

The Mark

Then a third angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.” (Revelation 14:9-11 NLT)

There is going to come a day when a great many people will make an irrevocable decision to follow the Antichrist. They will signify this decision by having the real enemy’s mark (the 666 thing) stamped on their foreheads or their right hand.

Before this day comes, any “them” is a potential Us. But after this day…
Then, and ONLY then, will these people become a permanent Them. Not until that day will these people become our true enemies. And many Christians believe that we won’t even be around to see that morning.

We have to always remember that the only unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (see Matthew 12:31). Taking the mark of the beast would qualify.

Voting Democrat? Not so much. Marching in a Pride parade? Nope. How about getting an abortion? Believe it or not, even this is forgivable (not without consequences, but still forgivable) in the eyes of God.

So I will say the same thing I say in every election year. It’s not our job to save America from Them. It may not even be in the stars for God to save America at all. But it is always God’s plan to build His kingdom.

As such, it should be our primary goal as well.

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July 10, 2022
Reasonable: Part 2–Our Own Understanding

Because of the grace that God gave me, I can say to each one of you: don’t think of yourself more highly than you ought to think. Instead, be reasonable since God has measured out a portion of faith to each one of you. (Romans 12:3 CEB)

Back in Part 1, we talked about how the best way of finding our calling is to trust in the Lord and not to lean on our own understanding. But why is that significant?

It is perfectly reasonable to expect that the One who prepared the path for us knows where it leads. Sometimes, that’s not where we thought we were going. A lot of times, actually. So if the end of the path we’re preparing for ourselves isn’t in the same place as the end of the path that God is preparing for us, then all of our careful planning is just a recipe for disappointment.

Have you experienced this in your own life? I know I have, in big and small ways. When I was 18, I was going to be a famous novelist. I’m 52 now, and that hasn’t happened. When I got my foot in the door with State Government, I was going to fly through the system to the upper echelon and be a major player in state policy. All it takes is one change in the Governor’s Mansion to derail that plan.

Do I even need to mention my family life? I already have before, if you need a reminder of all the things I’ve done according to the pattern of this world that I’d rather forget.

Follow the Leader

The point is that you can’t follow God if you don’t know He’s there to follow. And even if you do know, you WON’T follow God, unless you believe you can trust Him. And that trust only comes from taking your faith to the spiritual gym and giving it a workout, through study, prayer and meditation.

What I have found is that exercising spiritual discipline doesn’t just help me see God more clearly. It also helps me see myself more clearly.

Spiritual Gifts

We all have different gifts. Each gift came because of the grace that God gave us. If one has the gift of prophecy, he should use that gift with the faith he has. If one has the gift of serving, he should serve. If one has the gift of teaching, he should teach. If one has the gift of encouraging others, he should encourage. If one has the gift of giving to others, he should give freely. If one has the gift of being a leader, he should try hard when he leads. If one has the gift of showing kindness to others, that person should do so with joy. (Romans 12:6-8 ICB)

The Church is often referred to as the Body of Christ. Just as every part of your physical body has a specific function, so every member of the Church has a role to play in building it up.

So as God transforms our minds, and we lean less on our own understanding, He starts to illuminate our path by making us aware of the spiritual gifts he has given us. We are then more able to discern His will by discovering what He has wired us to do.

Sometimes a spiritual gift is a divine enablement that enhances the effectiveness of a talent or skill we already have. Sometimes it’s something totally new. Basically, whatever work God has for us to do, He gives us the tools we need to get it done. The more we stay out of His way and just go with it, the more things start to happen.

The list in the passage above is not all-inclusive, but does illustrate some of the gifts God gives His Church.

Some people receive messages from the Lord. They don’t always make sense to the one receiving them. But if they exercise faith, and not their own understanding, and deliver the message anyway, then the person or people meant to hear it will know what it means.

The same goes for serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading and showing mercy. The members of the Church can be somewhat effective in trying to figure out with their own understanding how to serve strategically with their gifts. But where the rubber really meets the road is when we submit to the leading of Holy Spirit, who brought us the gifts in the first place, and see where that leads us. It’s usually somewhere we didn’t plan on being around people we never would have thought of being in the midst of.

(So what does it look like when the Church is functioning in this way? Come back for Part 3: What is Good.)

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February 15, 2020
Reasonable: Part 1–The Pattern of this World

Also, do not continue to conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you test and approve what is the will of God—what is good, pleasing, and perfect. (Romans 12:2 EHV)

This is my second favorite verse in the entire Bible (I’ll get to the most favorite one a little later), because it is the essence of the Christian walk summed up in a single verse.

We were saved from sin so that we would stop sinning. We are set apart from the world that either has no interest in Truthseeking or wants to define Truth on its own terms.

However, the life that we were saved from is the one that encompasses the habits we have developed. The later in life that we accept Jesus as Lord, the harder it is to overcome these habits.

We can’t do this without God’s help. We can’t change our own nature. But we can trust in God to do it for us. True worship is recognizing this reality and acting on it. That is why the verse immediately before this one reads:

I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God—this is a reasonable act of worship for you. (Romans 12:1 MOUNCE)

Reasonable

Romans 12 begins with an exhortation to respond to God’s saving mercy by presenting our bodies, and all that we do with them, as a living sacrifice to God. This means that we should stop doing whatever we want or whatever feels good in the moment and instead go to God for guidance about what we should do and what decisions we should make. Approaching God in this way keeps him on the throne of our hearts, where He belongs.

Paul describes our having this posture of submission toward God as a “reasonable” act of worship, but that word in English fails to convey his full meaning.

The Greek word Paul uses here is logikos. I probably don’t even have to tell you what English word comes from that. It means “logical” or “rational.” It can also be interpreted as “intelligent,” “true,” “appropriate,” “sensible,” “only right,” “authentic,” “fitting,” “not too much to ask,” “proper,” “genuine,” “essential,” “spiritual “ and “in line with God’s mind.”

It is only by being spiritually mindful of the fact that we are sinners, incapable of saving ourselves, and yet chosen by God for redemption when we exercise the faith that is a gift from God, that we can find ourselves in a place where true transformation can begin. We are chosen, but we also make an informed choice.

True worship, therefore, happens where faith and logic meet. Faith and reason are not opposites. Indeed, they must be used together for us to do the work that God saved us to do.

God’s Part and Our Part

This is why both the active and passive voice are used in verse 2. I know that drives English teachers and the Microsoft Word grammar checker nuts, but it’s essential here so that we can understand just how this process of offering ourselves as living sacrifices works. Let’s break verse 2 down.

Do not continue to conform to the pattern of this world.

The implication here is that we have been conforming to the pattern of this world, which is true. As Christians, we always need to remember where we came from. To be set apart from the world, we had to first be a part of it. But what is “the pattern of this world?”

The pattern is the superficial values and customs of our culture. Throughout the ages, it has always been about keeping up appearances. The world judges people and situations by what they can see. Since faith involves believing, THEN seeing, it doesn’t fit the pattern. Therefore, the pattern rejects faith.

In doing so, the people that do conform to the pattern develop standards (for lack of a better word) that are not based on faith and its outcome. The pattern molds and shapes them into a hive mind that is opposed to anything that would challenge it.

So why is that a problem for Truthseekers? Because there’s a good chance that a lot of our friends and family are conforming to that pattern. Sometimes being set apart feels more like being left out. We are tempted to compromise our faith and convictions to have a sense of belonging that we are comfortable with.

This is why God warns us that we have to do our part to resist the pattern. But while we are doing that, God is doing this…

Be transformed by the renewal of your mind.

When we make the decision not to follow the lemmings of our culture, we open the door for God to do His transforming work in our lives. Our minds are renewed through prayer and the study of God’s Word.

Have you noticed that the more time you spend with somebody, the more you start to become like them? You pick up their mannerisms, their accent, maybe even some of their habits.

It works the same way with Jesus. Religion can form habitual rituals, but a relationship with Jesus changes you from the inside out. Once you have made the decision to follow Jesus, AND made the effort to spend time with Him in prayer and meditation, you start to see your life and the world in a different way.

But what is the purpose of this transformation?

So that you test and approve what is the will of God.

Back to our part. We choose to not follow the culture so that God can transform our minds so that we can use our own logic and reason, in accordance with our faith, to find out God’s will for our lives.

This is the process of figuring out the path that has been prepared for us. If we try to figure it out ourselves without yielding to the Holy Spirit, it won’t work. This is why it says in Proverbs 3:5-6 (my most favorite verse):

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. (NASB)

(We shall expound upon this in Part 2—Our Own Understanding)

January 20, 2020