“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you; when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, the flames will not set you ablaze” (Isaiah 43:2).

“When you pass through the waters…”

For the Old Testament Jews, the waters represent chaos, darkness, demonic, evil.

“When you pass through the rivers…”

For the Old Testament Jews, rivers were bad. They were barriers that prevented them from entering the promised land. Remember when the Israelites stood on the banks of the Jordan River looking across into the promised land, everyone one of them had been born in the desert. None of them knew how to swim.

“When you pass through the fire…”

Well, you don’t even have to be an Old Testament Jew to know that passing through the fire is not a good thing.

So, shouldn’t God be saying, “If you pass through the waters, rivers, fires?” I, for one, like “if” a whole lot better. I don’t want to go through chaos, darkness, demonic evil. I don’t want to face barriers. I don’t want to walk through the fire.

But, thank God that’s not what he said. As long as we live on this side of eternity, all of us will go through trials, tribulations, and difficulties. This is not some pollyanna, let’s hope for the best faith. This is a God who promises to be present in our trials, tribulations, and difficulties.

So, for anyone living on this side of eternity, this is great news! Thank God for his presence.

Have you thanked God today?

“I am the truth” (John 14:6).

“I am the truth.” That’s some statement!

It’s interesting that Jesus didn’t point to something and declare that that thing is the truth. Jesus didn’t say, look at the truth…that’s the truth.

Jesus declared, “I am the truth.”

Who says that? Who has the audacity to make such a statement?

Jesus.

Jesus was simply telling us, well…the truth. Jesus was saying, if you want to know the truth, don’t turn to your feelings, don’t turn to what you think, don’t turn to what others say the truth is. If you want to know the truth, turn to me. Look at me. That’s what Jesus is saying.

That’s really good advice. Because when we live life, we will all experience both the tremendous highs and the tragic lows. And unless our eyes are on Jesus our faith life will ebb with the flow of life. To maintain the course, to live life the way God intends us to live, keep your eyes on Jesus.

He is the truth. In fact, Jesus is not only the truth, but he is the way, the truth, and the life.

“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…’ (Genesis 3:1).

Did God really say…

The confusion was not that Eve did not know what God said. She knew. It’s just that the serpent convinced Eve that what he was saying was more desirable.

The serpent said, “You will not certainly die” (Genesis 3:4). A direct contradiction of what God had said – “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die” (Genesis 2:16-17).

The serpent continued, “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5).

The thing that makes the serpent’s lies so dangerous is that it is partly true. It is true that her eyes will be opened. But it will come at the cost of having destroyed Eden and her relationship with God. A truth the serpent conveniently left out.

Eve gave into the serpent’s version of truth, not because she did not know what God said, but because the serpent said what she wanted to hear.

Be wise. Know God’s truth. It’s all right there in the Bible.