Who is the judge?
The judge is God.
Why is he God?
Because he decides who wins or loses. Not my opponent.
Who is your opponent?
He does not exist.
Why does he not exist?
Because he is a mere dissenting voice of the truth I speak!”
My dad has this saying that has stuck with me for years; he says, “Speak the truth, speak it ever, call it what you will. He who hides the wrong he does, does the wrong thing still.”
I gather from this quote that whether you speak it or not, the truth still exists.
My auntie Regna has taught me that if you want to be able to distinguish the truth from a lie, you study the real thing, so that the counterfeit will be easy to spot. Studying the truth takes a lot of commitment and along with it sometimes comes hurt feelings and shame.
There’s something about hearing the truth that can be really difficult. I don’t know about you but hearing the truth about my faults and areas of much needed growth is pretty painful. I mean, deep down inside whether verbalized or not, you already know what you would like to work on about yourself! But actually hearing it is even more real. But ladies and gentlemen at the end of the day it’s all about the work that God is doing in you and it doesn’t matter the person He chooses to speak through.
But for me I have been blessed to have Tommy as God’s truth -speaking mouth piece. And oooh boy his truth is real. We’ve shared with you before about the importance of tone, but even when the truth is spoken in love, the way he does so well, bottom line is it’s still the truth! I’m learning that true love tells the truth and true love listens to the truth. After all as my soon to be husband , who better than to tell me the truth despite the temporary pain I may feel. As my husband he will be the example of Christ and I will be the example of the church (Ephesians 5:25 ) And the Word of God says that Christ is, “...the way, the truth, and the life...” (John 14:5) To accompany Christ as the truth, 1John 5:16 says that, “God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them...(verse 17) and as we live in God, our love grows more perfect.”
So what am I saying? I’m saying that no matter how badly the truth sometimes hurts, as Tommy lives in God and we prepare to be ambassadors for God’s design for marriage (a mirror image of His relationship with us the church), then the truth he speaks helps to grow our love for God and one another more perfect!
So don’t get upset or frustrated with the person that tells you the truth; after all they are not your opponent, your opponent does not exist! They are just the mouth-piece chosen by God, who is the judge.
~Candace
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4 comments:
Actually the quote is not entirely accurate...
just to add a little balance, we DO have an opponent - the silly devil. He does exist but he's not a dissenting voice. A dissenting opinion voice)technically is the opinion of a judge in the minority whose voice cannot overule the majority, and the devil is definitely not a judge or an authority in any way, so he's not a dissenting voice. He is however an opponent, but one that we have victory over:
1 Peter 5:8-11 (New International Version)
8 Be self- controlled and alert. Your enemy [opponent] the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
...So I think it is important to understand that you DO have an opponent as you go into marriage, but 1)it is not either one of you i.e you are not each other's opponents, though the devil may try to make it seem like that sometimes during tough situations 2)you are both on the same (winning) side fighting the same (losing)enemy,
...so no matter what challenges you may face in marriage (and every marriage faces them)continue to remember that you are on the same side. Even when you disagree, don't fight each other, but recognize your opponent at work and stand together in agreement to constantly put the devil in his place - under your feet in Jesus Name!
God bless you both and May the Grace of God be with you always!
Thanks!!..and we love your input please continue to do so...
see...me on the other hand, i think the quote is actually correct. it's not that we discount the devil's existence. scripture (and life) tells us that he does. however, he doesn't speak truth. the devil IS a "dissenting voice of the truth I speak."
at times i feel that we give the devil too much place. is he real? yes. does he mess stuff up? yes? but more times than not...it's because we let him.
Great Stuff Bro!! Tommy..
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