How To Find The Truth David Field November 9, 2010
This is written for the benefit of all, no matter the particular religious belief system, or lack of it. You may not believe in the bible or any god, but it makes no difference. The law of nature and the universe applies equally to all. The rule of finding the truth is the same for all. I have quoted some good bible verses below, but I could have used quotes from any good philosopher. My favorite happens to be Yahushua.
Here is the short answer: Look. Look in all earnest.
The fact is only seekers find no matter where the starting point is. You may say, sometimes things are stumbled upon. My reply is nothing happens by accident in this world. A person may stumble across something, but if that person is not opened to or interested in it, then it is dismissed and passed by. Here is an example: the young lad that “found” the dead sea scrolls, which is accredited as the greatest find of the century. This boy was reported as shepherding his sheep, looking for one lost sheep, and stumbled across the scrolls stored in a cave in some pottery. So what did he find in his mind? He found some old containers with a paper material in them. He brought them home, and some of the paper was used for a fire. What he found was exactly what he was interested in, and something that he thought could be useful to him. He did not find ancient religious writings. Nothing is “found” until it is recognized. Have you ever looked for something, and it was in plain view? You haven’t found it until you focus on it, and identify it; just like the puzzle find Waldo.
How far away from the object of your search in terms of not physical distance, not physical time, but actual effort, which is energy. The measure of how far you are from your destination is a factor of the obstacles that lie in the path before you, be it distance, or blocking objects. In this scenario we are searching the truth. What is blocking your path to the truth? Lies are the only thing separating you from truth. Lies are the absence of truth. You may say, the absence of truth leaves just nothingness, or a vacuum. There is no such thing as a vacuum in this case. A vacuum forcefully attracts whatever is in the immediate vicinity instantly.
So what is it that lies in your path blocking you from the truth? It is in your own mind. What has been planted in your mind, survival, comfort, personal happiness, etc. These are all things of self-interest, so self is the only thing in your path. So how do you get self out of the way in favor of the truth? It is by choice, do you desire the truth even when it would mean your own destruction? If your answer is no, then you cannot find the truth. Discoverers throughout history have made great discoveries when they put self-preservation secondary. They have risked life and limb, literally.
Are you willing to die in favor of the truth? This is what you must do. This is also biblical. The bible teaches to die to self and follow Yahushua the Messiah. There is but one force in the universe that represents the truth, and He is the creator of the universe. Yahuwah God is the truth. Yahushua represents the truth. It is a law of nature that you must lay down your life, lay down the concern for your life, place your life secondary to the pursuit of the truth. And you will find that the truth is Yahuwah God.
You can be a non-believer in God, and still find the truth. Your journey may be longer or shorter than others; it does not matter, you will still find the truth if you are looking, and place the truth above your own personal comfort. A person’s comfort includes his pride, which is a blockage to the truth. You may not be willing to lay down your pride; you may not be willing to submit yourself to the idea that there is a God of the universe, or that he is a living real god. There may be some things that you are not willing to find in your stubbornness. Then you will not find those truths.
In the bible’s The Revelation, the author John said he looked and then he saw.
Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven:
Yahushua, (Jesus) was recorded in the book of Matthew as saying the following.
Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Now the subject of how to tell if someone else is full of the truth, or full of themselves. Just look and decide. To the degree that a person is full of themselves, there is a lesser space available for the truth. Look at the fruit of the words they proclaim. Decipher the destination of the logic he follows. Will he personally benefit from you or others believing what he says? If the answer to this is yes, it doesn’t necessarily mean it is a lie, but it certainly does not mean it is the truth either. If the answer is no, he will not benefit from your believing, then it can be determined that he is unbiased. This still does not prove he is correct, but at least it does prove there appears to be room for the truth in him. Sometimes the motive is hidden or difficult to discern. Sometimes it seems a person has no agenda, but sometimes the agenda is no more than the self-glorification in convincing others that he is correct. So you have to recognize the spirit of the matter. This is called spiritual discernment. But keep in mind your own spiritual discernment is measured or hampered by your own capacity for the truth.
It is for every man/woman to decide for themselves. No one will pay the price for the choices you make in life, but yourself. So you and you alone must make decisions for yourself as to what is and is not the truth. Don’t put your trust in other men. Don’t give yourself away to the wrong. Think and decide for yourself. Your creator gave you a mind of your own. Don’t put your fate in the hands of your pastor at church or anyone else. We all are only men, no one better than another, and incapable of covering for you. If you follow a false teacher, or a faulty teaching, where will you be but in the wrong also.