Hi everyone,
Wanted to share a devotional with you on Jeremiah 14:14-15 – Speaking the Truth
14 Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries[a] and the delusions of their own minds. 15 Therefore this is what the Lord says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perish by sword and famine.
What stood out to me in this passage would be the prophesying of lies in the name of the LORD. They are speaking lies in accordance to what the people wanted to hear. The people do not want judgement and destruction, and these prophets gave them exactly what they wanted. They wanted to gain favour in the eyes of the people and wanted acceptance. This made me think, do we too at times subtly change the truth of God so that people will like us better? Many times people don’t want to hear confrontation words because it makes people feel uncomfortable. The truth is hard to take in at times. However, we cannot compromise God’s truth just so we gain people’s favour.
May we as the people of God and as teachers of the word be reminded of that. We want to always stick to what God wants us to say instead of what people may want to hear. May we continue to teach and speak what is true in accordance to God’s word and His truth even when it can be difficult for people to hear. In fact, speaking the truth requires courage. Speaking the truth also demonstrates true love to the people around us. We want people to know the truth because the truth will set them free. We don’t want people to believe and continue to live in a lie where they remain stuck and are being destroyed by it. To demonstrate love to those around us is to speak the truth in love. For people to experience true freedom is to know Jesus.
Blessings,
Kelsey