A Heart that Knows Truth - Day 83 Month 3-24 Week 12-6

Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year)


Leviticus 23:26-24:23 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus%2023%3A26-24%3A23&version=NASB1995

Psalm 69:1-12 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2069%3A1-12&version=NASB1995

Isaiah 58:13-59:8 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2058%3A13-59%3A8&version=NASB1995

Luke 3:21-4:13 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%203%3A21-4%3A13&version=NASB1995


A Heart that Knows Truth


Isaiah 59:2 states to the people of Judah, “your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.”  Isaiah then gives some examples:

  • “Your hands are defiled with blood”

  • “Your lips have spoken lies”

  • “Your tongue mutters wickedness”

  • “No one sues righteously and no one pleads honestly”


I find it interesting that the very words that Isaiah states are also true of most peoples of the world today.  If a person says they represent God, yet their “lips have spoken lies” and “tongue mutters wickedness,” I think it’s right to question their Godly authority because I wonder if they are actually hearing from God.


Satan tested Jesus in Luke 4:1-14.  I find it interesting that Satan quoted scripture to Jesus.  Jesus responds by quoting scripture back to Satan.


Satan knows the bible better than we do.  That’s why Satan and his goons are able to lead us astray, or even lead Godly leaders astray, so easily.  So how do we protect ourselves from being misled?  One way is to know the Bible as well as we possibly can.   Knowing the Bible well enough to know when we are being misled does not require memorizing every word.  If we know the spirit of the Bible well enough, we recognize if something doesn’t fit and if we are listening to the Holy Spirit something that is not right will feel wrong in our spirit.  


Bible memorization is helpful too.  As a child, I memorized a lot of Bible verses.  In “Sunday school” I probably memorized 500 verses (very rough guess).  If you asked me to start repeating them now, I’d probably come up with 10 and I’d probably mix up the wording.  Even though I’d mess it up, if someone starts talking about something where the Bible has a response, very likely, the verse that I need is either right there or I remember its meaning.  Most people who are Jesus followers know John 3:16 but unfortunately that may be the only verse they have memorized.  I recommend that if you are able to, memorize some key Bible verses.  I just asked google, and wouldn’t you know, even google suggests some. Here are some suggestions from google:

  • John 3:16

  • Psalm 56:3

  • Philippians 4:6,7

  • Proverbs 3:5

  • Philippians 4:13

  • Romans 8:28


Peter, in 1 Peter 3:15  does encourage his readers to always be “ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, with gentleness and reverence.”  It’s the first time that I have acknowledged, “with gentleness and reverence.”  I love that!  


There are many church leaders, pastors and people who claim to represent Jesus who may lead us astray.  Most, who are authentic, and truly want to speak truth will challenge the listener to read and learn for themselves and even be prepared to question what is spoken from the pulpit.  The value of checking what a teacher is teaching is to know if the word is from God or from the person.  Very often, the reason one is misled is not taking a biblical word within context.  For example if I used the quotes at the beginning of today’s blog and said, Isaiah was talking to us and not the people of Judah, I would be taking it out of context!


It was somewhere around Christmas 2025 that I finished reading through the Bible last year.  I’ve mentioned before that I’ve read it through a number of times, but my problem is retention.  Last year I thought I would memorize the “sermon on the mount.”  I felt it would be a very strong basis to be able to always go back to, if I really want to know what Jesus is asking of us.  Well, I failed miserably.  My 65 year old brain does not memorize as well as my child-brain did.  So the reason for this blog is to help me retain and hear what Jesus is telling me each and every day.  I hope to finish the Bible once again in one year but maybe go back to the beginning again and follow the same scripture readings day by day and see what God says next year.  The cool thing is that I have every confidence that the Holy Spirit will say new and different things because that’s one of the many ways God talks to us.  Sylvia follows my reading as well and I suspect if she was writing the blog, she’d also be hearing different things and writing about them.


May you hear from God today, with gentleness and reverence!

Steve

steve.d.pauls@gmail.com


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Comments

  1. Anonymous20 March 2026 at 23:52

    Hi Steve! It’s Colleen McConnell. I really like your insights today but I really want to ask you something.
    I’ve been thinking a lot about Bruxy Cavey lately, and I wanted to share something with you.

    I think what’s been hardest for me is the sense of disappointment. He came across as so genuine—someone who questioned the system, spoke honestly about faith, and felt different from the typical evangelical figure. It made him easy to trust.

    But that’s also what makes everything that came out so unsettling. There was a real imbalance of power there—he was in a position of influence, and even if it didn’t feel overt, that kind of trust carries weight. When that boundary gets crossed, it’s not just a personal failing—it affects people deeply.

    I keep coming back to the idea that it’s not foolish to have believed in someone like that. He built connection in a very human way. But it’s a reminder that even people who seem grounded and self-aware can misuse the trust placed in them.

    It’s just sad, really. Not only for the people directly affected, but for everyone who felt something meaningful in what he was doing.

    Anyway, I just needed to put that into words.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Steve Pauls - Daily Readings and Thoughts21 March 2026 at 11:45

      Hi Colleen. Thanks for commenting. It is sad. I'd be happy to talk about this in depth if you email me. My email is steve.d.pauls@gmail.com In general, we generally start to trust people who say things that we connect with. In this case, sometimes we put trust in people above trust in God. Bruxy was easy to trust! That being said, in all his teaching he would redirect us to Jesus. He has a long road to travel now. It's unlikely he will be be back in ministry but if he is willing, God will still use him. Even more important, God still loves him.

      Delete

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