Time Is Required….

One big problem with truth is the fact that in order to be proven, time is required. Truth proves itself over time. Today, people have a distorted view of time. We want everything now. “Immediately” is the call of the world. Instant gratification has become the norm. If we don’t see symptoms of disease, we continue our unhealthy lifestyles believing nothing will happen. If people are caught committing a crime, we continue to be unlawful because it wasn’t me that was caught. If God doesn’t come down immediately and tell us to our face we are sinning, then we keep ignoring Him. Our perception of time is distorted. Even the aging process seems to have sped up. Truth takes its time. Truth doesn’t bow to our demands. It does not concede to our wants and desires. So how do we come to know truth? If it’s legit? TIME. How do you know if someone is telling the truth? TIME. There are signs that we can look for, but it takes time and focus to see the fruit produced over time. Jesus said, “you will know a tree by the fruit it bears”, and that takes time. If a person is telling the truth, it’s just a matter of time and effort on our part to discern the facts. A prophet of God is right 100% of the time. Yes, he is a fallible human being, but if he speaks truth, it will prove itself over time. We live in an age where people abuse truth. It’s because we want it now, instant gratification. For instance, news agencies write stories from two different outcomes in order to be the one to publish it first. It seems being accurate is trumped by “Who gets there first”. That’s very dangerous ground and very irresponsible. Imagine writing an article about someone convicted of attempted murder of a President, but the article is written as if the guilty one was acquitted. That’s twisted thinking isn’t it? It just reveals that being truthful isn’t the priority anymore. In order to discern truth from lies, we have to see spiritually. And that takes time. God has given us 24 hrs in a day, so we are all equal when it comes to that. The difference is how we see it. Our attitude makes the difference. If we ask God for patience and the ability to discern (wisdom), then truth will be evident. We will learn to decipher the signal (truth) among all the noise. Time proves what’s true.

1 One day in late summer of that same year–the fourth year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah–Hananiah son of Azzur, a prophet from Gibeon, addressed me publicly in the Temple while all the priests and people listened. He said, 2 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will remove the yoke of the king of Babylon from your necks. 3 Within two years I will bring back all the Temple treasures that King Nebuchadnezzar carried off to Babylon. 4 And I will bring back Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the other captives that were taken to Babylon. I will surely break the yoke that the king of Babylon has put on your necks. I, the Lord, have spoken!’ ”5 Jeremiah responded to Hananiah as they stood in front of all the priests and people at the Temple. 6 He said, “Amen! May your prophecies come true! I hope the Lord does everything you say. I hope He does bring back from Babylon the treasures of this Temple and all the captives. 7 But listen now to the solemn words I speak to you in the presence of all these people. 8 The ancient prophets who preceded you and me spoke against many nations, always warning of war, disaster, and disease. 9 So a prophet who predicts peace must show he is right. Only when his predictions come true can we know that he is really from the Lord.”10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke off Jeremiah’s neck and broke it in pieces. 11 And Hananiah said again to the crowd that had gathered, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Just as this yoke has been broken, within two years I will break the yoke of oppression from all the nations now subject to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.’ ” With that, Jeremiah left the Temple area.12 Soon after this confrontation with Hananiah, the Lord gave this message to Jeremiah: 13 “Go and tell Hananiah, ‘This is what the Lord says: You have broken a wooden yoke, but you have replaced it with a yoke of iron. 14 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: I have put a yoke of iron on the necks of all these nations, forcing them into slavery under King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I have put everything, even the wild animals, under his control.’ ”15 Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, but the people believe your lies. 16 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘You must die. Your life will end this very year because you have rebelled against the Lord.’ ”17 Two months later the prophet Hananiah died. Jeremiah 28:1-17 | NLT