8 Wise & Helpful Ways to Speak the Truth in Love

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When it comes to truth-telling where would you fall on a scale of 1 to 10?

1        2        3        4        5        6        7        8        9        10

If someone told you that you had to tell the truth for the whole day . . . could you do it?

I believe in telling the truth. My family would tell you that nothing upsets me faster than finding out someone has lied to me.

Solomon wrote…

There are six things the Lord hates— no, seven things He detests:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent,
a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong,
a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.

Proverbs 6:16–19

Did you notice that two out of those seven things address not speaking the truth?

God is TRUTH. Jesus is TRUTH.

God is trustworthy and He wants His children to be trustworthy as well. But it takes consistently speaking the truth to be reliably trustworthy.

Yet, more and more it feels socially acceptable to identify the “truth” as simply the current popular public opinion. And then, there are those who believe that you have “your truth” and I have “my truth” and that’s okay.

But is that really the truth?

If not, what is “truth”?

Wikipedia defines the truth as – the property of being in accord with fact or reality.
The Dictionary defines it as – the reality of facts and events.

Jesus said,  “I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” John 18:37

And Pastor John MacArthur defined Biblical truth like this – “Truth is that which is consistent with the mind, will, character, glory, and being of God. Even more to the point: Truth is the self-expression of God. That is the biblical meaning of truth . . . God is the author, source, determiner, governor, arbiter, ultimate standard, and final judge of all truth.“

If you and I want to KNOW the TRUTH, we need to KNOW God through His Word and the power of the Holy Spirit. And if we want to Speak the Truth . . . we need to do so by following His Word with the help of the Holy Spirit.

We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ.

Ephesians 4:15

So, let’s take a look at some of the things the Bible says about “truth.”

How to Speak the Truth in Love

1. Know the TRUTH. (John 8:31–32)
2. Pray that the Spirit would give you the words to speak. (Jude 1:20)
3. Be patient and willing to listen in every conversation. (Ephesians 4:2)
4. Choose your words wisely and be intentionally humble and kind. (Proverbs 18:21)
5. Think about your body language and the tone of your voice. (1 Corinthians 6:20)
6. Admit when you’re wrong and ask for forgiveness. (Ephesians 4:32)
7. Keep it simple – Let your “yes” be yes, and your “no” be no. (James 5:12)
8. Leave the results to God. (Psalm 62:5)

Let’s pray…

A Prayer to Speak the Truth in Love

Father, You are TRUTH. You are the Creator of all things and the source of all truth. We are sinful and selfish. By Your grace and mercy, You sent Jesus to save us and show us the Truth and the Way to Life as You intended it. (John 14:6) And You made it possible for us to have the Spirit with us to guide us into all Truth. (John 16:13)

I love You! I want to fully KNOW and TRUST You, the TRUTH! Make me a SEEKer of Your Kingdom through Your Word. Fill me with Your Spirit and help me TRUST and OBEY Your will.

Your Word says that You hate lying. Please forgive me for failing to speak out when I should and for not always speaking with love when I do. Give me the courage I need to speak the truth as Your Spirit leads me and grant me the humility I need to be patient and loving.

Father, I want to glorify You in all that I do and say. On my own, I don’t. I won’t. I can’t. But with Your help, I can do whatever it is that You ask of me. Please help me. I give myself to Your loving care in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Speaking the truth in love blesses both the one who hears and the one who speaks.

Even when that truth is uncomfortable or confrontational . . . if the Spirit guides us to carefully and compassionately speak it, it needs to be said.

I love this quote…

“Truth and love are two of the most powerful things in the world, and when they both go together they cannot easily be withstood.” ~ Anonymous

So, let’s give God glory by intentionally and faithfully speaking the truth in love. Imagine the change the Spirit could work in us and the difference we could make in the world.

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