Show Me Your Truth

Psalm 25:4-5
Show me your ways, O LORD  teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
When I read the Bible, I do it with doctrinal glasses. I read it with my own personal theology in place. I think this is a practice we all do to some extent, but I also think it’s a dangerous one. We pick up beliefs of the church we attend, or of our family, or from the books we read. Many of the beliefs you’ve learned about God and the Bible are probably true, but some may not be.
When I read the Bible, I’m always inserting my own opinions into the text. If a difficult or challenging passage comes up I’ll say something like, “What Jesus really meant is...” or “God couldn’t possibly be saying that.” It’s a dangerous trap we fall into, but it’s one that is so cleverly hidden and so easy to fall into. The Devil loves it when we take the Word and turn it into my word. Christ loves it “...when you hold to my teaching...”(John 8:31). Jesus says his word is truth, and the truth will set you free.
Scripture is like a prisoner of war. If you torture it enough it will say whatever you what. When we look at the Bible with our own preconceived theology and beliefs, we take away some of the power. Christ wants you to be set free, and only the truth will set you free. Your own personal version of what you think the truth really means is not what sets you free. When we put our own spin on Scripture, we are cheating ourselves from the freedom we could have.
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
I think the reason we do this so often is because we get uncomfortable with what God is trying to tell us, so instead we tell God, “I know you said this, but here is what you really meant.” It is so foolish when we humans try to correct our perfect Creator. To try to correct God is to say he is not perfect. When the Word challenges you, it is doing what it’s supposed to do. It is meant to judge the thoughts an attitudes of your heart. God’s Word is meant to show you who He is, who you are, and how you should be. It reveals the problems in your heart. But we get comfortable with the way we are and we don’t want to change, because change is painful.
If you are ready to read God’s Word and not avoid the change that will come with it, then try this: Think about the verses of the psalm I quoted earlier.
Show me your ways, O LORD  teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Think about these words often. Read them Before you do your normal Bible reading. Pray them to God. Keep reminding yourself that you are reading the Bible, not to affirm your own beliefs, but to learn the ways of the Lord. If you have the right attitude about God’s truth, it will be much harder for Satan to trap you. You will learn to recognize when you are changing the meaning, and you can stop. Always remember to pray for the Lord's truth to be made known in your life.