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Truth Is the Way
Know this to be true: If we, individually and collectively, knew the truth that makes us free, we, our families, our nation and the very world itself would be in peace and harmony. Jesus said, “I am the way.” If we study the special way Jesus used the personal pronouns I and me, we realize that in this passage we can substitute the word truth for the personal pronoun I. Thus, truth is the way. Jesus was the personification of truth. Truth has the power to transform us, our families, our nation and the entire world. Truth heals us; truth saves us. Jesus said, “Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth” (John 17:17). To be sanctified is to be saved. Thus, we are saved by truth.
Jesus was sanctified by his Father ... the same thing as being sanctified by truth. Jesus said, “Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world” (John 10:36). A misunderstanding of the passage in John 3:16 has led many astray from an understanding of who sent Jesus. (This is made clear in "The Gospel Peace.") The prophet Isaiah left us the secret for discovering the truth that makes us free—the truth that would save us, the truth that would heal us. Jesus confirmed what Isaiah said; however, Jesus’ use of the personal pronoun I might have caused many to gloss over this gem of wisdom. This is explained later, but first a few things to think about. The old myths, “truth hurts” and “time heals all wounds” are false and misleading. Truth is the only thing that brings us peace, joy and happiness—what everyone desires. Satan (our fearful, false ego-self) is most deceiving and ingenious. Although Satan is the hidden cause of hurt, it has us believing that truth hurts. And, by the time you finish reading this essay, you will know that truth is the healer, not time. Learn the truth! The Satan within us is the hidden cause of all mental turmoil and suffering: crime, violence, anger, anxiety, child abuse, spousal abuse, the breakup of families, psychosomatic illnesses, jealousy—all that robs us of peace, joy, and happiness. We free ourselves from Satan by knowing the truth that makes us free. So, what is truth? It would help with our understanding if we would keep simple things simple. A simple definition according to Webster is, truth is: “that which is true.” When we strip away all that is false what remains must be the truth. The following is excerpted from a book I completed in 2004, Commune with our Heart — The Only Way to Find Peace, Joy and Happiness: “The task of discovering the truth that sets us free is not learning anything new. The task is unlearning fears and false beliefs. Only that which is real; only that which conforms to fact or reality; only that which is true remain after our fears and false beliefs vanish. Truth is the absence of falsehoods. Truth is what is. When we are free of fearful, false beliefs, we are in harmony with truth; we must be happy, peaceful, satisfied, and contented: it’s our true nature. If you persevere and keep chipping away all that is false and fearful — bringing it into conscious awareness until you understand it — it will vanish. It is all so simple, yet so elusive. When we learn the truth about our false beliefs, we no longer believe them. When we no longer believe them, they disappear. When fearful, false beliefs disappear, what remains is true.” Truth is eternal; truth never changes. Unlike truth, falsehoods vanish in the light of truth … as simply as the darkness vanishes when a light is turned on. If our lives were truth driven we would be ecstatically happy, satisfied and contented. Instead, for the most part, we are ego driven, doing those things that impress others—doing things that make us appear special and important. However, it’s all a mask, hiding the way we believe and think in our heart. Life will never get any better than it is when we are living in harmony with truth; thus, the wisdom of noted thinkers: · “Time is precious. Truth is more precious than time.” — Disraeli · “Better than living a hundred years not seeing the highest truth is one day in the life of a man who sees the highest truth.” — Buddha · “Truth is the cry of all, but the game of the few.” — George Berkeley · “Our minds possess by nature an insatiable desire to know the truth.” — Cicero · “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” — Thoreau · “Freedom and progress rest in man’s continual search for truth. Truth is the summit of being.” — Emerson · “There is nothing so powerful as the truth, and often nothing so strange.” — Daniel Webster · “Know thyself.” — Socrates [When we know ourselves, we know truth.] · “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” — Jesus Although the truth that brings us peace, joy, and happiness is what all seekers are seeking, truth is the one thing that our false ego self will resist to the bitter end. H. L. Mencken, American journalist and essayist, said, “For the habitual truth-teller and truth-seeker, indeed, the whole world has very little liking. He is always unpopular, and not infrequently his unpopularity is so excessive that it endangers his life. ... The men the American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth. ... Run your eye back over the list of martyrs, lay and clerical: nine-tenths of them, you will find, stood accused of nothing worse than honest efforts to find out and announce the truth.” (From THE VINTAGE MENCKEN, by Alistair Cooke). Along with this line of thinking, there is the Armenian proverb: "He who speaks the truth must have one foot in the stirrup." And, the prophet Amos said, "They abhor him who speaketh uprightly" (Amos 5:10). Contrary to what fundamentalists believe and teach about Jesus dying on the cross to save us from or sins and that he took our sins on himself, Jesus was persecuted for the same reason that his disciples were persecuted. And Jesus and all of his disciples except John were executed: Because they were teaching the gospel of peace and truth. Any way you slice it, the misleading beliefs of fundamentalists do not alter what we must do to be saved—what we must do to discover the truth that makes us free. Let's face it! Many people, including many who call themselves Christian, do not understand, believe — and do — what Jesus said. Jesus expected his followers to do what he said. Jesus said, “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say” (Luke 6:46). How many Christians do you know who do the following things Jesus and other biblical teachers said? · “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Our true spiritual self (our Father) is perfect, created in the image and likeness of God. · “When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:6). Notice from this statement and the one above that our Father and heaven are with us. · “Seek ye first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33). Notice that Jesus said to do this first. · “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” (Luke 11:9-13). Jesus was speaking about seeking heaven, which is within us. We find heaven when we discover the truth that makes us free. Let us not gloss over what Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). The kingdom of God (heaven) is characterized by peace and joy. · “Cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also” (Matthew 23:26). · Jeremiah said, "Wash thine heart from wickedness that thou mayest be saved" (Jeremiah 4:14). [Note: When we wash our heart from wickedness, our heart is pure; we are perfect, and we are saved.] · James said, "Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded" (James 4:8). · James also said, "Receive with meekness the engrafted word [the truth], which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21). · The apostle Paul said, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13). (Explained later). · Moses said, “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and ye shall be holy” (Leviticus 20:7). [Note: To sanctify is to save. When we are holy, we are perfect; we are saved; we are in harmony with truth. And we have peace and joy.] Regardless of what fundamentalists believe about the birth and death of Jesus, if we did any one of the things listed above: We would be saved; we would be in harmony with truth; we would be perfect; and we would have peace and joy ... what the entire Bible is all about. Think about it. There are about 400 Protestant denominations, because of different beliefs. There are considerable discord and differences in beliefs in the churches. How many churches teach clearly the things listed above? Let's face it. There are many misleading teachings in the churches, and many churches are packed with hypocrites. Most people are not getting the message Jesus and other biblical teachers intended for us. Think about it: Truth has the power to restore unity — to render all in one accord — to all people who believe and embody what the biblical teachers said. Can you imagine — can you comprehend — the peace, joy, and blessings people would enjoy if they worshipped together and all were in one accord? It’s possible, if only people knew the truth that makes them free … if people were in harmony with absolute truth. As it is, embracing false beliefs, fundamentalists have complicated the simple. Think about it: If we did one thing that Jesus said to do first, we would be saved; we would be perfect; we would know the truth that makes us free, and we would have peace and joy. Jesus said, “Cleanse first that which is in the cup and platter.” When we do this one thing, our heart is pure; we are perfect, the way Jesus said to be. And, when our heart is pure, we are saved, and we have peace and joy—we have life and we have it more abundantly. This is what the entire Bible is all about. The apostle Paul said: “All scripture [the entire Bible] is given by inspiration of God ... That the man of God may be perfect” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The man of God is one who believes and does what Jesus and other biblical teachers taught. When our heart is pure, we are perfect; we are guided by truth, which brings us peace and joy. Remember, Jesus said, “Be perfect.” Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). If we do an in-depth study of the teachings of Jesus (and other biblical teachers), we realize that the sole purpose for Jesus preaching the gospel is that we might have peace and joy. Jesus’ teachings are about the present … not about finding peace and joy — not about “having life and having it more abundantly” — after we are dead and gone. Jesus also said, “If I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you” (Matthew 12:28). The kingdom of God [heaven] comes to us — we have peace and joy — the minute we obliterate the devils from our heart. We free ourselves from the devils within us by discovering the truth that makes us free. The spirit of God is within us, and it is in harmony with truth. There is nothing that can bring us more peace and joy than truth. It's our false ego self (the Satan within us) that is evil and that stirs up mire and dirt—that robs us of peace and joy. Further when we pray to our Father who is in secret, we are doing what David the Psalmist said to do about 3,000 years ago: "Be still and commune with your own heart." This is quite significant for discovering the truth that makes us free; however, what Isaiah said is a must (explained later). Jesus and other biblical teachers stressed abiding by that which is true, although they used different words and phrases. Doing the will of the Father (language of Jesus) is the same thing as walking in the ways of the Lord (language of the prophets of the Old Testament). When we are guided by our true divine spiritual self, we are in harmony with truth, and we have peace and joy; we are happy, satisfied, and contented. Many people get themselves in a quandary trying to figure out what their purpose is, thinking they would be happy, if only they knew. In all simplicity, our purpose is to express life in harmony with truth. When we do this we are doing the will of our Father—a prerequisite for having peace and joy … the same thing as keeping the commandments of God. Solomon said, “Keep the commandments of God. For this is the whole duty of man.” Isaiah said, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee” (Isaiah 26:3). Peace does not get any better than perfect peace. When our mind is stayed on thee, we are in harmony with truth; we are walking in the ways of the Lord; we are doing the will of our Father. And we have peace and joy … what everyone desires. Solomon said, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting, get understanding.” Knowing the truth that makes us free is the ultimate wisdom. Everyone wants to be happy. The simple secret to finding happiness is found in “The Proverbs”: “Happy is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gets understanding” (Proverbs 3:13). And, “Whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he” (Proverbs 16:20). We are happy when we are abiding by truth—when we are doing the will of our Father; when we are walking in the ways of the Lord … when we have overcome the world of the ego. When we obliterate obscure fear and deeply held false beliefs from our heart —when we cleanse first that which is in the cup and platter — what remains must be the truth that makes us free. When we clean in inside of the cup and platter, our heart is pure; we are perfect—the way Jesus was and the way he wanted his followers to be ... the way that brings us an abundant life of peace and joy. We obliterate that which is fearful and false by acknowledging it and understanding it. We understand obscure fears and false beliefs by being still, communing and understanding with our heart. There is no other way. Obliterating that which is fearful and false is the same thing Jesus alluded to when he said, "Cleanse first that which is in the cup and platter." This is also the same thing as casting out devils. Cleaning the inside of the cup and platter is also the same thing as doing what the apostle James said to do: “Purify your hearts, ye double minded.” Incidentally, we are no longer double minded when our heart is pure. Instead, we are one with our Father, the way Jesus was and the way he wanted his followers to be. Jesus set an example for us. Jesus said, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). Cleansing the inside of the cup and platter is also the same thing that James said to do: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all liberally … and it shall be given him. … Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:5-21). The engrafted word is truth. Everyone inherently desires to live in harmony with the truth that rests within their heart. And let us not gloss over the fact that truth is able to save our souls. Also note that we find wisdom by asking of God. We ask of God by being still and communing with our heart. The Apostle Paul said, “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” We have been transformed when we obliterate all that is fearful and false from our subconscious mind. Unfortunately, Satan (our fearful, false ego-self, fabricated out of obscure fear and deeply held false beliefs about ourselves) is so devious and deceiving that most people are as the Buddha said, “led astray, thinking delusion is better than truth.” A vast majority of people do not realize they are wearing a mask, pretending to be something they are not … pretending to be different from the way they believe and think in their heart. Robert Burns, Scottish poet, said, "Oh what some power the gift he give us, to see ourselves as others see us!" About 100 years BC, Titus Lucretius Carus, Roman poet, understood something about the masks people wear. He said, “So it is more useful to watch a man in times of peril and in adversity to discern what kind of man he is; for then at last words of truth are drawn from the depths of his heart, and the mask is torn off, reality remains.” Think about it! If a vast majority of people believed and embodied the gospel that Jesus preached — if the vast majority were truthful — our nation would be the light of the world. Jesus told his believers and followers, “Ye are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14). Light (in this particular passage) is another word for truth. As it is, anyone who has his/her finger on the pulse of the direction this nation is headed realizes that we are headed toward being utterly wasted. Isaiah said, “The nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted” (Isaiah 60:12). At this perilous time in the history of our nation, truth is our only hope for survival. If we, individually and collectively, understood and followed the wisdom of Isaiah, if we kept our mind stayed on thee — if we were guided by truth — instead of being on the path to destruction, our nation and the entire world would be as Isaiah described: “Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders … the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light … and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people also shall be all righteous” (Isaiah 60:18-21). Think about it: “Thy people shall be all righteous.” Think about what our families, our nation, and the very world itself will be like when all people are righteous. We are righteous when we keep our mind stayed on truth; and we enjoy peace and harmony. All will be righteous when religious teachers begin teaching what biblical teachers taught—teachings in a manner people can understand, believe and embody … after all, the kind of life that Jesus and other biblical teachers wanted everybody to live is the kind of life everybody inherently desires to live. Isaiah also said, “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Isaiah 2:4). Thus, we would live in peace and harmony if we were guided by truth. Jesus said, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand” (Matthew 12:25). Let’s face it: We, our families, our nation — and especially our leaders in Washington who keep stirring up the mire and dirt — are dived. And we are headed toward an incomprehensible fall. With so many nations having us in the crosshairs of nuclear weapons, America the beautiful could be rendered America the wasteland. Truth has the potential for bringing peace and harmony to a troubled, dangerous world. The gospel that Jesus preached and that he commanded his disciples to preach to every creature in the world is the gospel of truth. Truth has the potential for changing the direction in which we are headed. Jesus said to his disciples, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the entire world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” The apostle Paul referred to the gospel as “the gospel of peace.” Jesus was speaking about the end of violence, suffering, wars and threats of wars—all that is destructive and deplorable; thus, he was speaking about how things will be when people have overcome the world of the ego. He was not speaking about the end of the world as many seem to think about the end of the world. Thus, Jesus was speaking about the time when people will enjoy peace and harmony. We will have peace, joy, and harmony when we overcome the world of the ego and are guided by truth. Jesus said, “I am not of this world. … I have overcome the world.” And about his disciples, who were devout believers of what Jesus taught, Jesus said, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” … meaning the false sinful world of the ego. If we are alienated from God, we are divided in our psyche. In the language of the apostle James, we are double minded. Individually, our divided self — divided between our false ego self (Satan) and our true divine, spiritual self (God) — is the underlying cause of hate, anger, depression, anxiety, suicide, psychosomatic illnesses, tension headaches, drug addiction, alcoholism, crime, violence, the breakup of families, wars and the threat of wars—all mental turmoil and suffering … all that is destructive and deplorable. If we, individually and collectively, did first what Jesus said to do first — if we cleaned first that which is in the cup and the platter — we would be in harmony with truth … all would be peace and joy. Think about the ramifications: No crime and violence; far fewer police officers; court cases; prison facilities; dysfunctional families; divorces; no psychosomatic illnesses, and far less wrangling and bickering in Washington, and on and on and on—all would be peace and harmony. The apostle Luke said, “The law and the prophets were until John; since that time the kingdom of God is preached” (Luke 16:16). In “The Gospel According to Mark” we find, “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. … And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:14-15). At hand means the present— here and now. Remember that Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within you.” The Apostle Paul said, “The kingdom of God is righteousness, and peace, and joy” (Romans 14:17). Think about it: Where else can we find peace and joy except within ourselves? Thus, when the gospel is preached to the entire world (in a manner that people can understand, believe, and embody), in due time peace, joy, happiness, and harmony will permeate the entire world. In the 1700s, Denis Diderot, essayist and philosopher, said, “I can be expected to look for the truth but not to find it.” Yet, the secret for discovering the truth has been known for about 3,000 years; it’s in the Old Testament. If there is any such thing as the hidden secret of the ages, what the prophet Isaiah said must be the secret. Isaiah let us know the secret for discovering the truth that makes us free. Isaiah said, “Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed” (Isaiah 6:9-10). (Emphasis added). The secret for gaining wisdom and understanding — the secret for discovering the truth that makes us free — is understanding with our heart. We understand with our heart by doing what David the Psalmist said to do: “Be still and commune with your own heart” (Psalms 4:4). When we calm our mind — transcending the chatter of the ego — and discern truth from falsehoods, we have no doubt about what truth is—we know that we know that we know. The most disquieting thing about our ignorance is that we don't know that we already know truth. Our true nature is truth. Truth is what remains when falsehoods are obliterated. Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist and poet, said: “There is a guidance for each of us, and by lowly listening, we shall hear the right word. ... Place yourself in the middle of the stream of power and wisdom that flows into your life. Then, without effort, you are impelled to truth and to perfect contentment.” We lowly listen by retreating to that quiet place within referred to by David the Psalmist as the secret place of the most high. Jesus said essentially the same thing that Isaiah said. Jesus said: “By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive. For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them” (Matthew 13:14-15). Whereas Isaiah said, and be healed, Jesus said, I should heal them. (This is another passage in which we can substitute the word truth for the personal pronoun I). In summary, Truth is a healer; we are saved by truth. Truth has the power to bring peace and joy to us and the entire world—what everyone desires. Can you imagine a society, a nation, and the world in peace and harmony? Can you imagine what we, our families, our society — the very world itself — would be like if we lived in agreement with truth and were genuinely happy, satisfied, and contented ... rather than wearing our masks — keeping up our facade — pretending to be different from the way we are … different from the way we believe and think in our heart? It's incomprehensible. Everyone would be happy, satisfied, and contented. Families would be happy, harmonious, and they would stay together. Crime, violence, and suffering would vanish. Truth, peace and harmony would permeate the entire world.
Copyright © 2008-2009 by Dwight Nichols. All rights reserved.
Note: When I wrote my first book, Listening to Ourselves: The Key to Everything that Matters, I did not know that David the Psalmist said “Be still and commune with your own heart” … the same thing as being still and listening to ourselves. On the back cover of the book, I went so far as to say: “You cannot follow the 30-day program in this book (practicing the exercises seriously and conscientiously) without discovering truth … or at least be well on your way.” And I must add: The exercises are designed to help people identify their faults and to understand with their heart. I also said, “There is no more (and never will be any more) love, joy, happiness, and peace of mind (all characteristic of living in harmony with truth) than we have the potential to enjoy this very moment. We discover truth by listening to ourselves in the stillness of our minds. There is no other way."
Essays that are must reading
The Gospel of Peace — Learn the truth. The true gospel that Jesus preached would bring us, our families, our nation — the very world itself — peace and harmony if we understood, believed, and did what Jesus and other biblical teachers taught. Click here: The True Gospel
The Power of Love — Whatever you do, do not miss this essay. Love has the potential for bringing us, our families, our nation — the very world itself — peace, love, joy, and happiness ... what everyone wants. Learn the truth about how we learn to love. Click here: Love Peace versus War: We have the Choice — Peace begets peace. War begets war. The only way to achieve a lasting peace is by peaceful means, rather than trying to force peace by war and the threats of war: Peace
Books by the author:
Listening to Ourselves: The Key to Everything that Matters Discover Truth and Be Free Life’s Greatest Lesson: The Message Jesus Intended for Us Commune With Your Heart: The Only Way to Find Peace, Joy and Happiness The Truth About The Gospel: How to Find Peace, Joy, and Happiness Peace, Truth, Love and Joy: What the Bible Is All About For Information about these books, click here: Book Information To see what readers have said about the author's previous writings, click the following link. Unlike testimonials some publishers use, these comments were not solicited.
Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this website are for informational use only. They are not intended as a substitute for professional help. Anyone seeking or in need of help regarding physical and/or mental health are advised to seek the services of professionals. The publisher and author of this website disclaim all liability for the use of the information contained on this Web site.
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