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Welcome to Strength for the Found, where we remind the one who is found in Jesus Christ to abide in him. For Jesus Christ is the good shepherd who gives rest to his sheep, leads them in truth, and strengthens them to walk in righteousness. I am your host, Nelson Estrada, and this snack-sized exhortation that I bring to you today, I title Be Present with the Truth. Too many times we lose sight of the truth. It really has a tendency to get away from us. Or better said, we have a tendency to get away from the truth. The noise of this fallen world, the trials of life, and even the mundane. It all has a way of bombarding us and moving us away from the truth. The truth of God's love for us. The truth of God's forgiveness toward us. The truth of our good standing with Him. It all gets disrupted when a fallen world does what a fallen world is expected to do. And when fallen people do fallen things. Our focus is disrupted. Our peace is disrupted. Our joy is disrupted. Our communion with God through his Holy Spirit is disrupted. And before we know it, the sound of truth becomes muffled, and the sound of lies becomes clear and crisp. And this happens for a number of reasons. Satan, the accuser of the brethren, is constantly seeking to accuse God's people before God and before their own conscience. Revelation 12.10 calls in this the accuser of our brethren who accused them before God day and night. Our very flesh tends to align itself with what is contrary to the spirit, as Galatians 5.17 says, for the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary to one another. Our own sin against God and our offenses toward others can also collat our judgment and disrupt our fellowship with God. Even the voices of well-meaning confidence can lead us astray if their counsel is not rooted in the truth of God's word. And this is why we need to be proactive in ensuring that we live in constant communion with God. It is why it is imperative and important that we esteem our prayer lives and our Bible time, that we prioritize our time with God. Jesus said in John 17, 17, Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. And we need to do this routinely, constantly seeking truth in his word, so that the truth can cut through the lies. Always be present with the truth, cling to the truth, and let it silence the voice of the lies, because it is very possible to be in the truth, to be in the right, all while feeling attacked, discouraged, and even wrong. The Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10.5 to be casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. We must actively confront the lies with the truth and refuse to allow them to take root in our minds and our hearts. Examine yourself. Scrutinize yourself. Let the word of God be the litmus test. Let it be the answer key you grade yourself against. As Psalm 139, 23 through 24 makes clear: search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxieties, and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. And once you have honestly examined yourself before God, confessed any known sin, made right what needs to be made right, and find no unrepented wrongdoing in the matter, have peace being present with the truth, even when it doesn't feel good. And here is a short list of truths we ought to be present with and meditate on so that we can routinely shake off the lies that try to compete. Romans 8 1. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8 28, and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose. John 8 36, therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. Romans 8 38 to 39. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I'll keep this list short because this is a snack size exhortation, but I do implore you to uncover all of the powerful truths that we are called by God to abide in and be present with for our benefit and his glory. Well, this was this episode's exhortation, and my prayer is that you are strengthened by it. I also hope that you send this to someone you may know who can benefit from these words of encouragement in order to keep that strength flowing and growing. And before I go, strength for the found, of which I am the host, is an extension of For That One Ministries, of which I am the founder. For That One Ministries is a gospel centered ministry dedicated to calling the lost and strengthening the found for the glory of Jesus Christ. So to discover more, head on over to forThat1.com and learn more about 4 That One Ministries.