Living in the “Information Age”

 

If you’ve been around for a while, I’m sure you will agree that we are living in a time like no other in history. This era is known as the “Information Age” and there’s a very good reason for that. There has never been a time in history when information was ever as abundant and readily available as it is today. If you are active on the internet, you have more information at your fingertips than has ever been available at any time before. 

We receive information from the government, from the healthcare industry, from Big Pharma, from different regulatory agencies, from our Justice Department…and then you hear from news agencies, social media, big business, the entertainment industry, people from all around the world. 

And at times, you may wonder why all these thoughts, ideas and opinions should even matter at all. And to make matters worse, much of the information, ideas, and opinions you hear are in direct conflict with each other and you are left with the task of trying to decide what is really truth and what is fabrication. 

So, here you are, with a mountain of information flowing from a zillion different sources…and it’s up to YOU to try and figure out what you should believe and what you should not believe. In other words…you need to decide what’s conspiracy and what’s theory and whether any of it even matters to your life and the lives of your family and friends. 

And…if you are like the majority of ordinary people…you just ignore all the noise going on and hope that none of it will have any effect on you and your way of life…so you just shut your ears to all of it and pretend it doesn’t exist. 

Or…even worse…you may be one of those who just turns on the TV every night, and whatever they tell you on there is the truth, that’s what you believe, and you build your thoughts and your life around that information. It can all be pretty frightening…that is IF…you don’t know how to sort through all the information that is being tossed at you every day. 

Well today, I want to look at God’s Word and see if there is anything there that can help us to sort through this mound of confusing information. I want to look at some scriptures that I believe will help us to determine if the information we are hearing is actually conspiracy that we need to pay attention to, or if it’s just theory that someone is making up but has no actual fact to it, and why we should even care at all. 

First of all, we need to understand why it’s important that we know the truth in every situation. Look with me to John 8:31:“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32) 

What you need to know is that you will never be free as long as you keep believing lies. Doesn’t matter what the lie is or who it is that is not being honest with you. Freedom comes when your eyes are wide open and you can finally see behind the façade. 

I often remember the story of the Wizard of Oz. If you never saw it, it was a fantasy movie originally made in 1939. A young girl named Dorothy and her dog Toto are swept away in a tornado, and find themselves in this fantasy land called Oz. And the story is based on the desire that Dorothy has to get her and Toto back home to Kansas. And none of the creatures in this Land of Oz can help her, but they tell her of someone who can help her to get back home…and it is this wonderful wizard. And in order to find him, she must follow the Yellow Brick Road, and that will lead her to this Wizard in the Land of Oz who will help her to get home. 

Well, to make a long story short, Dorothy encounters a lot of difficulties along the way, but she finally makes it to this Wizard, and he turns out to be a booming voice that scares her and Toto. But she is persistent, and when the story ends, it turns out that the Great Wizard of Oz is nothing more than an old man who is hiding behind a curtain working this huge mechanical contraption that fools everyone into thinking he is something great and powerful when he really is not much at all. And in the end, he does help her to get home, but it turns out that she was simply dreaming the whole thing. 

The moral of the story was that once Dorothy saw behind the curtain and realized that she had been so afraid of this frail old man, then she was free to find the truth that was with her all the time. 

You see, things are not always as they appear to be, and with persistence and determination, we can learn the truth. And when we do, we will be free of the fear, free of the lies, free of the things that people want to use to control our lives and our families. 

But the key is that you have to be willing to look past the façade, past the outward appearance you have to be willing to see what’s behind the curtain in order to find out what it is that many people don’t want you to see…THE TRUTH! And that is where the problem lies with most people. They don’t want to be bothered…and so they keep letting themselves live in fear and torment…not knowing the Truth! 

So how do you begin to search for the Truth? One of the things that Jesus told His Disciples is a principal that will never fail if you will be honest with yourself about it. The principal is found in Matthew 7:15-20. Jesus said this, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” (Matthew 7:15-20) 

You see, this principal works, not only with prophets, but it’s true of people in general. Look at their fruit! Look at what their lives show you “behind the curtain”. Besides listening to what they are saying…pay attention to what they do in their daily lives. What is their history? What’s in their past? I can tell you that unless they have allowed the Holy Spirit to change them on the inside, they are still the same. 

One of my greatest faults is that I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt. And normally that would be considered a good trait…but I have been used and taken advantage of simply because I chose to believe that a person was sorry for their actions and that they would change. Friends…I know that’s possible…but in my personal experience, it’s not probable. 

If a person has been lying to you, chances are they will continue to do so. If they have been deceiving you, you can believe they will not stop. Don’t be afraid to look behind the curtain, and when you see what’s back there, don’t refuse to believe what you see. Refuse to judge anything or anyone by appearances…but look at the character. Look at the Fruit! 

Jesus warned us time and again about the deception that we are seeing taking place all around us. Sometimes, it's frightening to think of the corruption that is going on in the world today, and if we are not paying attention, we will be deceived. Revelation 12:9 tells us, “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” I want you to pay attention here…the dragon or Satan is given the ability to “deceive the whole world” in the very last days. And 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 gives us this truth. “And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” I want you to notice who it is that sends the strong delusion...it is God! Why? Because they did not believe the Truth but enjoyed living in unrighteousness.

Friends, we need to know that as we come closer to the end of the age, deception will increase, and so will the delusion that God will send upon those who do not LOVE the Truth! We must SEARCH OUT the Truth, we must WALK IN the Truth, and we MUST LOVE the Truth. Otherwise, it is guaranteed that we will be deceived in the last of the last days. 

So how do we find the Truth. Of course the BEST place to start is by reading and studying God’s Word every day and learning to listen to the Holy Spirit as He guides our lives every day. And we need to watch the fruit in the lives of those around us…pay attention not only to what they say, but also what they do in their lives...especially those who have rule over us. If they tell you they are a Christian but the "fruit" of their lives show you something different...believe the fruit! Whether it be politicians, church leaders or even those who have rule over us at work. We need to honor those  leaders  who are  faithful and true, but those who are deceptive and speak words that they don’t live out in their own lives, we MUST be aware of them not follow them. Also we need to pay attention to the fruit in the lives of those we spend most of our time with. Are they faithful friends or does the fruit of their lives show us something different. That is the only way we will always walk in truth. 

Now I will warn you Friends, that it is going to become very difficult to shun deception as we come closer to the end, and many will suffer persecution because they refuse to believe a lie…and according to scripture, many will lose their lives. But we MUST know that even if we lose our lives for the Truth, we will receive eternal life. Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth:

“But as it is written:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,

Nor have entered into the heart of man

The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 

(1 Corinthians 2:9)

Whatever the cost to walk in Truth, Dear Friends, it will never compare to the glorious eternity that God has in store for those of us who love Him. I’ll look forward to seeing you in Eternity! Hallelujah!