Prayer Pastoring – Chapter 4 – Truth

Chapter 4

Truth

Praying truth over a person’s life is
another key ingredient in prayer pastoring. Truth is linked with our
previous principles on prayer pastoring of judgement, mercy, grace
and righteousness. Psalm 25:10
declares that “All the paths of the
Lord
are
mercy and truth
to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.”
John 1:14 says
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt
among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and
truth. Again in John
1:17 “For the law was given through
Moses, but
grace and truth
came through Jesus Christ.” Psalm
45:4 exclaims “And
in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth,
humility, and
righteousness;
and Your right hand shall teach You awesome things”.

God wants you to live your life from a
position of power. Only by walking in truth will you experience
freedom from the power of sin. Jesus said in John 8:32 that,
“you
shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”
Truth is what sets you free. Living in ignorance or deception keeps
you bound. Living by truth brings freedom. Only as you understand the
nature of truth will you walk in its promised freedom. So how does
this work in your life. First let us look at truth.

What Is
Truth?

How do we define truth? Let’s look at
that. In the Bible, truth is rooted in the very being and nature of
God himself. People tend to think of truth as an ideal, but the Bible
makes it plain that truth is found in the Person of God. Not only is
God truth (Is 65:16, Jn17:3), He is true in all His ways (Rev 15:3)

Truth deals with reality and without
Christ we cannot find reality. Truth is more than reality it has a
moral component to it that which is right.

Satan is declared to have no truth in
him and to be the father of all lies. People by nature do not follow
truth because of sin. Truth is something to be pursued and sought
after. It is a value to hold on to. Truthfulness does not come easily
to most people. Just look at children when they are caught doing
something wrong. They will try and hide the truth rather than tell
the truth! Human nature is naturally sinful, so being truthful is not
our first response. As we grow older, we learn that being truthful is
godly and right and we learn to be truthful.

Jesus declared this about the devil in
John 8:44-46 saying “You
are of your
father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He
was a murderer from the beginning, and does
not stand in the truth, because there
is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own
resources,
for he is a liar and the father of it. ⁴⁵But
because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. ⁴⁶Which
of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth why do you not
believe Me?”

Not only is God, Truth, but so is His
word (Jn 17:17). However truth is more than a doctrine. When we make
truth a doctrine or a set of biblical principles, we fall short of
understanding what truth really is and will fail to see its power
manifest in our lives. Doctrines and biblical principles are
essential to the Christian life. They are foundation stones for
living, but alone they are not enough. Of themselves they lack the
power to change us. The apostle Paul observes in 2
Corinthians 3:6 that, “God has made us able ministers of the New
Testament; not of the letter but of the Spirit: for the letter kills,
but the Spirit gives life.” The “letter” of the Word of God
alone and of itself is not sufficient to bring the freedom you desire
for yourself and your loved ones.

The New Covenant and
Truth

Living by
the letter of the word is not the New Testament way.
Hebrews 8:8 declares “Behold, the days are coming, says the
Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and
with the house of Judah.” Then elaborating on the New Covenant God
reveals that in Hebrews 8:10-12 “For this is the Covenant that I
will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I
will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I
will be their God and they shall be My people. [11] None of them
shall teach his neighbour, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the
Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest
of them. [12] For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and
their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

The New Covenant Christian does not
live by the dead and powerless letter of the law but by the power of
the person of Holy Spirit dwelling within and helping them. Jesus
said in John 16:7, ‘Nevertheless I tell
you the truth: It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do
not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will
send Him to you.” Again in John 16:13 He
teaches us that “when He, the Spirit of
truth has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not
speak on His own authority,
but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to
come.”

Under the New Covenant God does not
give us external rules to live by. He writes His laws into our
hearts. This unwritten law lives within us through the Holy Spirit.
It is the Spirit of Truth that lives within us who guides us into
more truth. The Holy Spirit is a person. He is the third person of
the Godhead and He lives in us.

God the Father has put His spirit
within us. The third person of the Godhead lives within us. If that
isn’t enough, God exhorts us to be continually filled with that
Spirit. Life saps us of strength, energy, wisdom. But God says “be
continually filled with My Spirit.” The Spirit of truth lives in
us. By acknowledging that and drawing upon it, we can be filled. When
the world drains us, we can be replenished. His Spirit of truth is
the anchor in a world with “shifting sand.” Our energy and power
is of another source.

The Spirit of Truth

Jesus has sent us a
Helper and this Helper is the Spirit of Truth. Now
truth is revealed to us, not in a written set of laws, but by a
Person, who speaks to us through our heart, or consciousness. This
Person speaks truth, which will not contravene the written law, but
will reveal the law, and help us to live within the confines of it.
It is a higher way of living.

Truth for a
Christian is like a double sided coin. It is not just of the letter
of the Word of truth but also of the Spirit. You will fail if you try
to study and live by the written Scriptures alone. You must learn to
live by the power of the Spirit. It is a learned ability to trust in
the Holy Spirit to be your Helper and Guide. The journey to live in
truth cannot be accomplished alone. You need a commitment to live
truthfully, the Holy Spirit to speak to you as well as a community of
people who help keep you accountable to that.

When the disciples walked with Jesus
Christ of earth they lived an amazing life. Their every need was met,
they healed the sick, cast out demons and preached the gospel.
However, on occasions when Jesus was absent from them, they became
powerless. They were frequently fearful and on one occasion, nearly
lost their lives in a storm. They failed when they tried to cast out
demons, and after the crucifixion of Christ they lost their
direction. They constantly needed Christ guidance and help.

Knowing and understanding the disciples
inadequacies, Jesus declared that they needed a Helper. In Acts 1:8
He instructed them to wait in Jerusalem until they received the power
of the Holy Spirit. He told them “you shall receive power when the
Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the
earth.” The first and second chapter in the Book of Acts reveals
the fulfilment of this promise to send another Helper whose prime
objective was to empower the disciples.

When the disciples received the Holy
Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the onlooking crowd asked Peter what
they had to do to receive the same Holy Spirit. In response, Peter
declared in Acts 2: 28 that they must first, repent, secondly be
baptised and lastly receive the gift of Holy Ghost.

The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of Truth.
Without the Holy Spirit you are powerless to live out truth. The Word
of Truth explains how we are to live. It sets out the rules. You can
not understand what truth is without the guidance of the Spirit. You
cannot even repent and change you old habits without the Spirit.
Lasting power and empowerment however comes from the Spirit of Truth.
It is being baptised or immersed in the spirit of truth that empowers
us. It is being saturated by the Spirit every day that will make the
difference. It is the Spirit of Truth who convicts us of sin.

When you feel “guilty” about
something, it is the Spirit who convicts you. It is the Spirit who
guides you into truth. And it is the Spirit who empowers you to live
the life. It is your conscious decision every day to allow the Spirit
access into your daily life that will bring the empowerment you
desire in areas where you struggle. Without the Holy Spirit you will
be powerless to live truth. A new life style starts with repentance.
The choice to live life well starts with listening to the Spirit
within who is guiding your every decision. The Word of Truth is
essential to understanding the Christian life but it is the Spirit of
Truth that empowers you to live that life.

We must never become like the Galatian
Christians who were so foolish that begun in the Spirit but were now
trying being made perfect by the flesh or the letter of the law
(Galatians 3:3) Paul says in Romans 8:13-14 “For if you live
according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to
death the deeds of the body, you will live. [14] For as many as are
led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God”.

The Importance of the Spirit

Paul constantly exhorted Christians to
rely on the flesh but on the Holy Spirit. The flesh which Paul
describes, here is a life lived without the spirit a life of self
effort without Gods help. It is life that has no power over sin. A
miserable life is one where you do not have any control. It may be in
your personal life, your finances, your emotions or personal habits.
Where ever it is that you feel you lack control, your only hope to
gain control back is to learn to draw upon the Holy Spirit. The Holy
Spirit will empower your life and give you back a sense of power and
control. He will break the power of sin in your life. The letter of
the Word needs the power of the Holy Spirit to make it effective in
our life.

Let’s look at the following
scriptures to see how important the spirit was in Paul’s life and
should be to you.

Philip. 1:19

For I know that this will turn out
for my deliverance through your prayers and the supply of the Spirit
of Jesus Christ

Prayer pastoring is one way you can
work together with the Holy Spirit. Prayer releases the spirit to
move on behalf of another.

2 Thess. 2:13

But we are bound to give thanks to
God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from
the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the
Spirit and belief in the truth

Truth works through your faith to act
as a catalyst to produce holiness in your lives. Change is not
automatic it is a systematic applying of the truth with the help of
the Holy Spirit. You cannot do it alone you needs God’s help,
spirit and word.

Romans 15:13

Now may the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by
the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hope is the great goal setter of life.
It is the spiritual antidote to depression. Paul
concludes his discussion of Christian living in Romans with a prayer
for achievement of all God’s spiritual blessing and a reminder that
it comes through comes from the power given by the Spirit of God.

Romans 5:5

Now hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy
Spirit who was given to us.

The Holy Spirit is
the divine person who expresses to you the
love of God. If you remember these two sides of the Christian life,
you will not grow discouraged as you face temptations and problems.
Instead you learn to depend on the power available to you by the Holy
Spirit.

1 Cor. 2:4

And my speech and my preaching were
not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of
the Spirit and of power.

Again Paul’s confidence is not in
himself but in the power, person and work of the Holy Spirit.
Knowledge of truth is not enough to make truth reality it must be a
work of the Holy Spirit. Paul effectiveness as a preacher was not in
oratory skill but in the power of the Holy Spirit.

1 Peter 1:22

Since you have
purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in
sincere love of the brethren, love one another
fervently with a pure heart.

Under the Old Testament
purity laws, people purified themselves from defilement by ceremonial
bathing; although Judaism continued to practice literal ceremonial
washings

Peter uses this concept to demonstrate
how you purify yourself by working with truth and the Holy Spirit.

Paul continually declared that prayer,
hope, holiness (sanctification), and even his preaching were through
the Holy Spirit. He constantly acknowledged the need and the power
of the Holy Spirit in every aspect of living. The Spirit is not an
optional extra for Christian living; it is the core of it.

Praying the Spirit of Truth

In prayer pastoring we pray the Spirit
of Truth over every body’s life. It is simple but effective.
Knowing truth is not enough but having the Holy Spirit is. Praying
the spirit of truth releases that person from their deceptions and
future failings. Failure to walk in truth keeps us living on the
forgiveness and mercy cycle never experiencing the fullness of the
blessing that God has in store for each of us. Praying the Spirit of
Truth keeps us living in the place of blessing and power.

See more of Ps Peter Earle’s teachings at the Pastoral Ministry Training website.