“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

How do you do this?  How can you seek His kingdom and His righteousness in every day life?  Jesus spoke of the kingdom as a present and future reality- not simply something far off, out there in the distance. When Jesus taught us to pray He taught us that at the core of our prayers is this:

“Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10

What does it mean for His kingdom to come “on earth as it is in heaven”?  It means that the values of the kingdom are the values I live by.  It means that the things that are happening in heaven are happening in and through my life.  It means that whatever God loves I love.  Whatever God hates I hate.  One of the things God loves is truth.

“Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.” Psalm 51:6

God desires total truth in every area of our lives.  Why?  Because He wants us to live full and meaningful lives.  And we’re only as sick as our secrets.  Sin, failure, and struggles that are brought out into the open can be addressed and dealt with.  There are certain things that grow in the dark- fungus grows in the dark.  Mushrooms grow in the dark- and SIN grows in the dark.  But sin is dealt with in the light.  It’s why, in John 1 it says that Christ came and He was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness but those living in darkness do not want to be brought into the light.  If you want to be a follower of Christ, you must come into the light.  In fact, that’s really what worship is: it’s stepping into the Light.  Truth prevails in the light.  Is truth a guiding force in your life?  Does it guide and direct your relationships?  Do you desire to be honest about who you really are?

Truth must prevail in your life (“prevail” means to “win, to succeed, triumph”)

Truth wins in your life only when you decide to get honest:

• with God

This is why confession is so important.  Confession is actually “agreeing” with God.  When you confess your sin to God you’re agreeing that what you have done is sin.  You’re not telling God something He doesn’t already know; you’re allowing truth to prevail in your relationship with Him.

• with yourself

We must see ourselves for who we really are.  We are sinners, saved by His grace.  And it’s “costly grace”- that costs you your life- every day.  Not cheap grace without repentance, without sacrifice, or without commitment. As we are honest about who God is and who we are before Him, we will confess our sin before Him and truth will prevail in our lives!  Confession is like spiritual breathing: You breathe out the truth about your sin and you breathe in the forgiveness of God.  Truth prevails when we keep a short list of sins before God.

• with others

Being honest with others means we stop playing games with others about who we are.  We determine to be completely honest in our dealings with others.

Finally, truth is found in a right relationship with God through Christ.  If we know Him, we know the truth.  In the end Truth has a name and His name is Jesus.

Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No one comes to the Father but through me.” John 14:6