True Words in the Wrong Spirit By Kelly Garcia
“Your Word is very pure; therefore Your servant loves it.” Psalm 119:140 AMPC I remember those wonderful moments of becoming a Christian and of becoming fully surrendered to God. It’s as if one was the betrothal and the second was the marriage. I was so wonderfully filled with the love of God, I couldn’t wait to tell everyone. A year later, running along the beach after our single-women’s camp-out worship time, I fell to my knees in beautiful surrender to my amazing Savior, declaring these words: “I just want to love You! I just want to go to church! I just want to read Your Word! I don’t want any boyfriends; I just want to love you!” So said my eighteen-year-old-heart in what might look like reciprocal vows with this wonderful God who only asks that we love Him and love others. “The entrance of Your word gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” Psalm 119:130 Over the course of the forty years since those days, I have been engaged in numerous Bible studies in addition to my independent study of God’s Word. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 40 | M AG A Z I N E N A M E PAGE 3 39
I love reading, copying, studying, teaching, memorizing, reciting, and sharing God’s Word. You might say I marinated in it throughout the years. The Lord certainly used it to lead me and instruct me, and yes, correct me too! I belabor the point to make clear that the only way we would recognize a counterfeit is if we truly know the original. That’s how the experts can spot fake money, after all. They know the authentic well enough to spot a phony. “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written…” Here in Matthew 4:6, we see the Tempter speaking God’s word to the Son of God. He was speaking the truth that “‘He will give His angels charge over You,’ and ‘In their hands they shall bear You up, lest You dash Your foot against a stone.’” To which Jesus answered in verse seven, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord Your God.’” In our present world we may not have temptations so clearly defined for us, nor is the truth clearly presented. We have to know the truth of God’s word to fight against the wiles of the devil, and many times, he comes looking like the truth. In our grandest efforts to love God and love each other, we try to execute that wonderful list called “The Fruit of the Spirit”, found in Galatians 5:22: “… love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness,
