Who Do You Trust?~LPF

This post is a great reminder that things are not always what they appear to be. Let Jesus be your deciding factor in all things.

Who do you trust? When you pick up a newspaper to read, do you assume it contains truth? Do you trust it as a source of information? Several years ago I managed a convenience store in a small city. I received a call at 2:30 am from a panicked employee. A fourteen-year-old boy had been shot just outside the entrance and had come in the store with blood spurting from his neck “like a cartoon,” according to my cashier. 

When I arrived, I found the police surrounding the area with my parking lot tied off as a crime scene. There was a cup just outside the front door that they told me not to touch as it was covering the bullet casing. My cashier was a complete wreck as he retold what he had witnessed: a car pulled alongside the sidewalk near the door. Another pulled up beside them and as the gun came up a passenger in the back seat ducked and the boy took the bullet. 

Another of my employees was also on the scene but not because she was working–her boyfriend was the intended target. She had prior knowledge that something involving guns was going down that night. It was a gang rivalry situation. I had to transfer her to another location after it became known there was also a hit ordered on her. None of my staff wanted to work near her again for fear of the gang’s return. 

When the article came out in the paper, we were appalled at the lies! It told the story of a boy playing with a gun and accidentally shooting himself, then running to the corner store for help. It stated there were no gangs operating anywhere in the vicinity and it was completely safe to go to your local mart. They were attempting to avoid panic in the city by lies and they succeeded, except within my store.

The definition of a lie is speaking a falsehood with the intention of deceiving. Would you rather know the truth and deal with it or blindly follow the lie? Remember, Satan is “the inventor of the lie.” (John 8:44)  But take heart, he may rule this world but, “now is the time for the world to be judged, now the ruler of this world will be expelled.” (John 12:31)

“If you obey what I say, then you really are my talmidin [disciples], you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32) Would you rather know about the activities of the gangs in your neighborhood so you can protect yourself or blindly believe that there is no danger in your city?