STUDY 2: SPOTTING CONTRADICTIONS

 

Many a time we pay dearly for the truths we do not know, ignorance cost more!

If we check the harm, pain, destructions, uneasiness, grief that has occurred simply because some persons did not know better, you will agree to this.

They are lot of such example around our society and to be honest, most of us wish we knew better during certain season of our lives, of we only knew better, our response to lives circumstances would have been different and surely our results too and this is why it is important to be established in the truth.

As a child, I grew up with different myths, one of which was that while sucking orange If I mistakenly gulp in the orange seed in the juice, it was said that the seed will germinate and grow right in my belly, and then through my head. Have you heard something like that before? Have you also heard about the tooth fairy? 

You may have noticed that somehow the things we believe informs our actions, so much so that our responses to life, the way we treat ourselves and other people is largely dependent upon the things we believe.

This is why it is important to be mindful of the things we allow into our inner space, by that I mean the things that make up our believes and values.

Let me tell you more about this...

One of the greatest privilege MAN has is the right to choose, even the creator did not take that away from us, He created us with the license to be able to make a choice and live in the realm of our choices and that includes the choice of what to believe; whether good or bad, true or untrue. How powerful this is; the power of choice.

Contradictions are statements that are necessarily false, they represent ideas, philosophies, that directly oppose the truth.

A very clear example which happens to be our focus of study, is a story that is quite familiar; the story of Eve’s encounter with the serpent (the devil).

So, just before we look closely at what happened during the encounter Eve had with the serpent.

I will like to take us back to Genesis 1, the story of man’s creation. On the first day God had created light, and had started the preparation to ensure that the earth is a so suitable to accommodate Life,

The second day, third day, fourth day, He was all about ensuring the fittings of the earth were in their appropriate positions and finally He with a forethought created man, He created man with a model (according to Genesis 1:26):

To be made in His image

To be made after His Likeness 

As we continue in the study, we learn about the implication of being made in His image and after His likeness. God created man to be like Him but look at the contradiction the devil presented to Eve in the garden of Eden, Genesis 3.

In his words he said “for God knows that when you eat of it (the fruit) your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” 

At this point, I have a question; was Eve already like God? Did she have to do anything extra to attain the position of being like God?

The answer is Yes! and No! respectively, Eve had been created in the image and the likeness of God and didn’t have to eat of any fruit to be like God, nonetheless the devil had presented a contradiction, a lie that unfortunately Eve believed and consequently her believe informed her decision and the other part of the story didn’t end well for her.

The main aim of a contradiction is to oppose an established truth and when we do not know the truths for ourselves, there is a possibility of believing a lie, acting based on the lie and of course becoming victims.

Imagine what would have happened if after the devil told Eve those lies of “when you eat of the fruit you will be like God”, She resisted him with the truth. Imagine she looked at the devil straight in eyes and said “I know who I am! I am Like God!” What do you think would have been the devil’s reaction?

A lot of us have been trampled upon, abused, simply because we have not known the truth about who we are, so how do we spot contradictions when we do not know the Truth?

The society we live in is full of opinions but we have the right to choose what to believe and to let go of the lies that can destroy us.

 HOW DO YOU SPOT CONTRADICTIONS?

Ask yourself the simple question: Does this statement, opinion, idea, agree with what God says concerning me?

For instance, if someone says you are a loser and will never succeed in life, check the scripture for the truth concerning that statement. In Deuteronomy 28:13  the Lord had promised that if we heed to His commands and are careful to do them, He shall make us the head, and not the tail; and we shall be above only, and we shall not be beneath. Do you now see that the statement -you are a loser; you will never succeed – is a contradiction? 

What of when someone says that you are not beautiful enough? not tall enough? Not smart enough? Psalm 139: 13-14 exposes the truth we should agree to, God formed our inward parts, He knitted us together and made us full of awe and respect.

I am sure you have heard things already concerning YOU, now this is the time to spot the lies and dump them…

Did they say you are incapable? Good for nothing? Now, you know that’s a lie because with God you can do all things, with Him, all things are possible (Mathew 19: 26, Philippian 4:13)

There is so much possibility within you that the truth can unlock!