Truth can be a slippery thing. We all might witness the same event, but recount that event very differently. If we’re watching a football game, one of us sees a great play and one sees a penalty that should have been called.

The stakes for such a debate while watching a football game are pretty low. At least in the grand scheme, some folks take fandom pretty seriously.

But if what you’re testifying to happened during a possible crime, then the stakes might be considerably higher. And, indeed, law enforcement and lawyers will tell you that eyewitness testimony is quite unreliable.

Why is this?  One reason, certainly, is that we all run what we see, hear, and smell through our own set of experiences, opinions and expectations.  These days, one person’s peaceful protest is another’s violent riot.

What then should we do if we cannot trust our senses? As always, the answer is in The Word of God. In the Bible, we are often reminded to seek discernment. Through discernment, that is by separating and examining, we can develop wisdom as King Solomon did (Proverbs 1, 1 Kings 3). Even at the apex of his wealth, King Solomon regarded wisdom and discernment as the greatest treasure (Proverbs, pretty much all of it).

The Word of God is a single truth in a fallen world of lies and deceptions. Satan is the father of lies (John 8). And satan is really good at what he does as the Apostle Paul warns us (Ephesians 6). As we try to navigate a world of lies, deception and rhetoric, we should follow the advice of King Solomon and keep Paul’s warnings in mind. All while embracing and never letting go of the Greatest Truth: 

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

    – John 14:6