I remember exactly which curve in the road I was on those several years ago now when I said to my oldest daughter, “Truth doesn’t need my help to be true.” We had been in a conversation that centered on spirituality, faith, God, the Bible, and ultimately Jesus. In that same conversation I invited her to search the world over, consider every view, dig into every philosophy, dismantle every religion. Go ahead. As a follower of Jesus I knew and know that scrutiny of Jesus only leads to more revelation of Truth. The more intense the scrutiny, the sharper the point of truth becomes.

But the funny thing about truth is –even truth found in Jesus– its forgettable. The foggy conditions of life’s pains, trials, or even subtle inconveniences can cloud our hearts and remembrances until truth is sidelined and we’re living under some other proposition. We all do it. We forget what we know and trade it for what we’re told by our circumstances.

That proverbial “curve ball” comes whizzing from the mound and before we even realize what we’ve done, we lose our grip on solid ground and feel our footing give way as we succumb to the lies being whispered.

Let’s start with a simple one. Simple as in three words, but not so simple based on the fact that not everyone believes it: God is good. The fact is that the bible declares this multiple times in multiple ways. But we look at our world, our job, our family, our pains, and we question: “Really? ‘Cuz he sure doesn’t seem so good right now. If he saw what I was dealing with and if he actually cared, and if he really were good, then logic says I wouldn’t be in this mess.”

The lies that attack the truth sound a lot like this: “You’re on your own.” “God sees you, but he doesn’t care.” “You did this to yourself, so you have to fix it yourself.” “You’ve gone too far. You’re out of God’s reach.” “God’s mad at you and that’s why this is happening.” “God doesn’t need you so God doesn’t want you.” “That was the last straw. God is done with you. Fed up.” “God doesn’t have time to deal with your mess. He’s helping people who actually matter.” “You’re too broken for God to fix.” “You’re a lost cause.”

But imagine for a moment that every one of those statements originated from the father of lies. What if you knew and believed that there is no truth, absolutely zero truth in any of those words because of where they came from. What if those words were rendered powerless not because you refused to believe them, but because they never held an ounce of truth to begin with? You see, the issue then is not whether or not you’re going to believe lies, but whether or not you’re going to let truth be truth.

Have you ever stood in a pitch black room? A room so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face? And while in that room have you ever lit a match or turned on a flashlight? Have you ever noticed that even the smallest light defeats darkness instantly? You’ll never be in a room so dark that the slightest light does not drastically impact it. Likewise, you will never stand in the midst of lies so dark and overbearing that one flicker of truth does not push it back in an instant.

What truth does your heart need right now? Let me spread a table for you:

The love of God for you is immeasurable and untouchable. You can’t do enough bad to diminish it and you can’t do enough good to increase it. And it has nothing to do with what you do or don’t do. It stands as it has for eternity. Read Romans 8 all the way to the end.

The weight of shame you feel over that sin can vaporize with a simple prayer. God never intended for you to bear that weight. 1 John 1:9 declares that forgiveness is but a breath away. Take it.

The God of all creation is with you and within you. Joshua 1:9 and 1 Corinthians 3:16 stand as powerful reminders that where you are right now, there God is. I have been in crushingly dark spiritual places and have found that God has always been there with me. Right now. He’s here.

That tomorrow you’re dreading? God is already there, commanding and ordering things for your ultimate good. You may feel helpless and aimless but God knows exactly what you need before you even know you need it. Read Isaiah 46:10 and Matt. 6:8 and let truth seep in to every part of your heart. Let the fear that’s based on lies hit the road. God knows. God loves. God works. Trust Him.

So what curve ball are you staring at? What truth do you need? What fear needs to fall from your heart?

In my mind, I go back to that curve in the road and those words I said so boldly and still believe so confidently today. Truth doesn’t need my help.