Extinguishing the Gaslighting

“The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth.”  - Proverbs 12:22, NLT

“If the words don’t add up, it’s usually because the truth wasn’t included in the equation.”

-Unknown

This first: Forget about being on the “wrong side of history,” rather, make absolutely certain that you are on the right side of Truth. Failing the “history test” will pale in comparison to failing the Truth test on the scales of eternity.

Now: Those who make a practice of lying eventually part company with reality, and unsurprisingly, they demand that others join them. That’s called gaslighting.

It’s a sad and tragic fact of our society that we expect those in power to lie to us, so when they oblige, we shrug our shoulders and move on. We’ve got jobs, bills to pay, church, games and events to attend, and most importantly, children to rear; so, we don’t have time to wrangle over the pervasive gaslighting that emanates from the mouths of our governmental leaders.

However, the imperative to extinguish gaslighting may well be the greatest challenge of our lifetime. The stakes couldn’t be higher, for if we refuse to resolutely engage, we stand to lose this generation and those that follow.

We can expose and defeat this rampant mendacity by holding steadfastly to the Truth as it is found in Christ Jesus and the enduring Word of God.

After all, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, by himself, very nearly brought down the Soviet Empire by unmasking their lies via his relentless determination to tell the Truth. If he did it, then we, too, can combat the ubiquitous deception so common in our land.

Interestingly, when he was exiled from the U.S.S.R, Solzhenitsyn’s parting admonition to his fellow citizens was, “Live not by lies.”

We would do well to heed his words. When we are told lies about gender, we must counter with the Truth. When we are told lies about marriage, we must speak the words of Jesus regarding God’s original plan in the Garden. When we are told lies about race, we must echo the words of Scripture that God is “no respecter of persons.”

For every falsehood, we must boldly counter with the Truth.

As we take our stand, our default position is speaking the Truth in love (Eph. 4:15). As Jesus came “full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14), we as His disciples are to follow suit. Unapologetic Truth-tellers, yet speaking words saturated with grace.

Above all, the extinguishing of gaslighting begins with us. In our homes the Truth of God must be taught and practiced. If we do this well (see Dt. 6, The Shema), our children and grandchildren are much less likely to be seduced by the subtle, yet pernicious, lies of culture.

By standing courageously for the Truth, we can cut the “gas” off and extinguish the lies. It’s up to us. Let’s rise to the occasion and be standard bearers for Truth, now and always.

A fellow beggar along the Way,

Greg