Have you ever dealt with a person who had multiple personalities? If you have then you can understand the title of this chapter. Many times a bad attitude develops when you know about a situation, and try to handle it in a Biblical way. However, before you can deal with it, the story gets spread around with many different additions tagging along and before you know it you have a full blown crisis on your hands. Usually the one that knows the real truth becomes the victim in the situation because nobody wants to believe the truth since it's not as juicy as the other things they have heard. That's where grudges, bitterness, and strife arise because people want junk more than they want the truth.
Why is it so hard to get people to believe the truth?
(1) The truth is not always what people want to hear. My mind still hears the words of Jack Nicholson in the movie, A Few Good Men, as he says, "You can't handle the truth!" In many ways he was right. Most people can't handle the truth because it's not what they want to hear. By hearing it they must receive it and do something about their situation. They will either respond to it positively or negatively. Jesus Himself said, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." But let's face it, people that have bad attitudes don't want the truth because they know they will have to do something about it.
(2) The truth may mean you have to CHANGE! As I discussed in the previous chapter, CHANGE is something that most people rebel against. I read the article in the paper today about our government trying to balance the budget. There is a proposed plan to do so in place, but if it is passed it will mean some drastic CHANGES for all of us. I don't like it, but I don't like having our whole economic system shattered because of our refusal to CHANGE our way of thinking. We have been wasteful when it come to truth in this nation of ours for too long, and now the truth is coming home to roost. To survive we will have to make some CHANGES. People with bad attitudes reject the truth because they don't want to CHANGE.
(3) The truth rubs people the wrong way. Nobody wants to be convicted anymore, nor does anyone want to be judged. Yet the truth exposes both of those scenarios in our lives. If we are not living right the truth brings conviction. If we are disobedient to His Word we will be judged by Him. Truth exposes our flaws, failures, and faults before God. When we see them we either react and respond with a cry for forgiveness and mercy or we rebel and defy the most High God. that's why the altars are empty in our churches and the pews or seats hold many who have unconfessed sin in their hearts. They refuse to let people know that there is some falsehood in their relationship with God.
(continued tomorrow)
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