The term fake news has reached a global audience, and it is not always easy to differentiate between truth and lies. For believers, we must discern what is trustworthy and what is deceit.
The only sure way we can do this is through the Holy Spirit, otherwise we will be using a flawed methodology to attain what can only be discerned spiritually. It is never to our advantage to believe a half truth, or to assume that what started out to deceive us will at some point redeem itself and become truth.
God’s word makes it very clear that we are to walk in absolute truth, understanding that truth will set us free, and that the opposite to truth will become our bondage. Many years ago I heard someone say, “You can catch a thief, but you can’t catch a lie.” Once a lie has been spoken, and is out there, you will never be able to speak to each individual who believes it and get it back. If we think about our life long experiences I believe we will see that this often is the case. We may think that partial understanding is enough to give us the answers that we need, but if there are shaded areas where doubt remains, then we can not be assured that what we are hearing is absolutely true.
These days there are many among us who seem to follow a perspective that some deception mixed with some truth will not do much damage, but these individuals are deceiving themselves with wrong thinking. The danger comes when we are not able to recognize the difference between what is true and what is a lie.
Isaiah 5:20-21 NKJV Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light; and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!