Part 2 – When You Don’t Know What’s True
Hope for unsteady times · Part 2
When You Don’t Know What’s True
Finding solid truth in a world of noise
A video of a world leader saying something shocking goes viral. By lunchtime, someone says it’s fake. By evening, someone else says the people calling it fake are the ones lying.
The news tells one story. Social media tells another. A friend sends a link that contradicts both. And now AI can write articles, clone voices, and create photos of events that never happened.
It’s exhausting. And it leaves many of us quietly wondering: who can I actually trust?
It’s not just you
If you feel unsure what to believe, you’re in good company. Trust in news, governments, and institutions has been falling for years in many countries, and new technology has made it harder still to tell real from fake.
That uncertainty does something to us. Some people stop believing anything and grow cynical. Others cling tightly to whichever voice feels safest, even when it isn’t true. Many simply feel anxious, because when you can’t trust what you see and hear, the ground feels unsteady again.
We were never meant to live without a solid place to stand. We were made to know the truth.
The oldest trick
Deepfakes are new. Deception isn’t.
The very first temptation in the Bible began with a question designed to plant doubt: “Did God really say…?” (Genesis 3:1). The creature that was talking to Eve didn’t start with an outright lie. He started by making Eve unsure whether God could be trusted, then offered her a twisted version of the truth.
Jesus described the enemy as “a liar, and the father of lies” (John 8:44). His strategy hasn’t changed. Confuse people. Make them doubt God’s goodness. Blur the line between true and false until people give up looking.
The tools have become more sophisticated, but the game is the same. And seeing it clearly is the first step to not being played by it. The truth does exist and it can be found.
The truth within?
When outside voices can’t be trusted, many people turn inward instead. “Follow your heart.” “Speak your truth.” “The answers are already inside you.”
It sounds freeing, and there’s something real in it. God made us to think, feel, and reflect. But the heart is not a reliable compass on its own. Jeremiah puts it bluntly: “The heart is deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9). Our feelings shift with our moods, our fears, and whatever we watched last night.
If truth is only what each of us feels, then there’s no solid ground at all, just millions of private realities. That doesn’t set us free. It leaves us alone.
The good news is that truth isn’t something we have to manufacture. It’s someone we can know.
A truth you can stand on
Jesus didn’t just say he would teach the truth. He said:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
John 14:6
That changes everything. Truth isn’t a shifting opinion or a feeling we have to chase. It’s a person, and he doesn’t change. Hebrews 13:8 says he is “the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Headlines will be corrected, experts will disagree, and technology will keep advancing. He stays the same, and can be trusted.
Jesus also promised, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Notice the order. Freedom doesn’t come from knowing every fact about the world. It comes from knowing him. When your life is anchored in who he is, you don’t have to be thrown around by every new claim.
Learning to discern
The Bible doesn’t ask us to believe everything. It tells us to “try the spirits whether they are of God” (1 John 4:1). Discernment is a skill we can grow in. Here are a few simple questions to ask when something grabs your attention:
- Does it line up with God’s Word? Scripture is “a lamp to my feet” (guides the path I walk), (Psalm 119:105). Anything that contradicts God’s character or his Word isn’t from him, however convincing it sounds.
- What fruit does it produce? Jesus said we would know people “by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). Does this message lead to love, peace, and truth, or to fear, hatred, and confusion?
- Am I reacting or responding? Lies often travel on strong emotions. If something makes you instantly furious or afraid, slow down before you believe it or share it.
- Have I asked God? James 1:5 promises that if we lack wisdom, we can ask God, and he gives it generously.
- Can it wait? Very few things need to be believed or shared in the next five minutes. Time often reveals what’s real. You can test and question things, that is healthy.
This week: pause and test
Here’s a simple practice. Each time something online stirs up fear, anger, or uncertainty this week, pause before you believe it or pass it on. Take one breath and ask: “Lord, is this true? And what do you want me to do with it?”
Then spend a few minutes each day reading one of the Gospels. The more familiar you become with the voice of Jesus, the easier it is to recognise a voice that isn’t his.
You could pray something like this:
A prayer for today
Lord Jesus, you are the truth. When I’m surrounded by noise and confusion, help me hear your voice above every other. Give me wisdom to see what’s real, courage to let go of what isn’t, and peace that doesn’t depend on the headlines. Keep my heart anchored in you. Amen.
Next time, we’ll look at another pressure many of us carry: what to do when the money doesn’t stretch.
The world may be full of noise.
But truth still has a name, and he knows yours.
