Welcome to Day 18 of The Challenge! Our verse to memorize is II Timothy 2:18:
~
“Who concerning the truth have erred,
saying that the resurrection is past already;
and overthrow the faith of some.”
~
Truth is a precious gift given to us by God. We must treat it as such, and so avoid the dangers that we see in this verse. Being in error concerning the truth, and having 
our faith overthrown, are so prevalent today!
So many of us Christian young people have a wrong perception of God: a faulty idea of what He desires of us, and an incorrect view of our purpose in this life. We have erred concerning the truth.
Others are easily swayed by any teaching they hear. Their small faith is quickly shaken when they are presented with supposed “facts” that challenge Scripture.
How can we overcome these troubles? By knowing the truth! “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32. We know the truth by 
diligently searching God’s word, comparing scripture with scripture, memorizing it, and meditating on it. I know this sounds like being “Super Christian” but if we will try, little by little, to get in the habit of seeking after God’s truth, then we will not be swayed, and our faith will be planted on a firm and unshakable foundation!
~ Laura Oliverio
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January 18th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
So very true, Laura! Thank you for the encouragement!
I am so very glad that I had the privilege of meeting you on my Journey!! Your life and radiant love for the Lord have been a real blessing to me! Keep on keeping on!
Prayers and blessings on your week!
January 18th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
True, true, TRUE!!! We hear this and hear this and way too often it goes in one ear and out the other. This is the ONLY way to defeat the enemy of our souls, who hates us and hates God’s Truth, and who works double over-time to bring discouragement and defeat into our lives.
January 18th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
Great thoughts, Laura! Thanks for sharing! This reminds me of when bank employers train their new employees by familiarizing the new workers with the REAL money first, and then introduce them to the counterfeit bills. The tellers recognize fraud in a minute because they know what the real money feels like.
This is just like the Christian life, but as Laura mentioned, we are easily swayed, see God in the wrong way and mess things up. Instead of saturating ourselves in the Word and learning all about Him, we plunge into the world to try to learn all we can of their ways so we can be “more effective” witnesses. It’s kind of like leaping into a battle without the armor – dangerous and deadly. We must first know the truth (reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating on Scripture) before we can head out into the world of Satan’s domain.
The more thoroughly you know the Truth, the quicker you will recognize the lies.
January 19th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Thanks Laura!
you’re still a blessing! 
Thanks for encouraging me AGAIN to just stay in God’s word, seeking for a deeper knowledge of the truth!!! I’m afraid so many times some of us fall into the trap of thinking that we’ve “arrived” or that just b/c we’ve grown up in a Christian home all our lives we already know all the truth that we need-yet in reality we actually don’t know what we believe. You’re right-it is sooo important to know the truth-and I’m so glad that we have something to believe in; a Book that is filled with thing that we can KNOW for 100% sure are TRUE. 
January 19th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
This definition of the Greek word for “erred” is given in Zodhiates Complete Word Study Dictionary: “The verb does not mean to miss achieving the aim that one has set, but not to set the proper aim at which one ought to aim. It is not focusing on the right goal instead of not achieving one’s set aim. Naturally if one specializes in the proclamation of something that is not essential and central, he will inevitably neglect that which is central and important.” If we don’t study God’s Word, we won’t know what His goals are for us.
One of our church elders was fixing our computer last night and was telling us about a time when he asked his Christian high school class why they did or did not do certain things. He was shocked to discover that over 90% of his class’s convictions were based on the rules in their homes! They could not even back up their convictions with Scripture! The Lord reminded me again to not only know what I stand for, but why, based on the truths of God’s Word. When convictions and standards are built on the “sands” of human ideas, not on the firm foundation of God’s Word, they easily fall when the storms come!
Thank you Laura for your exhortation to diligently seek after God’s truth! So nice to meet you at the Nov. ’08 Journey! Your servant’s spirit was a radiant expression of your love for the Lord! May He continue to use you in a mighty way for His kingdom!
January 20th, 2009 at 6:34 am
Wow, that is so true! Thanks for the encouragement, Laura… it is so good to be reminded over and over how important the study of God’s word is!
January 23rd, 2009 at 12:14 am
“…and overthrow the faith of some.” Would my faith be overthrown by those who have erred (missed the mark) concerning the truth, or by false teachers like Hymenaeus and Philetus? I would hope not! The Lord has been showing me more and more how important it is that my convictions be deeply rooted in Him and His Word, and to know with confidence why I have them and why I do and don’t do the things I do. In past years, it has been so easy to say, “My parents want me to” (or something to that effect) without any other basis for it. And “convictions” that are not rooted in the firm foundation of God’s Word will NEVER last. God has been faithful to point out areas that I need to “grow up” in and know why I do what I do; not only following, but leading. Last week we listened to an ATI conference message by Roger Magnusen. From it, I was reminded that heroes and those who lead have firm and solid convictions for which they stand for! And they are not shaken by those who oppose them.
Thank you for sharing, Laura! It’s still remarkable how God allowed us to meet