How many of us choose the perfect words every time we speak or write? None of us. How many of us when we write create the perfect sentence, paragraph, post, or blog? None of us. Yet today many attack the exact wording someone used while ignoring the clear and obvious intent behind it.
Jesus once said to a group of accusers, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7). In that specific setting He exposed their hypocrisy—they were willing to condemn the woman while themselves violating the Law’s requirements. The principle still applies: imperfect people should not rush to cast stones over wording or presentation while overlooking obvious intent or their own faults. At the same time, Scripture holds us accountable for the words we actually speak (Matthew 12:36–37). Both the heart and the tongue matter.
How many imperfect people are casting stones at someone right now, NOT because of their intent, but rather because we did not like the words they used, how they presented them, or what they were told the words meant?
In politics and media, twisting truth is often expected and done on purpose. Instead of calling these efforts what they are—deceit or lies—they are proudly labeled “spin” or “gaslighting.” Phrases such as “that’s their spin,” “what’s your spin?” or “they’re gaslighting you” have become commonplace. The intent of spin and gaslighting is to confuse, distort truth, shift the focus, and weaken the impact of what was originally said, no matter how sound the original words.
Someone once shared that in media they were told, “Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.” How sad. If it looks and sounds like a duck, it’s a duck. A lie called spin or gaslighting is still a lie.
To counter these techniques we must have the truth. While absolute truth is almost impossible to obtain from politics and media, it is not impossible when it comes to God and our salvation. We have absolute truth in the complete Word of God. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). God’s Word is our standard on all things; the answers are there for us to follow.
God is not a God of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). That statement was given in the context of orderly worship, yet the principle remains: God is the God of peace, order, and truth—not of deceitful chaos. Therefore we are called to put away falsehood and speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15, 25), and to test everything by Scripture (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
“Seek, and you will find” (Matthew 7:7). When we seek God through His Word, we find the unchanging truth that exposes every form of spin.
See: John 8:7; 1 Corinthians 14:33; Matthew 7:7; Exodus 20:16; Proverbs 12:22; Ephesians 4:25; Colossians 3:9; John 17:17; John 8:44.
God First!
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