You are entering upon a battle, and you do well to seek the Lord’s help. Yet let not your chief desire be that the Lupon members side with you, but that the truth be made manifest, for “buy the truth, and sell it not.” Stand upon the truth in every particular; let no false word pass your lips, no exaggeration, no coloring of the matter to your own advantage. Remember that the Lord is a God of truth, and He requires truth in the inward parts. He that speaks lies shall not stand in His presence. Set your heart, then, to speak the whole truth and nothing but the truth, even as before God. In doing so, you will have nothing to fear, for truth is mighty and must prevail.
You have been wronged by one who has misused your words and spread reports against you. This is a grief, yet let it drive you nearer to the Righteous Judge. Consider Him who, when He was reviled, reviled not again. Trust your cause to God; He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noonday. Man’s opinion is a poor thing to lean upon, why should you be afraid of a man that shall die, or the son of man who is but a worm? The Lord alone can cover your head in the day of battle. Go not into this hearing trusting in your own confidence or power of speech; rather, go bowed down in adoration before Him who alone gives wisdom and boldness. If you succeed, it shall be because the Lord fought for you, and to Him be the praise.
Yet while I bid you trust God for the outcome, I must also press upon you the great necessity of examining your own soul. Have you never used false words? Has your heart always gone with your tongue? Even in this dispute, guard jealously against any trace of self-righteousness or vengeance. The purest motive is not to crush an adversary, but to walk in integrity. Remember, too, that the deepest truth we need is not merely that we win a hearing, but that we are found in Christ, who is the Truth. In His blood is the washing away of all that is false in us; in His Spirit is the power to be made true. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
The battle of life is long and fierce; sharpen your sword upon the whetstone of God’s Word, and when you stand before the Lupon, let your words be few and sober. The Lord can give you such a calm and clear mind that all your fear shall be gone, and you shall be filled with holy confidence. Do not fear what man can do; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell, and who yet, in Christ, is the Justifier of the ungodly. Look to the Cross, where infinite Justice was fully vindicated, and there find both your example and your peace. God grant you His grace to bear yourself as a soldier of the truth, that whether men side with you or not, you may obtain that better Certificate, the Spirit’s witness that you are a child of God, walking in truth and love.