#truthHow do you define truth? Webster’s Dictionary defines it as:

the real facts about something;  the things that are true; the quality or state of being true…”

and it defines true as being:

agreeing with the facts; not false; real or genuine. “

The enemy loves taking a bit of truth, adding a few false statements, mixing them together and presenting the revised version as truth. There’s just enough truth in it to be confusing to some. Others buy it as truth because they recognize some of it so they assume it all must be accurate. He did this to Eve in the Book of Genesis.

In Genesis 2:18-25 God put Adam in the Garden and gave him the perimeters for living there. There was one tree he wasn’t supposed to eat from and the reason was it would ultimately lead to his death if he did. God gave that rule to Adam to protect him. Then we meet the serpent in Genesis 3:1 and he questions what God said, causing Eve to do the same. It’s the same technique he uses with us today.

This is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

There are rallies, movie screenings, prayer virgules and such drawing attention to this heinous crime with the hope and intention of educating people on the issue and motivating them to step into the fight. This issue impacts us all, whether we realize it or not.

The reality is, the enemy has taken  the facts of human trafficking and twisted them and in some cases completely destroyed them and fed us a meal of lies and myths some people have accepted it as truth. I want to shine a light on some of those myths.

5 Myths About Human Trafficking:

  1. It happens somewhere else. Most people think of foreign countries, especially third world countries, when they hear about human trafficking, The truth is it happens there, but it happens everywhere: big cities, suburbs, rural areas and quiet little towns, Most of the children trafficked in the United States are United States citizens.
  2. It is a victimless crime. It’s about work, sex, and choice. In the past five years of working with victims of trafficking, I have yet to meet one who said they chose to be bought and sold for sex. The truth is victims are more likely to suffer from PTSD, Aids, depression, heart disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and a slew of other diseases. They are also more prone to suicide. This is a real public health crisis. It is not a victimless crime.
  3. It is a street crime. This happens in high crime areas to poor people from poor communities. The truth is this crime is not a respecter of persons. It happens to all demographics and it happens everywhere. The vast majority of it takes place online today because someone can be bought or sold there with a few clicks of a mouse without a pimp having to be anywhere around.
  4. Those who purchase this are deviant monsters. They have to be evil looking criminals who are no good. The truth is it’s the average guy (and girl) who purchases sex. Customers are doctors, lawyers, school teachers, pastors, coaches, postal workers, police officers, and the list goes on and on. The customer is called a JOHN for a reason…. because he looks like your average person.
  5. Those who sell sex are evil facilitators. They must be part of the mafia to do something horrible like this. The truth is the mafia is involved in the selling of human beings as a commodity, because there is big money in it. But pimps are also regular men or women. Some pimps are teenagers pimping out their classmates. Gangs are also pimping these days because the payoff is high, it’s easy to to and it’s low risk, especially compared to drugs and arms dealing. The product is a non-consumable, so a pimp can sell a person over and over and over.

It’s important to know the truth. Educate yourself. Don’t take someone’s word for it. Do your own due diligence so you know what you’re sharing is accurate. Sharing inaccurate information about human trafficking only weakens the message and ultimately hurts the cause.

To quote Agent Pride from NCIS New Orleans,

Learn things!”

 

*As a bonus, I want to share one of my favorite rap songs about truth by Lecrae. Even if you don’t like rap music, take time to listen because it is a powerful message about truth about God and it’s importance. The lyrics are included to help you follow it.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/eDHxnd6VFWs[/youtube]