08/20/2026
NOT FOR SALE
Proverbs 23:23 says, “Buy the truth, and do not sell it; also wisdom and instruction and understanding.”
What a powerful statement!
In practical terms, this Father is telling his son, “Truth is extremely valuable. Be willing to pay the price to seek out instruction, wisdom, and understanding. Then, once you have discovered the truth, never, ever compromise it—regardless of what it cost you!"
I have 2 simple questions for you...
1. What price are you willing to pay to KNOW the truth?
Are you committed to reading, asking questions, serving, studying, and building relationships with people who know what you don't?
Do you study the Bible and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you? Are you willing to spend time in the presence of God, drawing from the wells of salvation and allowing Him to bring revelation and understanding into your life?
👉 And here's another question: Are you willing to discover that you might be wrong?
Sometimes the price of truth is our pride. "Buying the truth” often requires admitting that something we believed was wrong, something we were taught was incomplete, or something we assumed was simply not true at all.
📌 There is a huge difference between loving the truth and loving our opinion.
📌 A person who genuinely loves truth must be teachable. We have to love the truth more than we love being right.
Do you just "go along to get along?" Do you accept whatever the mob says? Do you choose the easy way out, or are you willing to invest the hours, weeks, months, and even years required to gather knowledge, understanding, and wisdom?
Truth has a price. The question is: Are you willing to pay it?
2. What's YOUR price?
Once you've discovered the truth and established your convictions, what would it take for you to give them up?
How willing are you to keep silent rather than risk the heat of being loyal to your convictions? What does it take for you to “sell out”? How willing are you to compromise your values for the sake of things that, in the end, don't really matter?
Think about it...
A controversial social media post can cost you 20 or 30 “friends.”
Refusing to lower your moral standards can cost you a boyfriend or girlfriend.
Honesty can cause peers to dislike you.
Choosing not to “kiss up” to a boss or co-worker can cost you a promotion.
📌 Standing up for what is right can cost you popularity and public approval. But, in the end, has it really cost you anything?
No, seriously...think about it...
Yes, standing for your convictions can cost you relationships, opportunities, promotions, popularity, and sometimes much more.
But what will selling out cost you?
Is “selling out” worth your self-esteem, your peace of mind, your integrity, or even your soul?
Are you “selling the truth” for popularity, social media likes, public approval, money, relationships, opportunities, or even to advance your own objectives?
Here's the irony: we will often sell something priceless to obtain something temporary.
Popularity fades.
People's opinions change.
Social media likes disappear.
Positions come and go.
Money can be replaced.
But once you surrender your integrity, the price can be far greater than anything you gained in return.
Call me crazy, but for me the answer is a big NOPE!
📌 I'm not for sale! As the old saying goes, “I'd rather be hated for what I am than loved for what I'm not!”
So maybe Proverbs 23:23 leaves us with two questions worth thinking about: What are you willing to pay to GET the truth?
And...What would someone have to pay you to GIVE IT UP?
Just something to think about!
Pastor Tim Walker
