Dear friend,
Greetings!
Are
you indifferent about lying? Does it not bother you when you tell lies or
"white lies or little lies"? Do you know that one of God's plans for
you is to be truthful in your speech and in your heart?
When was the last
time you told a lie?
Lying
is more dangerous than it appears as it violates God's holiness and
righteousness. Most of us think that lying is a minor character flaw that no
one is exempted from. No doubt, we have all lied and we have all lied without
being caught. While we may not have been caught, God is very much aware of
every single thing that we do; no single thing is hidden from Him.
I
have noticed that lying is so apparent and is becoming an issue for many
people, including Christians, and people are becoming nonchalant about it. Are you aware of God's commandment that says
"You shall not lie"? God also said that all liars shall not make it
into heaven. How disheartening would it be if you miss heaven because of your
lies. Read Acts 5:1-11 in the bible, a story of a couple that died because they
told lies.
Did you know that lying is
attributed to Satan? Jesus Christ referred to Satan as a liar and the father of
lies and when he lies, it is perfectly normal for he is the father of liars (John 8:44) while Jesus Christ declared Himself to be the truth (John14:6). Take a moment and
reflect on who you are, are you truthful in your speech and thought? How would
Jesus Christ describe you?
What does God say about Lying?
A] God does not want you to minimise the treachery
of lying neither does He want you to tell white lies and small lies.
B] God does not want you
to say things that are not true neither does God want you
to taint the truth.
C] God said that one of the
things that He detests is lying (Proverbs 6:16-19). Detest means to have a
strong dislike for something.
“These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil,
A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.” (Proverbs 6:16-19 NKJV)
God said that worthless and
wicked people are the ones that go around telling lies (Proverbs 6:12). You probably
wouldn't associate a wicked person to someone that tells lies, right?.
What if I do not
say something is wrong, I just keep quiet about the truth. The Bible says, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good
and does not do it, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17, NKJV) Not standing up
for what you know is right, is still considered lying, but lying in “omission.”
“Telling the truth”, includes telling “the whole” truth.
God's Words For You...
Firstly, know that your Heavenly Father cares
about you and He loves you. He is very much aware that you are prone to lying
and He wants you to consciously forsake all lies. God said there are things
that may cause you to lie, such as; when you speak too much, when you believe
that saying the truth will either get you into trouble or when you feel the
individual that you need to speak to or the organisation is not ready to hear the
truth. God wants you to think of creative ways of speaking the truth.
Secondly, God wants you to know that there are
no justifiable excuses in His sight for lying neither does God want you to
think of positive reasons for lying. There are no positive reasons to lie in
the sight of God.
Thirdly, you are created in the image of a God that is truthful, therefore, the ability to speak and live in truth is in you.
Fourthly, God does not want you to develop a
habit of lying.
How Should
Christians Speak?
- David in the Bible said, “I hate and abhor lying but I love your law” (Psalms 119:163 NKJV).
- You should not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices” (Colossians 3:9 NIV).
- Put away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his or her neighbour,’ for we are members of one another” (Ephesians 4:25 NKJV). Instead of lying you are to be truthful.
- The Bible says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8 NIV).
- God wants you to be truthful in all you do, say and think.
Conclusion
I
recognise that in order to be truthful about some things, it may cost you and
you may even face various consequences for speaking the truth. From God's
perspective, saying the truth in such circumstance is an act of faith that is
righteous before God and is an act that shows that you love God. He will
certainly reward you for it at the right time.
As
you go into this week, carefully examine your life, ask God to forgive you for
the things that you have lied about and the things that you are still lying
about. Remember that once you have confessed those sins of lying, it is also
time to forsake those lies. You may require further counselling to forsake some
lies that you have told due to the severity of the lies. Ask God to help you.
May
the Lord help you to live a truthful life in Jesus' name. May you be truthful in
your speech and in your heart in Jesus' name.
Have
a lovely week!
- Mysses Lafunky
Reference and photo credit: freeimages.co.uk and kidsbibleinfo.com
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