Speak TruthExemple

Stop Lying

The definition of lying is "making a false statement with the purpose to deceive." The narrative of Abram, in which he tricked Pharaoh into thinking Sarai was his sister, makes that abundantly evident. Even though he made an effort to be diplomatic, that does not render his actions acceptable in God's eyes.

Various lies are widespread. Take age fraud as an illustration. Because of the widespread belief that lying is often acceptable, our culture has conditioned us to do so. But that still doesn't make it right. It is true that lying will not have the same negative consequences as, example, murder. But God is equally offended by every transgression. Each of us falls short of His splendor (Romans 3:23).

There's truth found in Romans 6:23a from The Message: "But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way!" The path of lies and deceit will bring about the death of the soul. But thankfully there is a way out of that kind of life. When we listen to God and follow Him humbly and honestly, we have a whole, healed, and put-together life right now! Not just one day, or in the distant future, but today!

Lies based on fear will always result in shame. We must trust God by faith and receive the life He’s designed for each of us, even if it includes suffering. He has already put together His great plan for every believer. His providential authority, supreme wisdom, and provisional plan are at work in the world today. His sovereignty comes from a loving heart. He proves His strength and forges a new path for you with His truth. He sets things right and provides freedom for you. When we put our actions together with His truth, we have a powerful life.

And speaking of power, Jesus promises to guide believers to all truth through His Helper. "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth." He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future." John 16:13 (NLT)

Do you have trouble trusting God over fear?