One of the hardest things to do for a man in this life is speaking the truth. Truly, it pays to speak nothing but the truth but it is hard. It is better not to say anything than to tell lies. God hates the lying tongue. It is written in the scriptures that all liars will have a part in the lake of fire. It is not something that should be said sugar-coated. Lying is bad. One of the things that people say is that there are small lies and there are big lies. The truth is that in the sight of the Lord, there is nothing like a small or big lie, they are all the same thing. We must tell God to grant us the mind and the courage to speak the truth at all times.
Ephesians 4:25, NKJV “Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.”
The judgment that will come upon liars is written in the book of Revelation 21:8 – all liars will be part of those that will be thrown into the lake of fire. This might sound too harsh but it is the truth. Telling lies destroys many things and God hates it. Some things push a man to lie. One of these things is fear. An example is when a teenager does something bad, he or she becomes afraid of the repercussions of doing that. When the parents ask, out of fear he or she lies. Fear is the leading cause of lies. God knew what fear could do to us, it may cost us eternal life by pushing us to do extremely sinful things which is why He told us not to be afraid. Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
If we look at the verse, Joshua 1:9 vividly, we will see that the phrase “Do not be afraid” was a command from God. God commanded us not to be afraid – we have no reason to fear anyone and then lie. The fear may want to come but we must stand for one thing and that thing must be the truth. The bible text tells us to put away lying. We are not doing ourselves good if we tell lies. This is one of the reasons there are broken homes, relationships are being destroyed because of lies told by either one of the couples or the third parties. Instead of telling lies, it is better to say nothing.
Another reason why people tell lies is to covet or steal from someone. People used to say that anyone who can lie can steal. Covetousness will push people to lie and acquire what is not theirs. In business, people do this. What they say most of the time is that lying is part of the business. As Christians, we need to be distinct. If we are into any business, legit business, we must learn to speak the truth at all times. God hates people who cheat in business. Proverbs 11:1 “Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, But a just weight is His delight.” It is a common thing in society today – people do it all in the name of “profit.” It is part of lying – God hates it.
We are Christians, if others are doing the wrong thing, there should be people who will do the right thing in the right way. If the world is telling lies, there should be people who will stand to tell the truth and that people should be Christians. The world is waiting for people like these to take over and rule. People who will speak a word as it is and not lie. People who will speak the word of hope and not tell lies. The world is awaiting the manifestation of the sons of God, the light of the world. Some people tell lies for fun or to mock – that is not the way to go – we should speak the words of peace.
Reflection questions
- Have I been speaking the truth or telling lies?
- Am I allowing fear to push me to tell lies instead of standing firmly to speak the right words and speak the truth alone?
- What are the things that are causing me to tell lies?
- What have I gained from lying?
Prayer of the day.
Dear Lord, I know I am not perfect – I seek perfection through your grace alone. If I have been telling lies thinking it is a normal thing, I pray that you forgive me and create in me a clean heart. Give me the heart of courage and let fear be far from me. Amen.