I said in my alarm, “All mankind are liars.”
Yes, we all lie. We lie to others, and we lie to ourselves. But some lie from an evil intent (Psalm 7:14) and others lie from denial (Psalm 12:2). Some lie from pride, and others fail to tell the truth for fear of losing out (Isaiah 59:4).
But God never lies (Titus 1:2). Satan on the other hand is the father of lies (John 8:44). Both speak from their character. Those who deliberately live life intentionally spreading harmful lies will end up in the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8). And even those who practice small lies, may have a tough time living under God’s favor (Psalm 101:7).
God really gets upset with those who lie in HIS name (Jeremiah 23:32), speaking from their own minds (Jeremiah 14:14) yet giving credit to HIM. So, when the lie never is fulfilled, God gets the short end of the stick. Yes, the end result is always the same, a life, business, or nation built on lies will not profit from them and will not remain standing (Jeremiah 16:19).
As a child, I learned that most people would rather believe lies than the truth. The lie was easier for them to digest whereas the truth was so uniquely rare people had a more difficult time accepting it. As one grows up, one slowly discovers the entire culture practices lies without acknowledging them as harmful. Yet lying, which I had to repent and learn the hard way, builds shaky relational structures which given enough time will collapse whatever TRUST was built between the parties. But aren’t our lies only to protect the pain from others?
We lie to be polite and unoffensive in our relationships.
We lie to avoid conflict rather than deal with an issue.
We lie to overcome the shortage of value in a product to a potential customer.
We lie to coverup our true feelings and intentions.
We lie about the tooth fairy, Santa Claus, and the Easter Bunny.
Yet these lies we accept as innocent and a natural part of community living. On the other hand, we have politicians who constantly lie to us about matters of the State.
We have advertisers lie to us about their product or service.
We have countries lie to one another under the guise of propaganda.
We have people who angrily lie on the witness stand so they may see the destruction of someone who they hold bitter resentment or hatred against.
We have people deliberately lying to each other to gain something from the other which they desire and can’t honestly disclose their true intentions.
Lying is a natural, human weakness we either accept and play along or we acknowledge its harm and intentionally develop coping mannerism to combat the problem.
Yes, I believe there is a time to lie. When the hostile army is looking for an enemy of the state and you are protecting that person’s life, your intention is to save a life which supersedes your white lie at the moment. Many non-Jewish people were placed in such a situation during WWII and stood up to the genocide.
But to intentionally lie and cover up the truth for personal gain is a motive which comes into discussion. Lying and using God’s name in the process of protecting non-life situations is something we all need to be careful when treading water.
As believers, Jesus instructed us “to be shrewd as snakes but as harmless as doves” in our adventures through life. We are to reflect the glory of God in our dealings with one another. Yet we also must realize we live in a fallen world were Satan and his army deliberately spread lies and encourages lies between people. We need to discern the truth from the lies and weigh the situation for our response.
In most cases, we will smile and accept the situation as non-threatening and be polite. In other times, we may speak up and question the matter more in depth to arrive at the truth of the matter. Either way, when we walk with the Spirit, built on the Word of God, we will follow HIS lead and accordingly respond with love and courage.
We have all lied. Only God knows the real cost or value of those lies. HE will judge us.
HE will discipline us when needed, and HE will encourage us when needed. But meanwhile, be careful with all the news, gossip, opinions, stories, and narratives you hear being told. Seek out the truth and don’t jump to conclusions until you have acquired as much evidence and facts to truly understand the matter. Until then, realize we live in a lying world, but God has given us the truth to live out life within HIS domain today. So always lean on HIM and let HIM lead you into all the truth.
Rooting For You in Christ!
Dr. Mike
Encourager & Author of e-Books
* Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
* Great Business Emulates a Good God
* Be Radical…Follow Christ!
* Simply The Messenger
* Unequally Married
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