Lying When the Truth Would Sound Better

Renewing the mind is a little like refinishing furniture. It is a two-stage process. It involves taking off the old and replacing it with the new. The old is the lies you have learned to tell or were taught by those around you; it is the attitudes and ideas that have become a part of your thinking but do not reflect reality. The new is the truth. To renew your mind is to involve yourself in the process of allowing God to bring to the surface the lies you have mistakenly accepted and replace them with truth. To the degree that you do this, your behavior will be transformed.  Charles Stanley

I was listening to the news this morning and they were talking about the baseball players who were suspended for using steroids.  It made me think of lying.  I have committed the sin of lying in my lifetime.  Lying has become a disease of epidemic proportions.  It is going to kill more people than any other disease known to man.

Where do we learn to lie?  It has to be a learned thing because we aren’t born knowing how to lie.  I think we learn to lie from a lot of sources.  We learn from our parents, friends, spouses and peers.  We also learn it from society.  Society is the best place to learn how to lie. 

Children learn from watching others.  What do they see on a daily basis?  The sports figures they admire lie about the drugs they take to enhance their performance on the field, actors and actresses lie about driving drunk, crashing their car or any number of things. 

But lies are not limited to famous people.  They exist in our families, friends, acquaintances and peers.  This started me thinking about why I lied in the past.  The one thing that struck me was not that God knew I was lying and I knew He knew, but that I knew there would be consequences and the fear of punishment.  My fear of the punishment was often worse than the lie I told.  When my fear of earthly punishment overshadowed my fear of God, I was in trouble. 

Why is it that way?  When we determine that we are more afraid of someone on earth doling out the punishment than we are of God’s punishment, we need to rethink the situation.  How do we handle a child that lies when the truth would sound better? 

I thought about the story in the Bible about one of the greatest lies ever told and how Jesus handled that lie. When Jesus told Peter he would deny knowing Him three times, Peter was offended and told Jesus he would follow Him even to death.  So not only did Peter lie about not denying Jesus but he did deny knowing Jesus, not once but three times. 

Jesus later in John 17:9-19 interceded on the disciples’ behalf and prayed for them.  Isn’t that how we should handle those who lie in this life?  Jesus used love as punishment.  How ironic is that?  How amazing to love someone enough that when they lied you would forgive them and pray for them.  Notice that Jesus didn’t condone Peter’s behavior he just spoke truth. I think too many times we humans retaliate in kind to those who lie to us instead of loving them. In reality we all commit the same sin as Peter did when we lie. We deny knowing God every time lies pass our lips.  

  

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, one day we will all stand before You with the lies of a lifetime on our hearts.  I have lied when the truth would have sounded better but I want to remove the sin of lying from my heart.  The only way I can do that is to look at myself honestly and truthfully and repent.  Thank You for giving me a way back to You. 

  

Scripture: And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”  Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”  Luke 22:31-34

“I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. John 17:9-19