Reject Lies and Lying But Speak the Truth in Love
Don’t you wish liars’ noses grew and their pants did catch on fire?
It would be much easier to confidently know the truth if we could quickly identify and reject lies and deception.
I’ve shared before how much I hate lying. It seems like our culture assumes it’s just part of life but look at just some of the things the Bible says about it…
David wrote…
Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies!
Psalm 34:13
Solomon wrote…
A lying tongue hates its victims.
And…
The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in those who tell the truth.
Proverbs 26:28a & Proverbs 12:22
And when God gave Moses His Commandments, He said…
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Or as the NCV puts it…
You must not tell lies about your neighbor.
Exodus 20:16 (CSB and NCV)
Why does the Bible repeatedly tell us not to lie? Because God knows the consequences of lying hurt us all.
Here’s a list of just some of the consequences…
- Lying causes stress and anxiety – it’s hard to remember manufactured misinformation.
- Lying ruins relationships – the question to ask – How do I feel when someone lies to me?
- Lying destroys trust – even when a relationship survives a lie, trust is superseded by doubt and suspicion.
On the other hand, always telling the truth offers the following blessings and benefits.
1. Telling the truth means not having to keep track of your lies or fear they will be discovered.
Mark Twain wrote…
“If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.”
2. Telling the truth gives peace of mind.
And John wrote…
Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ—the Son of the Father—will continue to be with us who live in truth and love.
2 John 3
3. Telling the truth improves relationships.
“Trust is the cornerstone of a relationship.” ~ Anonymous
4. Telling the truth is wise.
“Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving.” ~ James E. Faust
Even though we know the consequences of lying and the blessings of telling the truth, I was surprised to see the number of articles that promoted the opposite. I think it comes down to wanting immediate gratification. We want what we want and we want it now!
So, we tell people what we want them to hear to get what we want from them. Whether it’s power, popularity, possessions, or something else if we can reach our goal faster through lying well, then the end justifies the means.
Or does it?
Let’s go back to the beginning…
“The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in those who tell the truth.”
So, as Paul wrote, the following becomes our goal…
We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of His body, the church.
Ephesians 4:15
And once we know, speak, and live the truth, it’s easier to identify and reject lies.
Let’s pray and ask the Lord to help us reject lies and consistently speak the truth in love…
A Prayer to Reject Lies and Speak the Truth in Love
Father God, Jesus said, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31–32) I know Jesus is the truth that sets me free and He proclaimed that Your Word is truth. (John 17:17)
I will focus on Your truth asking You to give me wisdom and discernment helping me to identify and reject lies that hurt me individually and all of us corporately. Please give me the strength to live according to Your truth lovingly speaking it to the people around me.
Thank you for Jesus … the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He showed us the Way You want us to live and gave us the Way of salvation. He spoke and lived the Truth because He has always been and will always be the Truth. And He showed us how to live and gave His life to make it possible for us to live a full and satisfying life.
I praise You for all You have done and continue to do for us. Thank you for giving us Your Word to teach us Your will and promises. Thank you for giving us the Spirit of Truth to help, comfort, and lead us.
I pray the words of David … “Lead me by your truth and teach me, for You are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in You.” (Psalm 25:11)
Please give me everything I need to live and speak the truth. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
John MacArthur said…
“Love and truth must be maintained in perfect balance. Truth is never to be abandoned in the name of love. But love is not to be deposed in the name of truth… Truth without love has no decency; it’s just brutality. On the other hand, love without truth has no character; it’s just hypocrisy.”
Can you imagine the difference it would make if everyone prioritized the balance between love and truth? It would bless our families, churches, communities, and culture.
Maybe it would be helpful if liars’ noses grew and their pants caught on fire.
May the Lord help us to follow as He leads living His truth in love.
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Everything you’ve written and highlighted here, Deb, rings true and sure for those of us who are trying to live the life that Jesus has given us. May we always know His truth and speak it in love.
Blessings!
Thanks, Martha! Blessings and hugs!
Love this Deb, I think this is the world we are living. All fantasies, lies, deception, fake, competing with the Jones due to social media. There are persons that want people to think they have a perfect life and post on social media lies. This needs to be posted on all social media platforms so the liars can read it and hopefully touch their conscience and heart. I love where you mentioned in order to speak the truth there must be love and they both work hand in hand.
This is great and wish we could see the nose grow and pants on fire of the liars that surround our world.
Thank you Deb this was very strong message that we all need to live up to.🙏
Thank you, Ana! You’re right, social media allows for all levels of deception everything from exaggeration to full-fledged untruth. Praying that God will be our constant reminder that speaking the truth in love blesses and helps us all. God bless you, sweet friend!
Lying is never acceptable. They hurt and destroy relationships. Once one is told, it is hard to take it back. It is like idle gossip.
Being a Christian, I take this very seriously. God loves us, but he does not like the lying.
Being honest and loyal are two very important things to be.
Thank you for this wonderful post. As usual, you hit the subject with so much love and wisdom. God Bless you and I hope that you have a wonderful Fourth of July. God Bless this wonderful country of ours!!
You’re so right, Sue. Lying is something rankles me. I think it’s one of the reasons I lean on the Word … it gives me that firm foundation of truth. Thanks as always for your sweet encouragement. Have a wonderful weekend. Blessings and hugs!