How many lies have you been told? How many of them have you believed? Do you think you know every time you have been lied to? Are you aware of how much your life has been affected by lies? We have been lied to so much, and we have believed so many of them, that we do not begin to comprehend the effect on our life, on our thinking, and on our values. Certainly each one of us has taken many wrong turns in life because we believed something that was not true. The great majority of people live in a lie continually. Their very life and all they are about is a lie. They have been lied to and have lied so much themselves that they have lost sight of the truth, and have actually turned things around in their minds so that lies are true and the truth is a lie. It is a striking testimony to the depravity of man that most people seem eager to believe anything that is kooky and far-fetched, but refuse to believe the simple truths that have stood the test of time. Bigfoot, UFO's, psychics, evolutionists, and National Enquirer will never cease to have their followers because most people are so eager to believe a lie, and so stubborn to believe the truth. The same people who will cling to their belief in these things without any evidence or proof will deny the truth when it is standing right in front of them. Jesus said, "And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not." (John 8:45) Paul experienced the same thing when he said, "Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?" (Gal. 4:16)
The devil was the first one to utter a lie. Jesus said so in John 8 when he said the devil was the father of lies.
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. John 8:44-45
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Gen. 3:4-5
The devil just bold-faced lied to Eve and it worked. It has always worked well for him. All his followers use his same classic method. It is the best way to take advantage of others and to get them to hand over to you whatever it is you are wanting from them. Men lie to women and women lie to men. Children lie to their parents and sadly, many parents lie to their children. Politicians use lies to get elected and it works well for them because people are more apt to believe a lie than the truth. People like Hitler have used the power of lies to rise to power and carry out their evil plans many, many times throughout history.
Lies are always the beginning of broken homes and broken hearts. Lies are always the first step into a trap from which you cannot escape, whether you are the liar or the one being lied to. The telling of a lie, or deceit in any way, is the beginning of a never-ending game of cover up; you will have to tell more lies to keep from being found out, and it will almost surely end up in other sins as well. Many have went as far as murder to keep from being found out. A lie always has an immoral design and is always intended to deceive. In fact, every sin begins with a lie. Therefore, every person who goes to hell will be there forever because they believed a lie, and ultimately, it was their own heart that deceived them. It is very wicked and selfish to lie to another, but to lie to oneself is nothing but depravity of heart. It is no wonder that God hates a lying tongue, and you can be sure that God never approves of a lie, or uses a lie to accomplish his will.
In light of all these facts it is imperative that we be extremely careful about what we accept as truth. Once we accept something as true we begin to base other things upon it and we are soon lost and confused and completely wrong, without even knowing that we are wrong. We must face the fact that we are easily deceived. God warned the children of Israel in Deuteronomy:11:16:
Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;
Jesus also tried to warn us about this vulnerability of ours. His first words in response to questions about the end times were repeatedly, "Take heed that no man deceive you," "Take heed what ye hear."
We live in a world dominated by evil, and the devil, who is the father of lies. The only truth there is can be found in the Word of God. (Thy word is truth…John 17:17) It must be your anchor and your foundation for life and eternity. In this degenerate generation most people will experience what it is like to be lied to and deceived by their dearest and most trusted loved ones at one time or another in their life. It is one of the most hurtful and damaging things that can happen to a person. This is because you do not normally become aware of the fact that you have been lied to until much later, and a lot of water is under the bridge, and many of the important decisions of your life have been made under the influence of deception. The lie has changed the course of your life and quite possibly cost you dearly. When it happens it can shipwreck your entire life unless you have a familiar place of truth to run to for refuge, and there is only one such place, that is God and his Word.
We must be honest in our hearts always, with others and with ourselves. We must quit trying to rationalize and excuse lies because of circumstances. We must quit making light of lies as if it does not matter that much. We must make it a major priority in rearing our children to stop them from lying. They should be made to perceive it as the greatest transgression they could commit. Remember, it is the beginning of the road to hell. A child that is not purged of his lying tongue will perish, and on his way he will leave a trail of destruction and misery behind him with his life. It must be rooted out of him while he is very young or it will be there forever.
We are far too careless about this matter. We allow ourselves to be entertained by liars. We allow ourselves to be informed by lying newscasters. We deliberately fill our minds and hearts with things that are not true. Why do novels, TV, movies, and games capture the attention and give so much pleasure and entertainment, while thoughts of God's promises, eternity in heaven or hell, and a Savior who died and gave himself for our sins bores us? Charity (love) rejoices in the TRUTH - not in lies. It is a serious matter that calls for self examination and determination. Get your Bible and start noticing how often lying is mentioned and referred to. If we are going to walk in the truth then we must reject anything that is not true. Pretty simple, is it not? Think about it, and start taking notice of what you allow yourself to accept as true.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, … think on these things. Phil. 4:8
…yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; Rom. 3:4
…all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Rev. 21:8
Mike MillerDecember 3, 2011
