Thursday, January 26, 2012

Day Sixteen - January 26, 2012


Proverbs 12:22 "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but this who act faithfully are his delight."


God's standard for your life is not as easy as avoiding the "major sins."  You will never secure a relationship with God by simply living a good life.  His ninth commandment alone is sufficient to keep all of humanity forever separated from Him.  If you have ever told a lie, you have fallen short of God's standard of holiness.


Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"


Having this knowledge, it is amazing that we, as Christians, would continue to lie.  Furthermore, we don't only lie, but we dismiss it as if it was not a sin at all.  Is this how we should treat the words of God?  Why do we approach a sin that is worthy of sending us eternally to Hell with so little thought, confession, and repentance? 


Our salvation does not exclude us from the temporal consequences of our sins.  We should not assume that God takes lying more lightly because we accepted His Son's death as righteousness counted towards us.


Proverbs 19:5 teaches us that "A false witness will not go unpunished and he who tells lies will not escape."


Those who lie, gossip, and withhold the truth from others are condemned by God in Exodus 20:16.  Jesus said that He was the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE! (John 14:6).


It is an offense against the very nature and person of your Savior to embrace a lifestyle of lying and SKEWING the truth.  On the other hand, Proverbs 12:22 teaches us that "those who act faithfully are His delight."


Commit to being a delight before the Lord today.  Ask Him to convict you of your sinful thoughts before they manifest themselves in the form of lying lips.  Confess any sin of lying and thank Christ that He is the Truth.


"White lies are non-existent, for a lie is wholly a lie; falsehood is the personification of evil; Satan has two names; he is called Satan, and he is called the Father of Lies." - Victor Hugo


PRAYER
Dear Lord, You said that all liars will have their part in the Lake of Fire. You know the motivation of my heart better than me.  Please wash my conscience of any lies and renew a steadfast spirit in me that will cling to truth.  Thank You for dying for my sins and giving me new life.  Holy Spirit, please sharpen my recognition of any lies I have been blinded to.  Help me to tell the truth, even when it hurts.  Please strengthen me to walk in purity and in truth from this point forward.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.