Stop Lying!

Hosea 4: 1b-2 – “There is no truth or mercy, and no knowledge of God in the land. 2 Swearing, lying, and killing, and stealing and adultery break out, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.”      This might be foreign to some but to others you might have heard elders say this in your own family - “If you will lie, then you will steal; if you will steal then you will kill – so stop that lying.” If you haven’t heard it exactly like that I am sure there are some similar phrases floating around out there where our mothers, grandmothers or uncles have caught us in a fib when we were young and scolded us about the potential outcome of our wagging tongue.
     Lie – steal – kill. We have heard of testimonies that border between near truths to down-right fantasy lying; we have seen footage of rampant pillage where looters give peaceful protesting a bad name as they steal and plunder businesses. We watch as blood stains the streets as brutality hides under disciplinary control.
     God warns us, as he did for ancient Israel, through the prophet Hosea, that simple actions that seem harmless can lead to dire consequences when the devil sees openings to spread his venom. When we open our mouths and say that first mistruth, we have to continue to lie in order to keep it alive. Truth will live on by itself and never change… for the truth is the truth; but a lie, being built on fabrication will always need support. Think about it. When I used to ask youngsters a simple question and the answer I got was long and drawn out with a lot of unnecessary details, usually starting with “what had happened was” – I usually knew about 90% of what I was hearing was a lie.     Think about the last lie you told. It wasn’t that long ago, so you don’t have to strain. Did you do it because it was just easier that telling the truth? Or did you do it because you just felt like not sharing the right answer with the party involved? Or maybe it is just second nature and lying is just fun. What might seem like a little white lie can turn into a disastrous situation. Don’t lie at work. Be truthful to your spouse. If you don’t feel like doing a certain activity, tell your friends; stand up for what is right and just tell the truth. Don’t lie to cover yourself - soon the covers will be snatched off and everything will be revealed. Jesus is the way, the TRUTH, and the life. Let’s strive to be more like him. So today, just be mindful of trying to always tell the truth or at least stay quiet. It might even be insightful to keep a little mental notation for yourself of what little “fabrications” might slip into your mind this weekend and work hard to not let them escape between your lips.
     Every day is a good day; it is up to us to make it a GREAT day! Don’t be distracted; stay focused on your purpose. Enjoy your weekend. See you on Monday. Be blessed! Dr. JoAnn