Half-Truths And False Impressions

“Deliver my soul…from lying lips, and…a deceitful tongue.”       Ps 120:2

When you deliberately create a false impression, the Bible calls it dealing in “falsehood…error, deception, cheating” (Rev 22:15 AMPC). That may sound harsh, especially if all you had in mind was making an extra dollar, sparing someone’s feelings, or trying to make yourself look better. No human being would set such a standard, but God does. And He’s serious about it. Case in point: Ananias and Sapphira. When this couple tried to create a false impression about their giving, they dropped dead in the presence of the apostles. As a result, “No one else dared join them” (Ac 5:13 NIV). How long would youhave lasted in that church? Peter said, “You have not lied to men but to God” (v. 4 NIV). That puts a whole new slant on it, doesn’t it? The story’s told of a guy who went fishing and caught nothing. So he stopped by the market on his way home and bought three fish. Then he told the shop assistant, “Throwthem to me—that way when I get home I can tell my wife I caughtthem.” Solomon said, “My mouth speaks what is true…All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse” (Pr 8:7-8 NIV). Some of the worst lies are the ones we tell ourselves, and end up believing. And another thought: A liar’s biggest problem is theycan’t believe anybody else, because “how you live your life is how you judge your neighbor.” So if you have a problem telling the truth, pray, “Deliver my soul…Lord, from lying lips, and…a deceitful tongue.”

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