Taming our tongue is not easy, but it’s very important to our walk with God! One of the areas that the tongue needs to be tamed is in the area of lying. God hates lying, and there are many scriptures in the Old and the New Testament addressing this issue. Lying comes in different forms. Lying can come in the form deception, hypocrisy, half-truth, and false accusation.
Lying seems to be very easy for some, and unfortunately, we see a lot of lying in young people these days. It seems like the more frequently they lie, the easier it is for them to lie about inconsequential things. For example, cell phones are a major distraction these days in high school. I was discussing with one the high school teachers, the issue of students turning in their cell phones at the beginning of each period. He has a total of 150 students in all his classes that he meets with on daily basis. I asked him, “What if students claim that they they didn’t bring their phones?” He told me that the chance of the students telling the truth about that their phone is one student per day! That’s a staggering number considering that the use of cell phone cannot be such a big deal that it is worth lying about it!
Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, 1 Timothy 4:1-2
In the above scripture, Paul exhorts Timothy that in the last days people are going to be comfortable in speaking lies because their conscience has been seared with hot iron. These individuals will give themselves over to deceiving spirits and will follow the doctrine of demons. I doubt these people know that they have deceived themselves. When people open themselves up to lying, they are opening the door to the demonic world. It is even more dangerous for those who get away with lies. Once lying works, it is easier to do it next time when the person is under pressure. At first, people may feel bad about lying, but they justify their actions to calm their conscience. Sometimes people find a close friend that they confide in, which helps them to release the pressure of conviction and a way out of guilt. All along, they are allowing their conscience to get seared, and they lose their sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and His conviction in their lives. If someone lies to others, someday, they will lie to us!
These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Proverbs 6:16-17
The Lord tells us that He hates lying. Hate is a strong word, and we should take it seriously. When God hates something, it is because He knows the damaging affect of that sin on people. They knowingly or unknowingly have opened the door to the demonic influence. Since the Lord is full of truth, He will not tolerate or bless any form of lying, half truths, or deception. He may allow it to go on for a while, but, in the meantime, He will give people the opportunities to repent from their ways. If they don’t repent, the consequence of lying is a like a spider web that the person is weaving. At some point, it will trap them with no way out. The sooner we get out of that ugly habit and ask the Lord to give us the courage to be truthful, the more peaceful and free we are in living our lives and enjoying the blessing of our relationship with the Lord.
Are we two-faced with our colleagues, our bosses, or our friends? Do we tells half-truths to ensure we won’t get in trouble? Do we try to portray an image to impress others? Our tongue can be a vehicle for good or for evil. Lying is against the nature of God. Therefore, it is also against the nature of God’s children to lie. We all need to slow down this powerful vehicle (our tongue) and pay attention to how we use it!
