Bible Reading: Micah 1-3; Revelation 10
Memory Verse: “If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.” Micah 2:11 (KJV)
Lying has become so common and it’s taking a new dimension as people tend to overlook it. It’s not being seen as a grievous sin that it is. Revelation 21:8 says all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone! So lying is not a sin that anyone should overlook. Lying is making a false statement with deliberate intent to deceive. While deceit is keeping the truth hidden, especially to get an advantage. It’s important though to point out that it is not everything that is untrue that is necessarily a lie or deceit. There are times when you say something that you believe to be true but turns out to be untrue. This is not a lie or deceit because it does not involve deliberate falsehood and does not have the intent to mislead.
There are different kinds of lies and deceit. One is outright falsehood in which case the person lying knows he is presenting falsehood as truth. Secondly is False Promises. Any promise you make with the intention of not honouring is a way of deliberately misleading people. Laban made a promise of giving Rachael to Jacob when his intention was to give Lear to him in marriage (Gen 29:18-26). Thirdly, another common lie is flattery. This is making a favorable impression on others by saying things that you know are not true or you do not believe to be true ( Psalm 62:4). Fourthly is false doctrines which is presenting religious teaching as truth though you know it cannot be found in the Bible. An example is false prophecy as in Micah 2:11 (KJV), “If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.” Another form of lie is Hypocrisy. This is pretending to be what you know you are not (1 Timothy 4:2). Many people pretend to be faithful disciples of Christ in the church but in secrecy, do what is contrary to the word of God!
A sixth form of lies is half truth which is saying things that may be technically true but are meant to mislead others to believe that is not true. In Genesis 37: 28-33; Joseph’s brothers presented his coat of many colors to their father to identify but did not tell him that they soaked it in blood of animals with a view to deceiving him to believe his son had been killed by wild animals! And lastly is self deception; that is believing things that you know are not true. Galatians 6:3 (KJV), says “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.” Are you deceiving yourself or guilty of any of the other forms of lies stated above? then you need to repent urgently.
Action Point: Examine yourself to check whether you are guilty of any form of lies and repent immediately.
Bro. Biodun Oyapero