Saturday, 16 December 2023
SPEAK THE TRUTH
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ (Ephesians 4:14-15).
Proverbs 19:9 says, "...he that speaketh lies shall perish." A Christian shouldn't tell lies. Colossians 3:9 says, "Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds." Telling lies is inconsistent with your nature as a new creation in Christ. You're a man or woman of truth, because you're the offspring of Truth: "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth..." (James 1:18).
Lying is one of the cardinal attributes of Satan. In John 8:44, the Lord Jesus aptly described Satan when He said, "...He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."
The Word of God is truth (John 17:17). And the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth (John 16:13).
Now, a liar isn't merely someone who told a lie but one who loves and makes a lie; he constructs lies (Revelation 22:15); he plans or strategizes his lies. He knows what he is doing is wrong but still goes ahead to do it for selfish reasons.
A liar is also one who speaks contrary to God's Word. As long as a man's confessions are inconsistent with God's Word, they're lies. 1 Peter 3:1O reveals something instructive; it says, "For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile." To speak guile is to speak in antithesis to the Word.
The Bible says, "...put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness" (Ephesians 4:24). Now that you're in Christ, you've put on the new man; you have the God-nature. Act accordingly. Speak the truth always.
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank you for the Holy Spirit who leads and guides me to walk in truth. Thank you for my new life in Christ; thank you for bringing me into the liberty of the Spirit as I walk in the glory of my new life and nature in Christ, in Jesus' Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY:
Proverbs 6:16-17; Proverbs 12:19; Zechariah 8:16
1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Revelation 8 & Obadiah
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: John 21:1-12 & 2 Chronicles 30