Over the past several weeks, we have been looking at the subject of lying in our articles. We have considered what lying is, why lying is a problem, and our situations do not justify lying. While we may understand that we should not lie, we still tend to find ourselves fighting the temptation to lie (or dealing with the aftermath from having told a lie). How then do we withstand the temptation to lie?
To fight against telling a lie, we need to remember who our Father is. When we considered why lying is a problem, we noted that Satan is the father of lies (cf. John 8:44, NKJV). To tell a lie is to act as his child. In contrast, God is truth. When we speak the truth, we are acting as God’s children. If we are Christians, we need to remember who our Father is and act like Him.
Another way that might help us fight our temptations is to fill ourselves with truth so that we in turn will be more prone to speak truth. We are told to fill our minds with and to think on things that are “true” (Phil. 4:8). The Proverbs tell us to grab hold of truth and never let it go (Prov. 23:23). While these passages point very clearly to the truth of God’s word (cf. Jn. 17:17), we do learn that what we fill ourselves with is what will come out. The more we fill ourselves with truth, the more we will let truth flow out of us – not just in our teaching but in every conversation.
A final thing we might consider to help us fight the temptation to lie is to grow in our faith. One of the primary reasons that many lie is because of fear. Being afraid of how someone may look at us if they know the truth about our situation may drive us to lie. Being afraid of what consequences may come if we tell the truth about something that we or a loved one said or did may motivate a lie. Rather than being driven by fear, we need to be driven out of a strong faith in our God (cf. Lk. 12:4-7). Paul writes in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” If we “love God” and heed the gospel call to live “according to His purpose,” do “we know” that God will take care of us in the end? When we allow fear to motivate us to tell a lie, we are acting as if we do not know that God will work the situation out for our good. We need to trust in Him, do the right thing, and always tell the truth – no matter how hard or scary it might be.
By: Preston McElyea