Revelation 21:8 – But
the fearful, unbelieving, abominable, the murderers, whoremongers, sorcerers,
idolaters, and all the liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth
with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.
Psalm 58:3 – The wicked
are estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking
lies.
James 3:14 – But if ye
have bitter envy and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the
truth.
It’s
about 6:00 a.m. in Cameron Missouri, cool and supposed to be a beautiful day
today. I have at my desk the pictures of my kids placed above its surface so I
can admire them and remember daily what I’m missing. I’ll have to admit that I
have some great looking kids and as I look at their pictures and think of their
ages I can’t help recognizing their innocence and their potential. I know that
once upon a time I was just as cute and probably just as innocent lol…. Maybe
not quite that innocent. Anyway, I’ve chosen lies to talk about this morning
and I have some confessions to make.
From
the time I was a very small boy, I found that lying made me feel better about
myself and who I was. I guess I was very insecure and not very confident in
myself and just wanted to be someone different. I think I wanted to live
another life. It had to be 1st or 2nd grade when I found
that lying could help me to feel better about myself. Why am I telling you guys
this? Because from an early age Satan sank his teeth into my future and I
really believe he used lying as the tool to pull me into the abyss that put me
in the spot where I am today. I usually didn’t get caught lying, so I developed
this attitude that it was o.k., it wasn’t that bad, and I would never get
caught because I was good at it. As I got older that single sin in my life
spread like a virus through my body giving birth to many more feel good
techniques that were also wrong.
Looking back on my life, Satan used the
most innocent things to trick me and get me firmly grounded in a lifetime of
sin. It all started with lying. I know you all have told a lie or an untruth
minimized or exaggerated at some point for some good reason I’m sure. As your
Father, I’m here to tell you that lying is not cool, it is not o.k., and it
will one day kill you if you don’t stop. It is maybe the worst thing a person
can do at an early age. It spawns cheating, stealing, selfishness, lust, and
much more. By the time I was an adult I could lie and not even know I was doing
it. It had become so natural for me to fabricate a story that it became a habit
I couldn’t even control. I actually had
to concentrate and try not to lie. I caught myself doing that very thing just
the other day; making up stories that were simply not true. At 42 years old,
sometimes I still have trouble telling the truth. I don’t do it on purpose. It
just comes natural to me because I’ve done it so long. I’m telling you all this
because I’m praying about this for me daily. It disgusts me, it’s not o.k., and
if I make it through all the other things in my life I’ve been through and
don’t get rid of this very bad habit, this seemingly innocent thing in my life
will bring me down right where I started from just a few months ago. So don’t
tell a fib, don’t make up stories, and don’t lie about anything. It will not
have a happy ending.
Prayer: Father
God, please help us to see that sin is sin and lying is too. Create in us a
clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within us. Cast us not away from
your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore me to the joy of
your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Thoughts: Satan uses
the most ordinary seemingly innocent things to reel us in for life. So if it
isn’t right, don’t do it. Read, pray, turn from sin, surround yourselves with
people doing the same and then don’t forget to do these four things every day.
I’m
reading an old book by Billy Graham Angels.
In the preface he prays “It is still my prayer that God will use this book
(or my blog) to bring comfort to the sick and dying; to bring encouragement to
those who are under the pressures of everyday living; to bring guidance to
those who are frustrated by the events of our generation.” I like that prayer
and could say “Ditto Billy”. I pray the same thing for the blog I’ve started.
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