Tell the Truth

Each week for 10 weeks, 110 individuals, ages 18-71, took a lie detector test and completed health and relationship measures assessing the number of major and minor lies they told that week, says lead author Anita Kelly, a psychology professor at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. She presented findings at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, which ended Sunday.

"When they went up in their lies, their health went down," says Kelly. "When their lies went down, their health improved."

Evidence from past research suggests that Americans average about 11 lies a week. Kelly says the no-lie group participants were down to one lie, on average, per week. For both groups, when participants lied less in a given week, they reported their physical health and mental health to be significantly better that week.

- (from USAToday - August 4, 2012)

For some of us, participation in that experiment would have been easy. Not tell lies? Cake.

For others... let’s just say they would have had to go into an isolation chamber. Lying is their default setting.

But if telling the truth improves our spiritual, mental, and physical health, why do we still lie? We only do it when we feel cornered... when we want to have an advantage... when we are trying to manipulate... when we get bored... etc. There are literally hundreds of reasons to justify a lie and we know them all.

The Bible talks directly about the affects that lying has on our lives...

“There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.” Proverbs 6:16-19

“A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish.” Proverbs 19:9

“Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” Colossians 3:9-10

So let’s go down the Bible verse list and recap...

Lying:

is something God hates

will cause us to perish

takes us back to our old selves

hurts the body of Christ

Big consequences for temporary “fixes” right?

Are we lying to ourselves?

We think it buys us time... but it just delays the pain.

We think we are sparing feelings.. but we are just hurting the integrity of the friendship.

We think we are protecting... we are slowly destroying.

Every day, liars have to think about...

What if the truth is revealed?

What if the secret comes out?

What if the trust is shattered?

Should we feel sorry for those who lie? Not necessarily. Lying is a choice. We know it’s not what God wants us to do yet we choose to do it. We aren’t forced, coerced, or held against our will to tell half-truths. We cause irreparable damage, miss the mark by sinning, and leave an indelible “X” on our scorecard.

Lying becomes an addiction.. an automatic “go to” move that quickly becomes the norm rather than the exception. It’s a slippery slope that some don’t even bother trying to overcome.

So how do we beat this?

- Decide that just because others are lying their way through life... you’re not going to. Honesty may bring consequences but God is glorified through your authenticity.

- Remember that the truth is easier. Mark Twain once wrote “Always tell the truth. That way you don’t have to remember what you said.” Very wise.

- Know what lying is. It’s not telling the truth. Period. You can easily convince yourself that you aren’t lying...but you know when you are.

- Understand that remaining silent when your word could make a difference is a form of lying.

- Know that your reputation is at stake. Once you become known as the “liar”... repairing the damage will be extremely difficult.

- Tell the truth even when it hurts. Start with little things you would normally lie about and work your way up to more consequential situations.

- Understand why you lie. Is it because you’re insecure? Afraid? When you know the meaning behind the misleading you can make progress in living a life of honesty.

No matter the reason for your lying... it’s never too late to change. God has a plan for your life... and integrity, honesty, and a sincere heart are an integral part of it. He will be there to walk with you through the consequences and give you the strength to be a truth-teller... even when it’s difficult to do so!

Truth

It’s half way through the week … I thought you might want to be reminded...

God is there -- “I will never fail you.  I will never abandon you.” (Heb. 13:5)

God will protect you -- [to Abram] "I will protect you, and your reward will be great." (Gen. 15:1)

God walks with you -- "Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.  Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God." (Isa. 41:10)

God is there to help -- "I will strengthen you and help you.  I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." (Isa. 41:10)

God knows the way -- "After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice." (John 10:4) 

God has a purpose for your life -- "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." (Jer. 29:11) 

God provides rest -- "Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." (Matt. 11:28) 

God forgives -- "But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” (1 John 1:9) 

God gives grace to the undeserving -- "For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory.  The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right." (Psalm 84:11) 

God is faithful -- "The Lord will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name. For it has pleased the Lord to make you his very own people." (1 Sam. 12:22) 

God’s ways are the right ways -- "He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way." (Psalm 25:9)

God’s has a plan -- "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (Rom. 8:28) *

When the world is whispering to you... to give up... to quit... 

When they say that you don’t have enough talent.

That you aren’t beautiful.

That you’ll never rise above it.

When they say that winning is an impossibility...

If you ever hear any word that makes you feel like less than the masterpiece that God created you to be.  

Never forget... if you are a Christ-follower... you have God.

And He is enough.

His promises are true.  

His character is consistent. 

His grace and mercy are renewed each day.

He created you with a purpose.  You may have stumbled.  You may have faced setbacks... to the point where you even wonder where He is.  He hasn’t left your side and He still hears your prayers and counts your tears.  

Life can be hard

God is good.

You are loved.

Instructions

I read a national survey where they asked spiritual people... “how does your faith affected your ability to make decisions?”   31% said that they made choices based on what “feels right and is comfortable.”  18% said they make choices based on whatever is best for them at the time. 14% said they choose whatever causes the least conflict with others... 16% said they choose based on God’s Word.  

Out of all that were asked... less than 2 in 10 said that they followed the Bible’s guidance over their own.  In Luke 6:46, God addresses this... He says “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”   Jesus gives us instruction through scripture and the Holy Spirit nudges us... yet lots of people ignore both when deciding a course of action.  It seems that many appreciate the wisdom between the covers of the Bible, but fail to follow and apply it because it’s difficult or unpopular.  Today... be different.  Make choices based on God’s truth... not feelings... and watch your life be blessed as a result.  

To Tell the Truth

“You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.” Exodus 20:16

“Lying is man’s universal weakness.” - Mark Twain

Each week for 10 weeks, 110 individuals, ages 18-71, took a lie detector test and completed health and relationship measures assessing the number of major and minor lies they told that week, says lead author Anita Kelly, a psychology professor at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. She presented findings at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, which ended Sunday.

"When they went up in their lies, their health went down," says Kelly. "When their lies went down, their health improved."

Evidence from past research suggests that Americans average about 11 lies a week. Kelly says the no-lie group participants were down to one lie, on average, per week. For both groups, when participants lied less in a given week, they reported their physical health and mental health to be significantly better that week.

(from USAToday - August 4, 2012)

For some of us, participation in that experiment would have been easy. Not tell lies? Cake.

For others... let’s just say they would have had to go into an isolation chamber. Lying is their default setting.

But if telling the truth improves our spiritual, mental, and physical health, why do we still lie? We only do it when we feel cornered... when we want to have an advantage... when we are trying to manipulate... when we get bored... etc. There are literally hundreds of reasons to justify a lie and we know them all.

The Bible talks directly about the affects that lying has on our lives...

“There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.” Proverbs 6:16-19

“A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish.” Proverbs 19:9

“Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” Colossians 3:9-10

So let’s go down the Bible verse list and recap...

Lying:

- is something God hates

- will cause us to perish

- takes us back to our old selves

- hurts the body of Christ

Big consequences for temporary “fixes” right?

Are we lying to ourselves?

We think it buys us time... but it just delays the pain.

We think we are sparing feelings.. but we are just hurting the integrity of the friendship.

We think we are protecting... we are slowly destroying.

Every day, liars have to think about...

What if the truth is revealed?

What if the secret comes out?

What if the trust is shattered?

Should we feel sorry for those who lie? Not necessarily. Lying is a choice. We know it’s not what God wants us to do yet we choose to do it. We aren’t forced, coerced, or held against our will to tell half-truths. We cause irreparable damage, miss the mark by sinning, and leave an indelible “X” on our scorecard (like we talked about last weekend).

Lying becomes an addiction.. an automatic “go to” move that quickly becomes the norm rather than the exception. It’s a slippery slope that some don’t even bother trying to overcome.

So how do we beat this?

1) Decide that just because others are lying their way through life... you’re not going to. Honesty may bring consequences but God is glorified through your authenticity.

2) Remember that the truth is easier. Mark Twain once wrote “Always tell the truth. That way you don’t have to remember what you said.” Very wise.

3) Know what lying is. It’s not telling the truth. Period. You can easily convince yourself that you aren’t lying...but you know when you are.

4) Understand that remaining silent when your word could make a difference is a form of lying.

5) Know that your reputation is at stake. Once you become known as the “liar”... repairing the damage will be extremely difficult.

6) Tell the truth even when it hurts. Start with little things you would normally lie about and work your way up to more consequential situations.

7) Understand why you lie. Is it because you’re insecure? Afraid? When you know the meaning behind the misleading you can make progress in living a life of honesty.

No matter the reason for your lying... it’s never too late to change. God has a plan for your life... and integrity, honesty, and a sincere heart are an integral part of it. He will be there to walk with you through the consequences and give you the strength to be a truth-teller when it’s difficult to do so.

To Be Honest

[From "In The Garden With Jesus," a children’s devotional written by Tiziana Ruff.]  

Once there was an emperor in the Far East who was growing old and knew it was coming time to choose his successor.  Instead of choosing one of his assistants or one of his own children, he decided to do something different.  He called all the young people in the kingdom together one day.  He said, "It has come time for me to step down and to choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you."

The kids were shocked! 

But the emperor continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today. 

One seed. It is a very special seed. I want you to go home, plant the seed, water it and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring to me, and the one I choose will be the next emperor of the kingdom!" 

There was one boy named Ling who was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed.  He went home and excitedly told his mother the whole story. She helped him get a pot and some planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it carefully. Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. 

After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.  Ling kept going home and checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by. Still nothing. By now others were talking about their plants but Ling didn’t have a plant, and he felt like a failure. Six months went by, still nothing in Ling’s pot. 

He just knew he had killed his seed. 

Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. 

Ling didn’t say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow.  A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot. But she encouraged him to go, and to take his pot, and to be honest about what happened. Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he trusted his mother was right. He took his empty pot to the palace.

When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by all the other youths. They were beautiful, in all shapes and sizes.  Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kids laughed at him.  A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey, nice try."  When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. 

Ling just tried to hide in the back. 

"My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the emperor. "Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!"  All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot.  He ordered his guards to him to the front.  Ling was terrified.  "The emperor knows I’m a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!"

When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. 

"My name is Ling," he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!"  Ling couldn’t believe it.  He couldn’t even grow his seed.  How could he be the new emperor?

Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today.  But I gave you all boiled seeds which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!" 

You will see others being dishonest.  They will appear to be successful...thriving...passing you by.   

You will obey and wonder.  

They will deceive and temporarily prosper.  

Don’t give up... God will make things right.

“Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord?
    Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?

Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right,
    speaking the truth from sincere hearts.

Those who refuse to gossip
    or harm their neighbors
    or speak evil of their friends.

Those who despise flagrant sinners,
    and honor the faithful followers of the Lord,
    and keep their promises even when it hurts.

Those who lend money without charging interest,
    and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent.
Such people will stand firm forever.”   Psalm 15

Be honest.  You will stand firm forever.  Unshakeable.  Rewarded.  Blessed.  

It’s always worth it.

Fact

A Costco store in Simi Valley, California had a display table filled with Bibles for sale.  While looking through them, Pastor Caleb Kaltenbach discovered a bright sticker had been placed on every cover… it contained the price… and the word “Fiction” next to it.

Fiction?  As in “not real”?  

At once, the Pastor brought the mistake to the attention of the management and the stickers were removed at once.  The man in charge chalked it up to “human error” from the warehouse.

This got me to thinking… although our Bibles don’t have “Fiction” stickers on them…do we really believe what they say inside the covers?  Is it possible that what God says inside those words is 100% true?  How can we be a masterpiece when our thought-life is what it is?   How can we be forgiven by the One who created the oceans and calmed the storms?  Is everything REALLY possible through Christ?

Yes.  

What you read in that wonderful love letter from God is absolutely true.  Every syllable of it.  We are sinners.  We are imperfect.  We make mistakes.  But we serve the God who time after time gives chances to return to Him.   We serve the God who hears the cries of the hurting and responds with the love demonstrated by Jesus on the cross.  Be assured… you can count on what you read in the Bible.  It is far from fiction.  It is rock-solid fact that has withstood the test of time and the assault from countless critics.   Hold it boldly and read it with confidence.    It is God’s unshakeable word… and it can be trusted wholeheartedly.