Don't lie to me!

In my church’s women’s Bible study, we are going through Kelly Minter’s book, No Other Gods. This past week the study focused on how we worship false gods because we believe lies. The antidote, of course, is a daily heaping of Truth from God’s Word! If we are steeped in the truth of the Bible, we will not be so easily deceived. Our leader last night quoted something our youth pastor tells the teens. He is passionate about getting them into the Word, and he tells them that they need to be in God’s Word EVERY day, because EVERY day people are going to lie to them. I love that! It’s so true! Today’s verse in Proverbs speaks to this:

The righteous hates falsehood,

    but the wicked brings shame and disgrace. (Proverbs 13:5 ESV)

Jon Courson points out that the verse does NOT say that the righteous never tell a lie. We are all guilty of presenting falsehoods at one time or another. And certainly we are guilty of believing them! But we who love Christ, HATE lying! Yet, we fall prey to it over and over! It’s so important that we not only do not speak lies, but it is equally important that we don’t believe them!

Maybe you are bound by lies that come at you from the media that accuse you of being worthless, a failure, unforgivable, unlovable, too fat, too dumb, not sexy enough, not wealthy enough, or the worst parent ever! Whatever lies you are believing, there is only one cure: the Truth! Our pastor is always saying that the truest thing about you is what the Bible says is true.

Here’s just a glimpse of what the Bible says is true about you:

The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."(Jeremiah 29:11)

Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever. (Psalm 136:26) {NOTE: in case you're not sure how long He will love you, read the whole Psalm - you’ll get it after the first few verses! }

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5)

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, { NOTHING } will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,  from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,  that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,  may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,  and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19)

Okay, you get the idea! He LOVES you with a never-ending love that is beyond our comprehension. He loved you enough to send His Son to die for you while you were still a crummy sinner! Nothing you could ever do can undo His love for you! He actually rejoices and sings over you LOUDLY because you are His delight! Think about how much you loved to watch your children when they were little - especially when they were asleep. Remember standing over the crib and just being overwhelmed by that love? That’s how our Heavenly Father feels about us ALL of the time!

Hate the lies - don’t speak them, and don’t believe them! Cling to the Truth - and stay in it each day, because, as our youth pastor says, you will be lied to every day!