Daily Devotional for Monday August 1, 2011

Being A Man and Woman of Truth

(James 5:12, John 8:44)

"I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky" will be one of President Clinton's lasting legacies. It was an obvious lie, no matter how he or his people tried to explain it away. You see, there is no such thing as gray when it comes to truth. It is either the truth or it is a lie. There is no such thing as a white lie, or a little lie, or a harmless lie.

Recently, this nation witnessed the example of someone who was a sociopathic liar during the murder trial of Casey Anthony. You would be hard pressed to find someone who is a better example of a consummate liar. In the 8th chapter of the Gospel of John, we read how satan is a liar, the father of lies, and that when he speaks he is speaking his native tongue...lying!

The Bible also tells us that God is Truth. So when you lie, you are acting like Satan, and when you tell the truth you are acting like God. There is no room for argument on this issue, it is very black and white!!!

One of the things that we as Christians must continually guard against is allowing our conversation to be filled with lies, no matter what we are talking about. Most of the time we are not trying to be mean or hurt anyone, but when we lie we are hurting God. Telling the truth is one of the best ways that you can act like God. When you are truthful, you are acting like God.

Listen, I am not trying to lay a guilt trip on you. I am trying to make you aware of something many take for granted. Many lie habitually and don't even realize it. It is part of their makeup. My goal today is to point out and make you aware exactly what you are doing when you lie. It is an area many must work on, much like an alcoholic or drug addict must work daily to stay clean.

I love you and really do care about you. You know by now that I am not one to beat an issue into the ground or try to bring pain to you. However, sometimes the Word of God is painful and it does hurt. Pain has a purpose though, because it tells us that something is wrong. It is a mechanism that warns us when things aren't right.

As always, you can count on my prayers. You can count on me standing in the gap for you as you work to clean up this area of your life if it an issue you are struggling with. Telling the truth, being a person of the truth is critical to our relationship and walk with Christ each day. I pray today that He will impress upon you the need and importance of being a person of the truth in every aspect of your life.

Oftentimes, the truth is difficult, but there is no choice to be made. Lying is not an option. One way that you can be like God is to be a person of the truth at all times, and I will be praying with you to achieve that in your life. May this be a most blessed day for you as you focus today on being a man or woman of the Truth.

In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ, Bill Keller