10 Rules for a Better Life (#9)

"You shall not give false witness against your neighbor." Exodus 20:16

Usually we think the ninth commandment says, "Thou shalt not lie," but that's not exactly what it says. It basically says that we should not lie about each other, particularly in a court of law.

Now before we make the mistake of thinking it might be ok to lie in other situations, let's not ignore what the rest of the Bible says. For example:

"Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive each other." Leviticus 19:11

So what's the big deal, why does God have such a problem with lying? I think we can all admit that sometimes it's just easier to tell a little fib and move on.

The "problem" is that our God is a God of truth. And when we lie and deceive others, we are hiding the truth.

We all have our various reasons for hiding the truth. Perhaps we want to hide our faults from others, or cover up something we've done, or maybe we just like to tell people what they want to hear.

Whatever your reasons may be for twisting, disguising or masking the truth, all of our lies come down to one basic principle: we are all afraid of something. Every time we tell a lie, it's because we are too scared to deal with the truth.

So not only are liars untrustworthy, they are also cowards. When we lie about ourselves to other people, it's because we are afraid of being seen for who we really are. When we lie about the things we've done, it's because we're afraid of being caught and dealing with the consequences. Even when we tell white lies to our friends to make them feel better, it's because we're afraid of dealing with their reaction to the truth.

Think about the situations in which you lie. They might be tough to pinpoint because we typically get so used to lying in situations that make us scared or nervous that we don't even realize our own efforts to hide the truth. But see if you can figure out what sort of things you hide. Why do you keep those things hidden? Is it because you don't think people will accept you if they know who you really are or the things you've done?

Well, God is the only one who knows EVERYTHING about you, but He is also the one who will ALWAYS accept you. And that is where our courage to face the truth comes from. If it weren't for God's forgiveness, we would have little to no reason to deal with the difficult truths in our lives. It's no wonder so many people live a lie these days. They don't know the hope and freedom that the truth brings.

Even though there may be parts of your life that you don't like and you would prefer to ignore, you no longer need to hide because the God of truth is on your side. Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. And that is a very wonderful truth.

But in order to receive God's forgiveness, we need to repent and confess our sins. It's time to be big boys and girls and face the truth head on. As the apostle Paul says, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."

Our God is not a god of fear and shame. And He does not want these things to be a part of our lives. When we feel like we have to tell lies to get through life, we let our fear rule our lives. God wants to give you the courage to be honest with yourself and with others so that He can work in you.

So how do you want to live the rest of your life? Do you want to spend it hiding because you're too ashamed and afraid of the truth? Or do you want to be free and have the courage to live in God's truth without the fear of what people will think of you?