Psalm 120:3-4

"What shall be given to you,

and what more shall be done to you,

you deceitful tongue?

A warrior's sharp arrows,

with glowing coals of the broom tree!"

In the context of this psalm the author is probably talking about the deceitful tongue of his enemy; in the context of my own walk with Jesus, I'm more concerned about a deceitful tongue strengthening in my own mouth!

"What should be done about a lying habit?"

"Anything and everything: up to and including death by war!"

Breaking the 9th commandment (You must not bear false witness--you must not spread untrue testimony about what you have experienced) spreads damage and sin and evil more than simply to the person lied to. Lying (the willful effort to deceive someone, especially in order to cover a specific sin or a sinful heart) is at the heart of all sinful behavior (attitudes and actions); we would be less anxious to sin if we didn't believe we could successfully cover up that sin with lies.

Lying also reveals a character that is antithetical to God:

"You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire.

He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth,

for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language,

for he is a liar and the father of lies."

John 8:44

Lying is from Satan because he wants to steal, kill, and destroy: exactly the results of all lies. This is not to say that Satan is sitting on your shoulder tempting you to lie; we have enough sin in us to cause us to dream up lies to 'save us' from embarrassment. But the point is that when you and I lie, we are practicing exactly that character that seeks to do the opposite of the Father of Life.

So,

"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."

Col 3:9-10

Father in Heaven, praise You for being the Author of Truth and Life. Son wholly God and perfectly human, praise You for showing us the Way, the Truth, and the Life that we might walk in You. Spirit among us, praise You for being the means of our salvation from our own sin and deceitful heart.

What lies do you need to repent of? If you confessed each of your lies to whomever it was you lied, what sins in your heart would be uncovered? Do you want those sins to maintain control?

What promises in the Bible relate to speaking the truth? What tools could you use to find those promises?

Speaking the truth in love with you,
Pastor Greg