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The cost of a lie
Pastor's corner
pastor corner

I agree with the Bible in 2 Thessalonians 2:11; the day will come when men will believe a lie before believing the truth. Of course in 2018 a lie is now known as, an alternative fact. You can flip it, turn it, put make-up on it; a lie is still a lie!

Webster defines the word lie as:

• To make an untrue statement with the intent to deceive

• To create a false or misleading impression

Lying is nothing new; it’s been around for a long time.

Lying showed its ugly head in heaven just before it got kicked out! Yes, I’m talking about Lucifer himself. It had to be a painted up lie that enticed a third of the angels to follow him when God cast him out. (He didn’t fall, he was cast out.)

The angels were there with the Trinity. They knew the truth because they lived with the truth. But a lie changed their minds. A doctored up lie caused them to leave their heavenly home to ultimately spend eternal life in hell with Satan. I don’t know what it was, but I do know it must have been a lie.

Our ears seem to itch for a juicy lie. Lies are no joke and are not to be played with. They are worse than a hurricane, tornado and tsunami all rolled into one, leaving irreparable damage. They:

• Destroy marriages

• Wreak havoc in families

• Break up friendships

• Cause death and incarceration

Lastly, they have been known to split churches.

Lies can cause you to never trust again. I was raised by my great-grandmother, Mama Cora, who drilled into my head; if you lie you will steal, and if you steal you will eventually kill. The problem with lying is that when you tell one, you must tell another to cover up the first lie and it continues.

My question becomes: Why not tell the truth to begin with? John 8:32 tells us, "and ye shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free." The truth frees your mind and it frees your heart. The word of God that tells us, Satan is the father of all lies. He didn’t stop lying when he was cast from heaven. We know this because Satan meets convinces Eve to disobey God with a lie.

In my years of serving the Lord, I’ve come to understand most Christians focus on what they consider to be big sins. But it is those seemingly small things that will cause us as believers to miss the prize.

God takes a personal interest in liars. He takes lying seriously and there is a steep penalty to pay. Proverbs 6:17 gives us a list of things that God hates and the seventh is an abomination. God loves it when we tell the truth because it shows us to be trustworthy.

Often, lies are motivated by fear. 1 John 4:18 tells us perfect love casts out all fear. Timothy lets us know that God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love, and of a sound mind.

Truthful people will prevail, but liars will perish! The Bible says a lying tongue is only for a moment but truthful lips will be established forever. The flip side of that coin is found in Revelation 21:8 that tell us: But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murders, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

My brothers and my sisters let us do our best to represent Christ in a truthful manner. Not only is the world watching; they are listening. Let us speak the truth, peace, power, prosperity, purpose.

Dyer is the pastor of New Vision Restoration Center and a member of the United Ministerial Alliance.

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