“You ever been in the situation,” I asked Stan, “where you tried to hide something from God?”
“If this is a trick question, it’s not a very good one,” Stan commented with a smile. “While I don’t do it much any more, there was a time in my life when trying to hide from God was pretty much the norm.”
“But not now? What changed?”
“I changed,” Stan replied. “I came to the point of recognizing beyond a shadow of doubt that God is, indeed, omniscient or all-knowing, and that there’s nothing He does not know about me and what I do.”
“Doesn’t it say somewhere in the Bible that everything we’ve done is going to be disclosed at some point?”
“It does say that in at least in a couple of different places,” Stan replied, “but that alone is not my motivation for no longer trying to hide anything from God.”
“If that’s not it, what is your motivation.”
“As a born-again believer,” Stan replied, “my life on this side of eternity is to be a manifestation of Jesus Christ through oneness with Him and the Father. Not only did Jesus not ever try to hide anything from His Father, He did nothing that the Father did not tell Him to do. It’s to be the same with me.”
“But,” he continued, “as I said, that has not always been my mode of operation. As well, there are times even now when Satan still whispers, ‘Go ahead, no one will ever know; and even if someone finds out you can always lie your way out of it.’”
“He says that?”
“That’s what liars do; and don’t forget he is the father of lies. If he’s not lying, he’s trying to get someone else to lie, make an excuse, or seek to justify their behavior, which is just another word for lying.”
“Lie upon lie,” I responded. “If I tell the truth, I never have to remember which lie I told to which person.”
“That’s so true,” Stan replied. “Lying to God does absolutely no good, so why would a person think that it would be a good thing to lie to anyone about anything.
“It’s all going to come out sooner or later. I can’t hide it; I may try to run, but I can’t hide, so why waste my time even trying?”
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Bible verses to consider:
For nothing is hidden that shall not become evident, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light. Luke 8:17.
Whenever the devil speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies. John 8:44.
There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven that are an abomination to Him: . . . a lying tongue. Proverbs 6:16-17.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Exodus 20:16.
Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are all members of one another. Ephesians 4:25.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for making it so abundantly clear that you hate lies and dishonesty. Thank you for the life of Jesus Christ (who is the truth) and for the indwelling Holy Spirit (whose fruit includes faithfulness) that show me how to live a life totally open and honest before you. You already know that there have been times when I have not been totally honest with you, but I confess that and ask for your forgiveness. I also ask that you create in me a heart that desires to speak and to live the truth, not only with you, but with everyone and everything in my life. Thank you that I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Think on this: God hates lies. Do you agree with that? Why or why not? If you agree that God hates lies, does that also mean He hates liars? Why or why not? Are you satisfied that your life is free from lies and dishonesty? If no, what do you see that may need to be changed? Are you capable of making any such changes on your own?
Waiting for the Train 