Christians & Lying

As a young boy I started doing it without even realizing I was doing it. I guess I did it because I thought it would help me “stay out of trouble.” I would do something wrong, get caught and realize that a spanking was imminent. So I would lie. I didn’t break the lamp. I didn’t eat the cookie. I didn’t steal the toy. I didn’t write on the wall.

I remember as a father myself, noticing one day that my two-year old son was lying. How did he know to do that? My goodness, he wasn’t even old enough to have talked about the concept with anyone! I’d learned at church that we are all born with a sin nature. Frankly seeing my toddler lie for the very first time was a stunning confirmation of that Biblical truth!

As I grew through the years, I don’t guess my lying habit got much better. If anything, it just got more sophisticated. I learned to lie to get what I wanted. I lied to impress people. I lied because I wanted people to like me … and figured the lie was better than the truth. In some respects, the lies I told began to be defense tactics. I didn’t like who I was and assumed everyone else would feel the same way. So I tried to pretend I was someone I wasn’t. By the time I grew to adulthood, it had gotten so that I could hardly tell the lies from the truth. Did I believe my own lies?

Relationships are difficult to sustain with lies. Let me tell you. I vividly remember my mother exclaiming that she could handle just about anything, but emphatically stating that she hated liars. I would hear her words, “I hate liars!” And I would sulk off to my room --- knowing full well that I was a liar --- and concluding then that my mother must hate me. This is not a good conclusion for an insecure teen-ager to draw.

It would be less than honest if I didn’t fess up to continuing to lie. Even in my career I became quite the liar and manipulator. I could get what I wanted, when I wanted. I could step on anyone I needed to in order to make myself look good and get ahead. And often I did. At least until Jesus got hold of me though. When we first adopted our kids and turned to regular church attendance “for the sake of the children,” God started to do a work in me. Frankly He had a lot of work to do!

It wasn’t long before I found myself truly surrendering my heart, my life, and my will to the Lord. And yes, I had to surrender my lies to Him as well. Today I’m not a liar. In fact I don’t recall the last time I told a lie. Somewhere along the line that habit slipped away and was replaced by honesty that sometimes is admittedly a bit brutal. Let’s just say that not everyone is a fan of all of my truth.

But the thing I’ve learned is that lying is an instinctive human behavior. Remember my two-year old son and that sin nature we’re all born with? I’m convinced lying is its foundation. We dress up the lies and call them “white lies.” And our society rationalizes and justifies them to no end. Even in our churches we lie. But you know, the thing I’ve discovered is that my mother was pretty godlike in her view of lying. As it turns out, God hates lying – and His recourse with those who persist in telling lies is not pretty.

I ran across an author recently, Paul Tautges. He’s a pastor in Wisconsin I think. Anyway, he wrote a blog and called it “12 Reasons God Hates Liars.” I read it with intrigue, and took note of the relevant application he made of some tried and true Scriptures on the subject. Let’ take a look.

· God loves truthful speech and honors truth-tellers. [Proverbs 3:3-4 & 12:22]

· Lying reveals a lack of godliness. [Proverbs 12:17 & 13:5]

· Lying is the mark of an unfaithful person. [Proverbs 14:5, 21:6, & 19:22]

· Lying is often motivated by fear (which Christians are not supposed to have). [Genesis 20:9-11 & Isaiah 41:10 & 13]

· Hypocrites are addicted to lying. (They have to have it!) [Hosea 11:12]

· Liars love impure conversation. [Proverbs 17:4]

· Lying is a cause of unanswered prayer! [Isaiah 59:2-3]

· Jesus called Satan the “father of lies,” and Satan leads mankind to join him. [John 8:44 & Acts 5:3]

· Lying often accompanies (or tries to cover) other sin(s). [Hosea 4:1-2]

· Liars will perish. [Psalm 5:6, Proverbs 19:9, & Revelation 21:8]

· Truthful people prevail in the end. [Psalm 63:11 & Proverbs 12:19]

In Colossians 3, the Apostle Paul calls all of us who have been born-again in Christ Jesus to put away the old self and put on the new, clothing ourselves in righteousness (amongst other things). This of course includes lying. Even white lies are not suitable for a Christ-follower, under any circumstances, at any time.

I have to confess that I actually disagree with the author, Paul Tautges. I don’t think there are 12 Reasons Why God Hates Liars. For I don’t believe God hates liars --- any more than I believe my mother hated me. What God hates is lies. And the people who tell them simply cannot be in His presence.

Did you know that? Were you made aware, when you gave your life to Christ, that even the most harmless looking lie separates you from God? And of course lies of any kind separate us from lots of other important relationships in life … such as our spouse, children, parents and siblings. Simply put, there is no place in the Christian life for a lie.

I’ve had to make a continuing effort, and sometimes a valiant effort to turn from my sin of lying. Even today I’ll catch myself in an awkward situation where I might feel as if a lie would be easier. I might even be tempted to rationalize and justify the lie as being more humane, perhaps more socially acceptable or even more polite. But of course, those would be lies that I tell myself. And strangely enough, those of us who've struggled with lying often lied to ourselves more than anyone!

As Christ followers, let us make it a practice to turn from the sin of lying, and develop a core competency in dealing always with the truth. Jesus said that, “the truth shall set you free.” (John 8:32) So let’s get with it --- let’s get set free!

Darkness & Light

Did you ever have someone come into your life who actually changed you --- or at least changed your thinking? Maybe it was a school teacher or college professor. Perhaps it was a boss or a colleague. For some of us it might be a neighbor. For some it might be a pastor, a coach, or maybe a client.

Whoever they turn out to be, I'm becoming more and more convinced that these people exist. I never know where they'll turn up. And of course they aren't all people. I meet lots of people through business and social endeavors. I'm sure they're all wonderful people. But some of those meetings turn out to be a little more profound than others. The interesting thing is that I usually don't even know that until later, when I look back and realize that meeting was profound!

I met a guy last fall in a CR Step Study that I'm leading. (He's a pastor.) Quite a remarkable fellow, actually - there have been several things about him that have impressed me. The first was his leadership. This guy is unabashedly leading. I think I might be drawn to those people who lead boldly. They know who is in charge and aren't afraid to take command. I don't know, maybe it's a character defect that drives them (control issues or something). Nevertheless, I find myself drawn to that.

He has other qualities that seem to stand out. I can't say I admire them or wish them for myself. I really don't think it's like that. But I notice them. His faith and his passion for his God are remarkable. I've known a lot of pastors, and pretty well too. Few have exhibited this passion for the Lord. I get the sense that this guy would really walk through fire, go to his death or do whatever else it might take to serve his God. Call yourself a Christian, or a Jew, or a Catholic - but really, how many of us serve a God like that?

As you might have it, my new acquaintance and I are becoming good friends. Occasional coffee's with no particular agenda help us learn more about each other's hearts and minds. It may be that we're finding things in each other that we like --- for those meetings tend to happen more often and last longer than I expect. Somehow I suspect that despite the proximity we may have or not have in each other's lives, the impact he'll have in my life will be enduring.

One of the things he's said recently that really got me to thinking has been about light and dark, good and evil. The Bible is clear that darkness cannot stand in the face of light. It's equally clear about the fact that evil will never prevail in the face of righteousness and holiness (which come from God). But my friend pointed out that most people who believe in God tend to act as if the darkness were more powerful than the light. He's observed (and rightly so, I think) that people of faith tend to behave as if they're afraid of evil.

It makes me wonder. Could it be that even believers in the Most High God of creation still fear evil more than they fear Him? Is it possible that we lose conscious sight of the facts about darkness and its nature? And if so, what would cause such a phenomenon?

I certainly agree with my friend. Like I began this blog, it seems God is using him to shift some of my personal paradigms. (I'm still figuring out which ones those are too!) It is painfully obvious that even the most spiritually mature people can become rattled by their circumstances. A solid man of faith gets nervous when there are layoffs at his work. A godly mother falls apart when her child is seriously ill. A Christian business owner acts like a frightened sheep being pursued by wolves when there is a business downtown or a client sues him. What's up with these things?

Have we lost sight of the power of light? Do we forget that righteousness and holiness are the ultimate victors in this game of life? Or can we become deceived about the power of darkness? Can darkness somehow convince us that it is invincible? Does evil mock us and make fun of us, beating us into the submission like the playground bully when we were kids?

Light a candle in the darkness and see what happens. The darkness retreats. But try to bring darkness into the light of day and see if the daylight retreats. (It doesn't!) Isn't this how we are supposed to live our lives ... based on these two simple truths?

Evil doesn't win, good triumphs, holiness prevails, and righteousness endures. Darkness fades, despite its intimidating and menacing nature. And those things of the world that make us nervous, that cause us to worry or fret or even be scared? They aren't so powerful really. In fact, their ability to control us is really a farce. It's just not there!

On one of my trips to Africa a couple years ago, I heard a woman say she was not going to tell God about her problems, but instead would tell the problems about her God. It seemed like a simple statement, and yet profound. I'd like to introduce her to my new pastor friend here in Texas. I suspect God is using both of them to speak truth into me!

Positive Thinking

I remember, as a young man just out of school, starting off on that proverbial quest to figure life out. I was determined to be successful. I just had to figure out how. So I became a voracious reader of books - mostly the self-help kind.

Perhaps one of the most memorable self-help books I read was called "The Power of Positive Thinking," by Norman Vincent Peale. I followed it by reading, "Think and Grow Rich," by Napoleon Hill. And there were others to follow.

They seemed to offer the perfect mantra for success in life. There was nothing left to chance here. There was nothing divine either. God didn't control the circumstances in your life any more than luck did. No, you controlled the circumstances in your life. It was really that simple. I believed it too. It was like a new religion for me.

So I would take situations and circumstances in my life and simply try to make them whatever I wanted them to be. I knew it would work. I was confident in my tactics. After all, I'd done the research and trusted these wise men. But it seemed over time that I had a problem. The so-called "power" of positive thinking wasn't really having any effect on my circumstances or situations or dilemmas. And I was certainly not "growing rich!"

I think the flaw in positive thinking is that it is vastly misunderstood. We tend to think of it in terms of an either-or choice. We view it as black-and-white, yes-or-no. You think positively or you think negatively. But alas, as it turns out, this is not the case. There are more than two choices in life's thinking patterns.

The alternative to positive thinking is not, as society would have us believe, despair. In fact, the alternative to growing rich is not poverty either. In fact, negative thinking can be just as delusional as the positive thinking. Depressed people, for example, project their misery onto the world, imagining the worst outcomes from every endeavor and then feeding their misery on these distorted expectations. They are without hope. And they think that is how it is.

In both cases, there is an inability to separate emotion from perception, and/or there is a willingness to accept illusion for reality. The individual doesn't understand that circumstances and truth are not (usually) the same things. He or she has never learned that feelings are great liars. How one feels is almost never how things are.

The better alternative is to get outside of ourselves and see things freedom God's perspective (which ironically, is the way things really are) . That would mean seeing things without the distorted coloration from our own feelings. It would mean seeing things without the filter of how we wish things were or weren't. We could come to understand, without the so-called "power of positive thinking," that the world is full of both danger and opportunity at the same time. We could see that the chances of great happiness truly do co-exist with the certainty of death.

Somewhere along the line, I read another book, the title of which I cannot seem to recall. But it was a book about failure. It may have been called something like, "My Success As A Failure," or something similar. At any rate, it introduced me to the notion that failure has value. That was certainly a paradigm shift from all those other books I'd read! But as I journeyed through life, I began to see that it is true. Positive thinking is certainly not the be all to end all. And failure is not the end either. In fact, failure is often the beginning. Imagine that!

Now all of this was before I became a Christ-follower. I knew about Jesus, and I claimed to be a Christian. But I wasn't following Him. And I certainly wasn't listening to Him. I had no relationship with God. And I never read His book (The Bible).

But when I turned my life over to Christ and began developing a personal relationship with God, things changed. When I began to listen to God and spend time reading His Word, things made more sense. There began to be fewer dichotomies. Unfortunately, it began to render those other books I'd read as heresy. I began to see that they were absolutely not true. In fact, they began to look downright delusional when compared against God's truth.

You see, the alternative to positive thinking - or negative thinking - is really just truthful thinking. There should be a book called, "The Power of Truthful Thinking." You see, God's Word tells us the truth. About everything. It's all there. And when we can get our minds grounded in His truth, our thinking is clear. Our decisions are sound. Our expectations are realistic. And our life works.

The power of truthful thinking is way bigger than mankind would probably expect too. You are not disappointed. You are not disillusioned. You are not confused. You don't have to waste time wallowing around in lies trying to figure life out. No, it all comes together nicely. Now to be fair, some of what's true is not how I would like it to be. Nevertheless, knowing that it is true makes it easier to handle, even if I don't particularly like the truth sometimes.

Perhaps the hardest reality about truth is that it is true whether I believe it or not. And if it is true, the fact that I don't believe it doesn't make it any less true. The moral to that story is that truth exists - or doesn't exist, outside of my own thinking. (Did you catch that?)

You see, truth and circumstances are almost never the same thing. My feelings will lie to me every time about how things really are. And the only way to correct this human dilemma is with God's truth. In fact, I would venture to say that instead of there being power in positive thinking, perhaps the real truth is in the danger of positive thinking!

Test Everything

I'm reading this book right now. I won't name the title because I'm not sure what I think of the book yet. It had a catchy title. So clever was the title that I also purchased another copy of the book for a friend (at the same time I purchased my copy). As I am reading it though, I have thought perhaps I should call him and apologize.

The book is about the watering down of Christianity. It is about how those who profess to follow Jesus Christ in America actually don't. It is about the heresy that's being preached in the name of Jesus.

Typically I'm drawn to controversy and conflict. I always assume that truth will level the playing field in such situations too. This book is no different. Much, if not most, of what it has to say is spot on. Several times as I'm reading I'm tempted to say, "Amen!" There are pages that I've already marked for future reference because the writer's words are so profound.

But then there are those moments. Perhaps you've experienced them. It happens when someone intelligent is saying things you heartily agree with. And then they do it. They spew out something that you absolutely know is not true. In fact, there is no way it could be true. If you even considered the possibility that it would be true you would be undoing everything you believed in. (I often get those moments watching Oprah or reading something she's recommended.) And he did it here.

This author, whose book I have purchased for myself and a friend, was doing great. Until he spewed some nonsense that makes God look like a fool. I got through the first one like a rough patch of turbulence on an airplane flight. It smoothed out and I continued reading with satisfaction and agreement. Until he did it again. And again. I think there are three or four times now he's said something in this book that has made me wince because it was untrue. It's a like that the writer apparently believes to be true.

The Bible tells us to to test everything against the Word of God to be sure it is true. We're not to consume anything without first conducting that test. Said differently, we're not to consider anything or take anything at face value without having first tested it against the Word of God.

I've blogged in the past about false teachers and false teaching. They're not always the same. Sometimes good teachers can be guilty of false teaching. And so I'm reminded as I read this book right now, that even writers who mostly put forth truth can let a lie creep in there somewhere. I think it's why the Bible tells us to test everything that's said --- as opposed to testing everyone who says it.

I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do about this book. I'm pretty sure I'll finish it. There's a sufficient amount of truth in it that I want to finish it. But I have to admit that the lies are distracting the heck out of me. They're spoiling the enjoyment I get from reading it.

A couple of years ago I read the book, A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle. (It as an Oprah Book Club recommendation.) Unfortunately, the book was so full of crap that I was thoroughly disgusted reading it. While there was some truth, most of what Mr. Tolle had to say couldn't pass the testing against God's Word. I was so disgusted, in fact, that I took my copy of the book and threw it in the dumpster. I didn't want to pass it on even to a thrift store for fear that someone else might read it.

I don't think I feel so strongly about this book I'm reading now. But I've already decided I'm never going to recommend it, especially to someone who is young and perhaps less able to discern the lies amidst the truths.

Perhaps the question is whether book authors (and their publishers) know that no matter how good they are, how religious they've been or what they write ... it still needs to be tested against God's Word.

More Bad News

As if to prove my point from yesterday, this morning's Dallas Morning News has a blaring headline that existing home sales fell 28%!

However, when you read the article, near the end, you see that this is actually not the case. Home sales did not fall 28%. They are off 28% from the same February period a year ago.

In terms of change in sales volume, they are about the same as they were last month, with a little uptick. Moreover, the inventory of unsold homes is - at their present pace of sales - about a 6 month supply. Realtors quoted in this same story said that is "about right" and is consistent with the market even in the best of times.

So what's the real piece of news to be reported here? A more truthful headline might be something like "Home Sales Remain Flat: Off 28% from Last Year's Volume." What do you suppose the Dallas Morning News intends to accomplish with their inaccurate, misleading and most of all - depressing and discouraging reporting? Do they really think this will help them sell more papers and salvage their own financial butts?

I live in a pretty average neighborhood. The house across the street from me went on the market just before Christmas and sold in one week. One street over, a house on the corner has been empty for a couple of months and just sold last week. The new owners just moved in. We may not be enjoying a booming period of real estate sales. However, the real estate market is far from dead.

Houses are still selling. In some pockets, sales are up. Foreclosure volume is down. Mortgage applications are up. Inflation is not even a concern. Even the stock market rallied yesterday. Come on, news media - get your act together and provide society with something truly worthwhile!

Oprah on God

Recently one of my daughters talked about what her pastor was saying about Oprah. She said he was warning the congregation to be wary of Oprah and not be deceived by the evil that she is championing. (I knew that Oprah was a champion of Barack Obama, but didn't think he would be the evil my daugter's pastor had in mind.) So I decided to check it out.

We don't watch Oprah's show, read her magazines or take much stock in her book recommendations. I know she's influential in our culture and many people look at her. Perhaps I became a bit jaded when I was doing counseling and having to explain to people that whatever they saw on Oprah wasn't necessarily how life works! At any rate, I tuned into one episode of the Oprah show - and immediately got what I was looking for.

It seems that among the books Oprah has recommended are some that Christians would consider quite sinister. But she's gone farther. Now Oprah is hosting web-based classes for millions. The classes are on spirituality and religion. They purport to help people understand who God really is and how we should relate to them.

I don't think I've seen such blatant heresy in a very long time. It is chilling. What Oprah is evangelizing is clearly not Biblical. Here is a link to a YouTube video I found that explains the problem with what Oprah is doing. (When you're there, notice the other related videos on this subject.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkQROc5prZE

Finally, here is the link to the web site to which Oprah has hitched her wagon. It is the site of the global "church" she seems to be building.

http://www.neverthirsty.org/pp/monthlynews/200804/n.html

If you are grounded in Christ, you will be chilled by the implications. If you are not, you may very well be deceived.

I am reminded of the proverb, "Let us not be ignorant about the war we are fighting."

God help us all to stand against the influence of an ignorant Oprah who choses to believe what she wants instead of what is actually true. Perhaps more importantly, God help all of those who follow an ignorant leader like Oprah.

Bad News

I picked up this morning's paper and was struck with the headline in the business section - screaming out that existing home sales "plunged" 25% from the same period last year. The article went on to report that the inventory of homes to be sold hadn't changed much though, and prices only dropped 1%. If less people want to sell their homes and prices are holding, how bad is this news?

In another headline, a local golf course is shutting down, going out of business. There were pictures and the story went on about how sad everyone was that it was closing. They talked about the wonderful memories there. It was a tear-jerking story. Until you get to the bottom (if you stayed with it that long) and discover the reason the golf course is closing. (Heretofore you were led to believe it was a financial failure.) It turns out the property has been sold to developers for a healthy profit and the owner will be able to retire more than comfortably.

Why isn't the news spun a little better than it is? Let's see a newspaper headlines that say something like, "Despite a 25% decrease in transaction volume, inventory of existing homes for sale and prices are holding steady." Or let's have a headline that celebrates the success of a golf course owner who's been able to cash out. Let's face it, the man has done very well indeed.

What is there about the news that makes the editors want to find the worst angle on any story --- and spin it with that angle? What would the world be like if we all worked to put things in the best (and most realistic) perspective possible?

Don't get me wrong. The world is a nasty place. I know it. You know it. But is it really helpful for us to be so chronically focused on the negatives all the time? At what cost do we overlook the positives? Might we be missing opportunities in life - because all we're looking at are the threats?

I think I should like to start my own newspaper. I'd call it "The Truth & Hope Journal." As the editor in chief, I would be brutally honest about truth. But I'm pretty sure that honest views of things would include some very fine positives. My mission would be to make sure that people aren't ignorant about the world we live in. My mission would be ensure that people see the possibilities and opportunities - while they learn to manage the threats and overcome the weaknesses.

Do you think I could become financially viable in the newspaper business?