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Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?" Acts 5:3
D.L. MOODY
“Mr. Moody,” you say, “How can I check myself? How can I overcome the habit of lying and gossip?” A lady once said to me that she had got so into the habit of exaggerating, her friends said they could never trust her.
The cure is simple, but not very pleasant. Treat it as a sin and confess it to God and the person whom you have wronged. As soon as you catch yourself lying, go straight to that person and confess you have lied. Let your confession be as wide as your transgression. If you have slandered or lied about anyone in public, let your confession be public. Many a person says some mean, false thing about another in the presence of others, and then tries to patch it up by going to that person alone. This is not making adequate confession. I need not go to God with confession until I have made it right with that person and the others who heard my remarks if it is in my power to do so; If not, God will not hear me.
ERWIN LUTZER
“Let God be true and every man a liar” (Romans 3:4).
Remember Jesus said of Satan, “When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). When we lie, we are doing the devil’s work. Interestingly, Ananias and Sapphira did not know that their decision to lie was inserted into their minds by Satan (read Acts 5:1–6). This gives us insight as to how the deceiver works: The devil puts lies into our minds that we think are our own.
Moody’s advice is excellent: Let us confess the lie to the person to whom we told it. And, if necessary, to a wider audience if they were included in our deception.
PRAYER
Father, help my heart and lips and to speak only truth, no matter the consequences.REFLECTION QUESTIONS
How seriously do you take lying as a sin in your life?
What are some situations where telling the truth can be difficult?