Yesterday I started to read the book "30 days to taming the tongue" and the first day has already pierced me and greatly convicted me. Every time I lied God would make me aware of it as soon as I stopped speaking,
and I would say sorry, but then go about my business as usual. But something started to happen. The Spirit started to really deal with me. I prayed that he would reveal to me the hidden dark things in my heart. I knew
that someone cannot produce "sweet water, and bitter water" from the same place. But I didn't think lying was really an issue for me. I was so wrong. This is what the Holy Spirit revealed.
"The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful." -Proverbs 21:22.
God in his patience and tender mercy had been tugging at my heart about lying but I wasn't really listening even though I was praying that He would reveal areas of my life that needed to be surrendered to Him. For That I have had to repent. You might ask why I'm even sharing this with you, and there are two reasons, one is I feel God is saying I am not the only one that lies this way without giving it much thought, and It's time to
change iif we want a closer walk with the Father, and second, this is my way of putting into practice what God has said in James 5:16 "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
The tongue is also a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person,
sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. -James 3:6
Upon reading it pierced my heart like never before because this time the Spirit brought to my memory the previous day and the two lies I told. The sad part about this whole thing is that I didn't lie for any other reason other than to possibly avoid hurting someone's feeling, or avoid some awkward moment. This is what is commonly called as a "white lie"and the world is the one who has determined that it's okay to lie to
protect something or someone from getting hurt. But God tells us in Romans 12:2,
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
But how can our minds be transformed? And why wasn't my mind being transformed?
Romans 8:6 says,
"The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. Verse 9 says, "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you."
So the problem wasn't that I wasn't praying or reading the Word, but it was my surrendering to the Spirit that I was missing out on because He lives IN me, but I wasn't allowing Him to work IN me. He kept showing me, and I kept saying I was sorry, but that was not enough. I had to understand that the Spirit was the only one that would be able to help me to overcome this problem, but I had to recognize that I had a problem
first. Who wants to admit that they are liars? I didn't. But it's the truth. I am a liar, and that's why Jesus came to die for me. Revelations 21:8 says, "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the
murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters AND ALL LIARS-their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
I didn't understand the severity of my "little sin" after all, everyone lies. But God is a Just and Holy
God, and this is the standard that we need to look at ourselves in, not human standard. I needed to stand before the mirror of Gods perfect law and then, and only then would I see myself the way God sees me, and the way I truly am. A transgressor.
You may think that God isn't taking note of every little lie we say, but Jesus said in Matthew 12:36, "But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have
spoken." Now I know we are not under the law anymore, but just because we are walking in grace doesn't mean we can just sin, and ask for forgiveness and think everything is okay. We are held to a higher
standard now, we are children of the Most High, and as such we need to walk with integrity, pursuing righteousness, and with a humble heart. God is looking for pure hearts and I am looking for God to give me just that.
Father God, I thank you for shedding light into my darkened heart, for only you know everything that's inside. I thank you for sending your Son Jesus to die for all my sins; I thank you for your mercy and for your Holy Spirit who reveals all things. God help me to continue to walk in the words of Psalm 51:10 "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." And help me to hide your word in my heart
so that I might not sin against you. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.
Written by: Melba Phillips
