“For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, and may overcome when You are judged.”” (Romans 3:3-4)
Since the fall of man (according to the account in Genesis 3:1-24), human beings are naturally born into sin (Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12), which includes lying. The spirit of lying can be seen operating even in young children intuitively, without them being aware that it is a sin. Like all other sins, the Bible says that once we gain consciousness of a wrong, we are plagued with guilt, and freedom from guilt only comes through forgiveness in Christ Jesus (Romans 7:9; Psalm 130:4).
Therefore, knowledge of sinful conduct is empowering and serves as a guard to our conscience not to desire doing wrong. As it is, in all circumstances we are always served with the option to either succumb to sin in disobedience to God’s command, or to refrain in obedience to the Lord (Genesis 2:16; Deuteronomy 30:19).
The Lord Hates Lying
The Bible tells us that "God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? (Numbers 23:19). In the New Testament, the same assertion is repeated, that God does not lie (Hebrews 6:18; Titus 1:2). When we lie, we choose to hide the truth, which in turn exposes our shame even while we create a false impression built on lies. The Lord said that when we lie, we build on a foundation that has no support and the full proof of lies is the truth. In other words, truth will always stand as an ultimate reality unshaken against falsehood, and lies have NO support except shame! (Proverbs 13:5; Matthew 7:24-29)
Additionally, when we lie, we deceive someone purposely, and such action is harmful to both: The lying party bears the guilt of the lie before God, and the party person who has been lied to may bear or hold on to a false sense of security. In reality, no matter how well intended a lie is to please our listeners, it cannot substitute truth (2 Chronicles 18:21-22).
Furthermore, we often get away with lying to one another and that we consider as normal, but I can assure you, my brothers and sisters, the Lord does not overlook lies; not even one lie or an occasional lie. Sooner or later, the lie will be exposed! (Ecclesiastes 12:14; Matthew 10:26; Luke 8:17) Legally, truth is weighed against physical evidence and by confirming the testimonies of others in support of establishing the truth. However, we must add that the "veiled truth" that our judicial systems often use to convict, acquit, or settle disputes in society gives no automatic clearance from God, who sees and knows all things (Psalm 33:13; Hebrews 4:13), including the hidden secrets of the heart (Jeremiah 17:10). As sinners, we therefore have a responsibility to confess our sins to Him, ask for His forgiveness, and repent (John 8:11; Romans 10:9-10; 1 John 1:9).
The Lord has cautioned almost all of us in this ministry against lying, and He has even confirmed that a habitual or an occasional liar is possessed by a lying spirit. In addition, the Lord said that many Christians are habitual liars by purposely making false promises (Hosea 10:4). Promising to do things such as “I will call you back”, “I'll invite you for dinner”, or “I'll pray for you” and never following through is lying. Additionally, saying things that we don't mean and giving false comfort or compliments, such as “God be with you” or “that's a nice outfit” is lying. The Lord Jesus warns us:
“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one (Matthew 5:33-37)Furthermore, the Lord is also displeased with Christians who are lying in His name. In our article titled "Lying in Jesus’ Name", the Lord exposed a well-known woman who wrote lies and lied about some of her experiences with the Lord to others. The Lord did not allow us to reveal her identity. This sister enjoys the respect of many Christians and in that vision to Charis the Angel was not allowed to say if this sister was in Heaven or Hell; what Charis felt was a strong fear regarding her destiny.
The Lord has equally issued a warning to Christians who are trying to ‘please’ Him or "witness" by lying about visions and revelations they never received from Him. As we have shared in prior articles on this website, the Lord has warned us of people falsely claiming (intentionally or otherwise) to have had visitations to heaven or hell, or experienced some other "supernatural" dreams and visions. Even though sharing these false visions and dreams may be well intended, they are still lies. Such testimonies reduce us to false witnesses, and there is no Heavenly heritage for such practice (Proverbs 6:19; 19:5). As a ministry we have asked the Lord to purge lies and untruthfulness from our messages and visions, and this the Lord has done by telling us who gave false visions and they were removed.
When we conceal wicked behaviour and not acknowledge a wrong, it makes us liars. This sin is commonly practiced by parents who knowingly fail to admit the wrong of their children; instead they cover it up by taking their part and siding with them. I encourage you, parents, to please acknowledge your children’s mistakes in order to help them see their wrongs and allow the Holy Spirit to convict and lead them to correction and truth.
The Lord told us that people who operate on excuses are committing multiple sins like lying, laziness and dishonesty (Proverbs 22:13). When we offer unjustifiable excuses, we fail to honor our word, and that is untruthfulness. The Lord is also very displeased with Christians who lie subtly by using "white lies" (lies expressed in politeness or with good intentions) and/or offer forgetfulness as an excuse. Telling "white lies", "stretching the truth", or "saving face" is simply lying. Some people in our ministry learned first hand from the Lord that purposeful forgetfulness is lying. I can testify that the Lord is never pleased with a lying Christian, and the Lord never defends a lying action but exposes it to correct us. I have personally experienced such grace from the Lord, and I felt so ashamed and embarrassed! Remember Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11).
Satan is the Father of Lies
Around July 2013, the Lord showed me (Glenn) in a vision that I would receive bad news regarding one of my nephews. The same morning following this vision, I received a call that one of my nephews had been viciously attacked in a gang-related incident. I was told that during the attack he lost the use of his right hand, which became shriveled. In a vision to Charis shortly after this incident, Satan appeared to Charis in the form of a dark figure, like a shadow. He made mockery of the boy’s situation, laughing loudly and said: “Look, your own cousin almost died and he only has one arm!” while showing my nephew in hospital with one arm. She rebuked him in Jesus name, and he disappeared.
At first we believed the lie that the boy had completely lost his right arm, while I wrestled in my mind whether Satan would actually have spoken the truth. I called the hospital and spoke to him, and he explained to me that his right arm was just badly bruised and that resulted in him not being able to use his hand. Therefore, the devil lied to us, and it confirmed the Lord’s word when He said, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).
Dishonesty is Not Truth
Making false promises to children is not innocent at all. The Lord sharply rebuked two sisters in our ministry for not honouring their promises and creating a sense of false security in our children. They were commanded to honor their word, and we learnt that keeping promises is very pleasing to the Lord. As a further admonition, the Lord is not pleased with anyone of His children who defend the guilty and distort the truth. The Lord says they are selling their souls to defend sin, be it for money or other motives; "...Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them" (Romans 1:28-32). The Lord also says those whose tasks are to defend others must always check their conscience and encourage the guilty person to correction (Luke 17:3; 1 Timothy 5:20). In the Lord, we are called to live truthfully and blameless (Psalm 15:2; 101:2; Philippians 2:15).
In my own experience with the Lord, He never sides with a person, no matter how strong an emotional appeal we may make. My wife and I had countless disagreements, but when the Lord steps in, He addresses our wrongs in a corrective way and not taking sides – He masterfully singles out the truth! My wife and I have since learned to settle our disagreements based on a Scriptural position to guide us, instead of the trying to be right all the time. God desires truth and not dishonest conduct. The Lord is moved by truth, justice and righteousness (Psalm 89:14; Jeremiah 4:2), and not how convincing we sound in our arguments. Next time you have an argument with someone, make an appeal for the truth, and not how right you think you are. We should not seek to be defensive when we are wrong; instead we should seek to admit our shortcomings and accept the conviction of truth as led by the Holy Spirit. It is dangerous to lead a self-righteous life; it makes you appear dishonest and untruthful. We are mandated by Christ to be TRUTH AMBASSADORS (2 Timothy 2:15)!
Finally, in our love for the Lord’s truth, and knowing that we ourselves would be subjected to God’s judgment, the Lord will measure the truthfulness of the message He entrusted to us by faith to you. As we conclude we pray that the love for truth consumes you and delivers you. Please take heed of the many warnings in Scripture about lying; we have highlighted a few below:
No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes (Psalm 101:7).
There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood (Proverbs 6:16-17).
Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment (Proverbs 12:19).
Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight (Proverbs 12:22).
A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will perish (Proverbs 19:9).
Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips (Proverbs 24:28).
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another (Ephesians 4:25).
Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator (Colossians 3:9-10).
Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. (1 John 2:4).Are you guilty of making empty promises, saying things you don’t mean, and telling lies, no matter how subtle? If so, please confess your sins and repent! If you would like to accept Jesus Christ who is The Way, The Truth, and The Life and learn to walk in truth through His Word (The Bible), please pray this
Blessed truth to you all dear brethren in Christ Jesus,
Brother Glenn and Preparing for the Kingdom Ministry Team.
