“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight.” ~Proverbs 12:22
She stared at the wall, wondering if the lies they told really were true. Did they really mean that? Do they really think I would do that? The awful lies that had been thrown around about her hit her heart as if it was a target for arrow practice. And these arrows cut deep, paining her to the inner core. She thought about all the times that she herself had said unkind and untrue things about others. Now she knew how they had felt.
As a girl that has been extremely affected by rumours and gossip, I understand the pain that comes along with being at the brunt of it. Believe me, I am not the kind of girl that cries for days over nothing. I understand the confusion caused by someone that doesn’t think twice about what comes out of their mouth. I know what kind of damage a sharpened tongue is capable of. I have been the subject of many rumours. But, I am also guilty for being on the opposite end too… you know what I mean: I am guilty for being the mind and mouth that started a rumour. Haven’t we all? Some of us are more prone to it than others, but because we are human this is something that we ALL struggle with. This is why God commands us to speak the truth - ALWAYS.
The mouths that speak untrue, unkind things about others (lying lips) are an abomination to God. He finds it disgusting and worthy of hate. He delights in those that speak the truth.
Here are two reasons that God discourages us from “lying lips.”
1. To protect others. Words can hurt and cause a lot of damage to others. Jesus knows how painful words can be. Didn’t the crowd call out “Crucify Him”? Wasn’t He rejected while walking this earth? By commanding and encouraging us to speak truthfully, God is protecting others from the words that we might speak in order to cause them pain. Instead of using our words to drag someone through the dirt, let us use them to build others up (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
2. To protect ourselves. This happens in two ways. Firstly, if others also follow this command, we are spared from the untrue, unkind things that others could say about us. Secondly, it makes it against God’s true and holy Word to lie to yourself. Do you follow? We have a tendency to lie to ourselves. I have a tendency to lie to myself. This shows up in a number of different ways: telling yourself that you can’t do it, calling yourself a failure, calling yourself ugly, telling yourself that aren’t enough, and even telling yourself that the beautiful promises of Scripture don’t apply to you. These are all lies that need to be turned around by a dose of truth: you can do it (Hebrews 13:5), you are not a failure (Jeremiah 29:11), you are beautifully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), in Christ you are enough (Philippians 4:13), and the beautiful promises of Scripture apply to you (Hebrews 4:16).
The truth allows us to thrive. By searching for truth and speaking truth, we allow others to thrive as well.
The ultimate truth is found in the pages of the Scripture. There are a few things we can do to become girls and women that speak the truth.
1. Search the Scriptures. “Lead me in Your truth and teach me.” (Psalm 25:5) The Bible has a LOT of advice and information about the truth. A great place to start with a study on this would be the book of Proverbs.
2. Remember that God is praised when we speak the truth. “Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You.” (Psalm 63:3) The Lord loves the truth, and hates it when we speak anything other than the truth.
3. Keep in mind the power that our words have. “Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” (Proverbs 15:4) “Kind words are like honey--sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” (Proverbs 16:24) Our words have the ability to tear someone down, but that is not the only thing. Our words also have the ability to build someone up.
To the girl that feels guilty about speaking lies:
First of all, bring this guilt to God, and plead for forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, He is just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) Secondly, be brave and ask for forgiveness from the person who was affected by your words. I know that this is hard, but it is a very important step in the repentance process. It proves to the person that you are disappointed in yourself that you hurt them the way you did, and it proves to you that you want to honour God and strive to follow His teachings in every way humanly possible.
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father,
We come to You today to ask for the strength that we need to speak the truth. Please forgive us when we fail Lord, because we know we will. Impress upon us the power that our words have, and help us to control what comes out of our mouths. Give us Your Holy Spirit, Lord, that Your praise would be forever on our lips. In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Reflect - What lies have you been telling yourself? Treat them with a dose of truth.
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