Colossians 3:9 – Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,

To whom is Paul speaking? He is writing this to believers, because he says, “since you have put off the old man with his deeds.” Is it possible for a Christian to lie? Of course it is. This doesn’t mean that you lose your salvation when you do. Otherwise many of us would have lost ours a long time ago. It does reveal that you have not reached that place of perfection. Neither do you completely get rid of the old nature, when you become a child of God. The apostle is saying in effect, “Let your state be consistent with your standing.” You have put off the old man; now put him off practically by refraining from lies. Lying is one of the things that belongs to the old man, and it has no place in the life of the child of God. Every day in your life you will be tempted to distort the truth. It may be by withholding information, or by cheating on an examination, or even by exaggerating the details of a story. Lying becomes doubly serious when you injure another by a false statement, or by creating a false impression. The bible is clear on this point, do not lie. Lying is something we all learn as small children.

Challenge:

A little boy came running into his house and said, “Mama, Mama, a lion just ran across our front lawn.” His mother said, “Now, you know that was not a lion. That was a big dog that ran across the lawn. You go upstairs and confess to the Lord that you lied about that.” The little boy went upstairs and after a while he came back down. His mother asked, “Did you confess your lie to the Lord?” He answered, “Yes, I did. But the Lord said when He first saw him, He thought he was a lion, too!” You see, lying is something that is deep rooted inside the human heart. Can you say that you are truthful in EVERY area of your life, down to the smallest of details? This is the way God would desire you to live your life, in absolute truthfulness. Your challenge this week is to speak truth in every situation, no matter how painful it may be to you. If someone asks you how you are feeling, don’t just tell them you’re “okay” when you are not, tell them the truth. When you receive more change back at the coffee shop then you were supposed to, return what was mistakenly given to you even if it is just a small amount. Be truthful on your time sheet at work, recording the actual hours you worked rather that what you were supposed to work. Be honest and truthful this week, God rewards those who are upright in character. God bless your week.