Lying is a terrible deception even if it escapes detection of man, will be judged and not go unpunished.

"Word Pictures" for Our Imagination

Free Printable Devotional Sheets Tuesday, July 22nd

Today's Daily Verse is found in Proverbs 19.5

"A false witness will not go unpunished, nor will a liar escape."        - NLT version

Mark 14.36 "For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together."

Romans 13.9 "For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

Why are lies so devastating?

John 8.44 "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it"

Lies are what comes out of the mouth of the devil, Satan, and the serpent...

What do true witnesses do...

Proverbs 14.25 "A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is a traitor."

A false witness has no relationship to truth...

• Lies may escape detection in this life, but they shall not escape judgment
• GOD's judgment standard revolves around and is established in truth
• He will make sure every transgression receives a "recompense of reward"
• A lie may seem to triumph for a time
• But truth will eventually emerge and be established

A false witness gets innocent people in trouble, and their lies cause false accusations to be made and wrong judgment decisions are reached...

The false witness against Joseph...

Joseph was falsely accused and wrongly thrown in jail... Read all about it here... It's amazing to see who, and how many believe the false accusations, and false witness. It can sound so convincing, and almost impossible to defend...

Naboth wrongly accused and stoned...

Naboth set up, accused, stoned based on a false witness... 1 Kings 21.8-13 "So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and other leaders of the town where Naboth lived. 9 In her letters she commanded: “Call the citizens together for a time of fasting, and give Naboth a place of honor. 10 And then seat two scoundrels across from him who will accuse him of cursing God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.” 11 So the elders and other town leaders followed the instructions Jezebel had written in the letters. 12 They called for a fast and put Naboth at a prominent place before the people. 13 Then the two scoundrels came and sat down across from him. And they accused Naboth before all the people, saying, “He cursed God and the king.” So he was dragged outside the town and stoned to death.

The boundary line between truth and lies must never be trifled with...

• partial truth is not acceptable
• do not allow your children to blur the line
• lies may not hurt anyone, but the root of a lie itself is evil
• never allow yourself to lose respect for the truth
• better to suffer loss by telling the truth, than losing your soul
• lies are like poison
• lies do great damage inside everyone who allows them to control their life

How bad can it get?

Jeremiah 9.3-5 "“My people bend their tongues like bows to shoot out lies.
They refuse to stand up for the truth. They only go from bad to worse.
They do not know me,” says the Lord.

4 “Beware of your neighbor! Don’t even trust your brother! For brother takes advantage of brother, and friend slanders friend.

5 They all fool and defraud each other; no one tells the truth. With practiced tongues they tell lies; they wear themselves out with all their sinning."

Anything less than truth is a lie.

Lies shall not go unpunished. There will be no escape. The liar may have intended no harm, or may have intended great harm...

The end...

Revelation 21.8 "But as for the cowards and the ignoble and the contemptible and the cravenly lacking in courage and the cowardly submissive, and as for the unbelieving and faithless, and as for the depraved and defiled with abominations, and as for murderers and the lewd and adulterous and the practicers of magic arts and the idolaters (those who give supreme devotion to anyone or anything other than God) and all liars (those who knowingly convey untruth by word or deed)—[all of these shall have] their part in the lake that blazes with fire and brimstone. This is the second death."

Let's tell the truth...always

See you tomorrow...

In the meantime:

Have you called or emailed someone to invite them to join us in our daily study in Proverbs? It would be great if you did that today! Thanks.