Crooked Path

"A fool shows his annoyance at once, 
       but a prudent man overlooks an insult.

  A truthful witness gives honest testimony, 
       but a false witness tells lies.

  Reckless words pierce like a sword, 
       but the tongue of the wise brings healing."

Proverbs 12:16-18

 

"I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you." 

1 Chronicles 29:17

 

"The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity."

Proverbs 11:3

 

"The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out."

Proverbs 10:9

 

"A truthful witness gives honest testimony, 
       but a false witness tells lies."

Proverbs 12:17

 

"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor."

Exodus 20:16

 

I spent some time talking to my kids about honesty and integrity and watched as they squirmed a little when we talked about lying. They can all quote Exodus 20:16 and do it quite often when one of them is caught in a lie but I wanted them to know that there is more behind that one verse found in the Ten Commandments.

Kids will oftentimes lie when they think they may get in trouble for something they have done and that is a horrible trait to carry into adulthood. When we choose to lie, we lose someone's trust. Once we have lost that trust, it cripples the relationship. There is a quote that says, "Trust is like a vase, once it is broken, though you can fix it the vase will never be the same again" and I find this quote to be quite true. I believe that God can fix anything but we are human and trust plays a significant role in our relationships. Once someone has lied to us, it becomes very hard for us to believe anything else that is said. It takes time to rebuild that trust and even then, there may be times we still question their words.

One thing I have taught my children is that it is always better for them to tell the truth when they have done something wrong then for me to catch them in a lie. I want them to know that in order for our relationship to be good, I have to be able to trust them. Lying destroys relationships and ruins character. Scripture tells us that a false witness will not go unpunished and that those who lie will perish. Quite a severe punishment for dishonesty but it is important to know that God takes it very seriously and that our integrity is important to Him.

"A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will perish."

Proverbs 19:9

When we lie, it speaks to the condition of our hearts. Luke 6:45 says "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."
Lying speaks volumes to the state of our spiritual well-being. If we are walking in truth and know what is right then the words from our mouth are that of truth and not destruction. God tests our hearts and knows our intent and when we seek honesty, He is pleased with our character.

I watched as what I was saying finally sunk into my kids heads. You may think you are lying to mommy but God always knows the truth and nothing can be kept from Him. Better to tell me the truth and please not just mommy but God as well.