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You’ve read the headlines, the ones that end in disbelief, disgust. Wall Streeters who brought us the economic meltdown through their own greed are next rewarded with multi-billion dollar bailouts rich enough to float a mid-sized country . Meanwhile also many of the fat cats get fatter on the teats of the taxpayers, not a few of them too. Now we also find out some of the windfall wizards used their aid to pay off creditors while ensuring the bonus gravy train was stoked and leaving the station and some of the top the executives gave themselves big raises, bonuses for it still. Most of the money from many non profit instutions, corporations, never gets to help others. Even many medical Doctors, are selfish, self serving. We hear about big corporations still gouging the citizens with their high, unreasonable prices too. We again hear about big corruptions , thefts still going on by our civil and public servants, at the federal, provincial and municipal levels in Canada and you often now do wonder why it still goes on? The answer is very simple, for you have not cried, demanded justice loud enough for many to hear. Do so now too. Contact now the news editors, governments , police today. Even again.
The Bible also lists this sin of lying as one that can lead us to hell along with some other grievous ones. (Rev 21:7 KJV) He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Rev 21:8 KJV) But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
yeah we can live with out sin.. dream on.. we can always lie that we do not sin..
It always amazed me the so called perfect divorcing evangelical wife even, actually an economic and physical prostitute and her perverse lawyers, can so easily see all of the spouses’ sins still cannot even see their own,, and why was that? the devil still controls what they do and can see..
(1 Ki 8:46 KJV) If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near;
(2 Chr 6:36 KJV) If they sin against thee, (for there is no man which sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them over before their enemies, and they carry them away captives unto a land far off or near;
(Eccl 7:20 KJV) For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
If you ever took notice, you have seen that a wreck seldom, if ever, stops a reckless driver from driving recklessly. He may soon have another wreck. The same is true with this kind of liars. David went right on after lying to Ahimelech, and played the insanity role before Achish, king of Gath, when he discovered they were thinking of “finishing him off” while they had him in their hands — just another spell of lying. As one writer has said, “One lie leads to another, we have to tell the SECOND to hide the first.” David, though a man after God’s own heart, often found himself in the predicament of Rom. 7:15-23. You and I should live in the experience of Rom. 8:1,2-4, then, and only then, or thereafter would we be kept from lying or be empowered to always tell the truth.
48. SECTARIAN LYING
Much of this kind of lying goes on today. One church lies concerning the other, and this denomination lies on that one, etc. All of this kind of lying is prompted by that sectarian spirit which possesses so many ministers and laymen of various denominations and organizations. This sectarian lying will send men and women to hell the same as all other lying (Rev. 21:8). As the old saying goes, “If we would keep things swept clean around our own doors, we would be kept busy at home most of the time,” and would not be meddling with the other man’s affairs so much.
49. POLITICAL AND DIPLOMATIC LYING
Don’t run for an office or get into politics if you cannot take lying. Political and diplomatic scheming calls for much lying. Some church leaders and officials play politics when conducting a church election, and the devil gets most of them to lying before it is over. God gets out of church business and elections when His people start this “diplomatic lying.” Some say, “But you have to use a little diplomacy to put things over.” Possibly so, if they are to be put over man’s way, or as he desires things to go; but it is not needed when we go God’s way and follow the leadings of the Holy Ghost. Have we forgotten the promises of God along this line? Read Prov. 3:5,6; Psa. 37:5,23; Jer. 10:23; John 16:13; Rom. 8:14; Jam. 4:3 and see if God does not promise to lead us in all things pertaining to the work of the Lord. See also Acts 9 :10-19; 1:19-23; 13:1A and 16:6-11.
When church matters are carried out man’s way, they are seldom what God would have, and we would do well to remember God’s exhortation along this line as found in Isaiah 55:8,9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, SAITH THE LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.” The poor lost world is to be pitied and shown sympathy for the way they carry on things; but the way some of God’s (supposed-to-be) leading children do business for Him is a reproach to His Name and church. The very idea OF LYING to put things over for God! God had rather we just leave His business undone than to mess it up with a lot of lying. Business, such as general elections, local church elections, and of any other nature, that is put over by lying, will never accomplish anything worthwhile. God is determined that His church shall be established by truth and nothing but the truth. All of us will do well to keep this in mind. We should all know that “we can do nothing against the truth” (2 Cor. 13:8). This political and diplomatic lying has about ruined some churches and organizations, if not all of them, and most all the nations and governments of this sin cursed world. The devil has most everyone ready to change climates (Rev. 21:8, 27).
50. PROPAGANDA LYING
This kind of lying is done mostly in time of war, both among the nations and our various churches and organizations. When we go to war naturally or religiously, this propaganda lying always begins. The devil has someone on the job to start it and then hosts of dupes to pass it on to others.
There are several purposes for this propaganda lying; but, after all, the aims sought for never materialize, if you will take note or check after it, whether it is done by national patriots or church officials and lay-members. Propaganda lying is done to stir up hatred against the opposing armies or churches and organizations; also to build morale and increase loyalty to the church or nation with which one is associated. It is also shifted to the enemy forces and territory by radio, news leaflets dropped from the air, by traitors, etc., to make them suspicious of one another and afraid to fight or oppose their national or religious enemy; also to divide and weaken them. Can God approve of all this ungodly work and devilish lying being carried on in His church? A thousand times no! We must either keep our tongues from speaking guile and deceit or get out of God’s church — rather be put out (Ex. 32:33 and Psa. 69:27,28). We cannot build anything for God that will stand if it is built upon a faulty foundation of hay, wood, stubble, lying, deceit, etc. So “Let EVERY man TAKE HEED how he buildeth thereupon.” — The Apostle Paul. As the good old song goes, “Everything that is not of Jesus shall go down, SHALL GO DOWN” — yea, to the pits of hell or the bottomless pit (Rev. 21:8).
51. STRATEGIC LYING
Strategic lying is that lying which is done concerning the SUPPOSED-TO-BE size, movement, location, casualty list, etc., of the Army, Navy, and Air Forces. There has been much of this form of lying done during the present war (World War II), and possibly will continue as long as we have wars. If England had transferred as many troops, equipment and supplies to Singapore as she reported through the press and over the radio, before this base was taken by the Japs, the Japs never would have been able to take it. So most of her defense there proved to be nothing but lies, and she lost a valuable base and what men she had stationed there, too. After all, there was nothing gained by all that lying — she lost. We will do the same thing if we lie in this manner or any other way. We will lose here, and then lose our soul in the end. Consider this too: men who lie for churches, nations, business firms, lodges, labor unions, etc., are going to hell, though they were the middle man or just passed the lie. Remember, all men and Christians are warned by Paul NOT to “be partaker of OTHER men’s sins: KEEP thyself PURE” — don’t lie for anyone (1 Tim.5:22).
52. NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LYING
This form of lying played its part in plunging the whole world into war this last time. As for lying, this form did play the major part and PRIDE took the other. “Pride of Race” and “International Lying” are the two principal causes of this war, and the whole world knows it. These are facts which cannot be denied. There may have been many other minor causes: but no principal ones in comparison to these two.
There has been so much national and international lying done until peace treaties are not worth the paper they are written on. England, France, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and the whole world, trusted that Hitler only wanted what he first asked for from the two last named nations; but to their sorrow, and NOT “very much to their surprise,” they soon found out that he was lying. He gained so much apparently, to begin with, by his lying until it seems that he thought that he might take the whole world by the same method. Thank God, his lying did not win for him what he hoped to gain. He lost all he had to begin with and all he gained momentarily, by his lying, and has brought his people to servitude and national disgrace. The whole world needs to learn by this example that it does not pay to lie. But this lesson is to be learned the hard way — by experience, and it is doubtful if any nations will take heed and only a very few individuals, to the extent that they will stop their lying.
The anti-Christ is due to come into power by lying, not only in this manner, but in every other manner or form conceivable, known or unknown. “And then shall that Wicked be revealed … Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with ALL power and signs and (All) LYING wonders” (2 Thes. 2:8,9). The devil has begun to supply many nations with lying leaders and dictators. His next move will be to deceive and rule the whole world by a lying genius, the Antichrist. People generally fall for what they are accustomed to, and they are receiving ample training along this line. One faces liars and lying almost every way he turns today. The devil started out by deceiving man by lying and he is going to finish the same way. I suppose that he has deceived and damned more souls in this manner than in all other ways and means combined. In fact, there is some form of lying employed by the devil and his subjects in everything they do and undertake. What else could we expect of a spirit or being, and of those influenced and controlled by him, in which there is NO truth — nothing but lies and a lying spirit.
Those who expect and desire to keep out of hell and go to heaven when they die or leave this world, had better get Jesus to free them from all of Satan’s clutches and fill them with His Spirit of TRUTH, the Holy Ghost. See John 14:16, 17; 15:26 and 16:7-13.
53. PULPIT LYING
All ministers need to watch and see that everything they say over the sacred desk is truth. This saying, “I will be through in just a minute,” and then preach on for a half an hour is nothing but lying, whether intentional or unintentional. Don’t say “We will just read one more Scripture and then close,” unless you mean to do that. Other similar statements run like this: “I will not hold you long,” and preach two hours; “Stand and we will be dismissed” and keep the audience standing fifteen or twenty minutes before the benediction is pronounced. This is some more of that “Careless Lying” and will soon lead to “Reckless Lying.” Ministers who lie in this manner should obey Daniel’s instructions to Nebuchadnezzar and “BREAK off thy (their lying) sins by righteousness telling the truth. How can we expect our congregations to be truthful if we practice lying before them and excuse ourselves for doing so. Remember: “Like priests like people.” Some of the laymembers’ and lost sinners’ lying is no worse than this, and we preach and teach them that ALL liars are going to hell. If all means ALL, there are none who are going to escape preachers, laymembers or sinners who never knew God.
54. CAMOUFLAGED LYING
This form of lying might be employed and practiced in several ways. Quite often people lie to cover or hide (camouflage) their sins, shortcomings, evil dispositions, evil intentions, etc. Solomon says, “He that hideth (camouflages) hatred with lying lips … is a fool,” and a big one at that; for such is sure to land one in hell (Rev. 21:8), if not repented of (Luke 13:5). In this sense lying is used as the camouflage materials, according to Isaiah 28:15,17: “We have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we HID ourselves and the hail (of God’s judgment) shall sweep away the refuge (camouflage) of lies, and the waters shall overflow the HIDING PLACE” — which they camouflaged with lies.
Quite often people endeavor to camouflage their lying so it will not be detected or discovered. The best camouflage for a lie is all the truth that can be associated with the lie. The writer once discovered a lie thus camouflaged by a man who was supposedly begging his way home. He claimed to be hungry and broke when such was not true. He gave his correct age, name, home address, etc., for I checked his registration card to see. Then after helping him I found that another preacher had just given him several dollars. He had his lie well camouflaged with statements that were one hundred per cent truth. This is the manner of camouflaging that is often and generally employed by false prophets and those preachers whom Satan has out to deceive those who would be saved, or who have an aim and desire to be saved. They preach a lot of Scriptural truth, but present a false plan for one’s salvation. A gospel that will save one’s soul must be the WHOLE truth and nothing but the truth, or thus saith the Word of God.
Before anyone accepts a plan for the salvation of his soul, he should be sure it is absolutely Scriptural and that it contains every requirement of God’s Word. Partial obedience or adherence to the gospel of Jesus Christ assures no one of eternal life (Matt. 5:25,26). The importance of one’s eternal destiny is too serious to trifle with or be careless and indifferent about. Once one has crossed over the “Great Divide” he cannot correct his mistakes or complete his obedience to the gospel. His eternal destiny will be determined by how he lived and obeyed God while on this earth. See Jno. 5:28,29; Gal. 6:7,8; Heb. 9:27 and 10:26-29. So make sure you don’t go to hell for accepting some Camouflaged Lie” as the only hope of your eternal salvation.
55. DOCTRINAL LYING
Doctrinal lying is a terrible thing for anyone to contemplate doing; but, nevertheless, much of it is being done right over the sacred desk, and elsewhere, pertaining to the plan of salvation, holy living, eternal punishment, etc. “I have not sent them, saith the Lord, yet they prophesy A LIE in MY NAME” (Jer. 27:15). Then we read in 1 Timothy 4:1-3, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that’ in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and DOCTRINES OF DEVILS; speaking LIES in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats.” Thank God, all ministers and professed Christians are not liars; but those who preach and teach things which they know are contrary to the teachings of the Holy Scriptures are “doctrinal liars.”
There are some rules laid down in the Scriptures to govern and regulate the teaching of doctrines which, if we would always heed and follow, we would never be guilty of telling or preaching “doctrinal lies.” The first one is that no doctrine can be established upon any one, single scripture. Jesus said, “In the mouth of TWO or THREE witnesses every word may be established” (Matt. 18:16). Then we should never teach and preach everything we believe, while we need to believe all we preach. “How is this,” you say? One can believe things which are not scriptural. Jesus had this to say about what He taught and testified: “Verily, verily (truly, truly), I say unto thee, ‘We speak that we DO KNOW (not merely what we believe and think is right), and testify that we HAVE SEEN”’ (John 3:11). Be sure you are right before you preach doctrine, as it generally pertains to salvation directly or indirectly and has to do with the eternal destiny of the souls of men and women.
56. EVANGELISTIC AND PASTORAL LYING
This form of lying could have been dealt with under “Promissory Lying,” and was referred to briefly and slightly, if you noticed it; but we prefer singling it out now so we can shoot straight at it. Under this paragraph heading, we want to deal definitely with this lying that is done so commonly by quite a few ministers of both of these classes, in reference to their dealings with each other and the churches they serve, and to whom they minister.
Some evangelists never seem to take the second thought about what they promise some pastor or church concerning conducting them a campaign. They receive the request, it is immediately accepted, and they often agree to a certain date for the meeting but never appear on the scene. It costs something to prepare for a meeting as well as it costs something to get to the place. Pastors find that a few disappointments of this nature cause their entire congregations to have no interest in praying for meetings in advance — which is very essential if profitable results are to be derived.
Then there are numerous other evils and harmful results that arise from carelessly postponing meetings or failing to preach them as scheduled. The revival spirit may cool down or the opportune time to reach the people may pass by while the church and pastor wait for the evangelist. Too, they may be kept waiting for the expected evangelist until it is too late to engage or secure one for the summer or certain holiday occasions, etc. Finally, such practices often result in some soul dying lost, who might have heard the gospel and been saved if the meeting had been preached in due time. The points listed are very likely only a few of the hurtful results of this form of lying. There is no telling what one will face at the judgment for it or will find out to be the complete consequences of such lying.
Then, when the scene is reversed and the pastor lies to an evangelist, it also works havoc and hardships here, besides misery and hell hereafter. A good evangelist, who could reach and win hundreds of souls to Christ in a few weeks time, may from the way he talked and acted. The boy had come to the Mission Hall with his clothes wet, and the pastor had taken him to his home to give him dry clothes and something to eat. Upon becoming suspicious about him the preacher called the officers to investigate his case. The boy had wandered across several states traveling away from home, if I remember correctly. So on and on the story goes with his case and the case of many others, telling lies and misrepresenting things. This boy never told us one single truth or fact about himself that I can recall to memory. If I remember correctly, he did not give his correct name in full. This poor boy likely learned to lie at home; if not directly from his parents, they possibly failed to endeavor to restrain and correct the evil that they saw was taking possession of him. It is true that most delinquent youths are guilty of lying, and some of them are habitual liars.
Be assured of this one thing, my youthful friend, if you allow yourself to become untruthful about anything, the Lord is going to judge and punish you for your lying the same as elderly people. Any time you have reached the age of accountability, the age or time when you have a mind to determine right from wrong, you are then going to have to give an account of your actions and general conduct to God. The wise man, Solomon, gives you this exhortation: “Rejoice, 0 YOUNG man, (or woman) in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart (after the things you desire to experience), and in the sight of thine eyes (after the things your eyes lust to see): but KNOW THOU (be assured by this admonition), that for ALL these things (sins of various kinds and lying) God will bring THEE into judgment.” Therefore, seeing that this exhortation was given by a very wise man, and is recorded in the Bible, ALL YOUTH should “Remember NOW thy Creator in the days of THY YOUTH, while the evil days come not (before you become a habitual sinner or liar and get fettered with sin to where you cannot free yourself, neither control your appetites and passions), nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, ‘I have no pleasure in them”’ (in being fruitful and serving the Lord). Eccl. 12:1. All liars, whether young or old, will have their part in that terrible lake which burns with fire and brimstone (Rev. 21:8).
62. MISDEMEANOR AND FELONY LYING
Sin of any nature and of every kind seems to breed lying. If you understand correctly, misdemeanor offenses refer to violations of the law which are punishable by fines, confinement in jail, etc., while felony offenses refer to those subject to capital punishment. So, whether the offense. is small or great, we generally find that the offender will lie concerning his guilt and conduct connected therewith. This is what makes it rather hard on an innocent and truthful man when he is suspected in some way of being connected with crime. The law-enforcing officers have learned not to accept any statement as truth until it can be verified in some manner. Therefore, they accuse and disbelieve the innocent man as much as they do the lying offender, until they find him to be truthful and innocent. The innocent and truthful man cannot understand why he is so disbelieved in such cases, due to the fact that he does not understand or take into consideration the officers’ viewpoint or experience in dealing with offenders. He must thus deal with all suspects in order to discover the guilty. The innocent and truthful man will generally have enough evidence to clear himself, and it pays an innocent man to be truthful in such circumstances; for any time an officer detects a man is lying, he becomes more suspicious of his guilt than before. Therefore we can see that it always pays one to he truthful. The general experience of officers, dealing with those guilty of misdemeanor and felony offenses, is that they find that the offenders generally lie concerning things connected with the case if not about everything questioned.
Then the worst part about this nature of lying is, it will doom that guilty soul to eternal punishment in the world to come, the same as all other lying. It is a much worse punishment than what man can mete out to any offender in fines and capital punishment. The Word of God states that ALL liars will have their portion of punishment in the lake of fire (Rev. 21:8). Just a little more careless drifting down the stream of time and all liars will plunge into the “big lake of fire” which God originally prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41). Man! woman! boy! and girl STOP your lying and make peace with God!
63. SLANDEROUS LYING
Slanderous lying may be defined as that lying which is done to defame someone or to injure by maliciously uttering a false report. while one may tell the truth and be guilty of “speaking evil” of another, he who slanders never tells the truth — always lies. Ill-will, hatred and malice are always the instigators of slander. Jealously may sometimes be involved. Solomon says, “He that uttereth a slander, is a FOOL,” and this is certainly seen to be true when considered in the light of Rev. 21:8,27 and Psalms 101:5: “Whoso privily slandereth his neighbor, him will I cut off.”
The giving out of these false reports about one’s conduct and change of attitude or belief concerning various fundamental doctrines of the New Testament, in order to defame and strip him of his prestige with the people With whom he is acquainted, is about one of the worst ads of slander that can he referred to. Anything to defame a person, even if it calls for lying, is generally employed by those whose hearts are filled with hatred. “Thou sittest and speakest against THY BROTHER; THOU SLANDEREST thine own mother’s son. These things hast thou done, and I (the Lord speaking) kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will REPROVE thee, and set them in order before thine eyes. Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver” (Psa. 50:2022).
Slander is one of those debased sins. It debases those who utter it more than it does those against whom it is uttered. Slander generally becomes a boomerang and returns to the one who utters it, possibly in a different form or manner; but, nevertheless, slander is uttered by lying lips. There is an inevitable law of the Holy Scriptures which assures one of reaping what he sows (Gal. 6:7). So he who slanders another is sure to be slandered before he goes very far down the lane of time. Then there follows that reaping beyond the “great divide” that one needs to stay mindful of. It is also certain to follow. See St. John 5:28,29; EccI. 12:13,14 and 2Cor. 5:10.
64. PERJURY LYING
Perjury lying is defined, in our dictionaries, as being a “willful assertion of a fact, made under oath, with knowledge that such (an) assertion is false” or a lie. Many people have lied in this manner and will suffer the tortures of eternal fire in that “flaming abyss” — as referred to in Rev. 20:1-3,10; 21:8 and Mark 9:43-48 — if they do not repent (Luke 13:5 and 2 Peter 3:9) and obey the gospel of Jesus Christ (2 Thes. 1:7-10), as set forth in Acts 2:38.
65. FALSE ACCUSATIONS
This accusing people of things they are not guilty of doing is definitely another form of lying. One cannot afford to accuse people of doing something wrong just because they suspicion (imagine) they might be guilty or because of some of this “lying gossip” that has gotten around to their ears. Such as this has done much harm in and out of the church, and has even caused some people to lose their lives. It is very easy to get caught in this “lying trap.” Church folk and preachers are just as much subjected or exposed to this form of lying as anyone else. Therefore, they need to “BE VIGILANT (keenly watchful and prayerful) ; because … (their) adversary the devil … (is) seeking whom he may devour” – by getting them to FALSELY ACCUSE someone. See 1 Peter 5:8 with Rev. 12:10-12.
FINAL EXHORTATIONS
The reason some people do not want to receive the Word of God right to the PLUMB LINE (Amos 7:7,8) is because they have been living such a loose and careless life, as a Christian, and do not care to measure up to God’s perfect standard. Nevertheless, God says: “Judgment also will I lay to THE LINE, and righteousness to THE PLUMMET: and the hail shall sweep away THE REFUGE of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then shall ye be trodden down by it.” Isa. 28:17,18. We might as well LIVE RIGHTEOUS to THE PLUMMET now for we are going to be thus gauged and squared by the Lord when we appear before Him. See Matt. 7:13,14; 22:14 and 19:25,26. However, in the face of the fact that few will be saved and there are so many ways to sin AND LIE, those who put their trust wholly in the Lord need not despair — He will take them through. Too, we need not get hasty, as the Psalmist did, because we see that the devil has most people lying in some manner, and say: “All men are liars” (Psa. 116:11). There are some men living who still tell the truth, and if you are one of them don’t be like Elijah, in this respect, and think you are the ONLY one. God may still have truthful men and women by the thousands — I believe He has, regardless of all the lying that is going on in the world today. We are giving some special information for always telling the truth in chapter seven. Be sure and read that chapter before you lay this book aside.
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CHAPTER 3
CLASSIFICATION OF LIARS
1. PROFESSIONAL LIARS
We include those under this paragraph heading who earn their living principally by lying. Probably you never realized that there are some men and women who make “lying” their principal means of livelihood. All fortune tellers, wizards, magicians, spiritualist mediums, witches, etc., make their living by lying; therefore, such people should be classed as professional liars. Some lawyers, doctors, preachers, shop foremen for garages and title men could also be included with this class of liars, while there are some men of these professions who are not liars. Please understand that we have not attempted to list all professional liars.
The writer knows of a certain title man — one who works on securing affidavits, signatures, new deeds, etc., to clear up titles to land and various properties, who drew as much as thirty dollars a day for his time and thousands of dollars worth of royalties, minerals and overriding royalties as extra pay for his lying to obtain these things. I heard of him lying to an old man and woman to get them to sign a correction deed, for about seventy-five dollars, which swindled them out of thousands of dollars worth of property. He likely obtained several thousand dollars in tips, or bribery money for this deal besides his daily or monthly salary. People who could not gather enough courage to lie in such matters would gladly give him bribery money or pay him in handsome wages and bonuses to lie for them, not knowing that they would be a partaker in the punishment Cod would mete out for such lying some day. Paul warns us not to be a partaker of other men’s sins (1 Tim. 5:22). Lying is a poor way of making a livelihood if one will stop and compare the final cost and punishment with what is obtained thereby. Thank God, one can still earn an honest living by telling the truth if he will only do it.
2. NOTED LIARS
Noted liars are those people who are known for their lying — have a reputation for their lying. Every child and person in the community or immediate section of the city where they reside know that they are liars. One dare not repeat what they say or he will become a laughing stock of the entire community. The Cretans of Paul’s day were noted liars: “One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, ‘The Cretians are ALWAYS liars”’ (Tit. 1:12). People who have attained or gained a reputation for lying do not have anything to boast of and would be blessed if they should lose or destroy it. A church member who would come under this classification of lying would certainly not exert much influence for any church and the Christian faith.
3. NATURAL OR HABITUAL LIARS
It seems that it is natural for some people to lie, and it is often a lifelong habit with them. David says, “The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be horn, speaking lies” (Psa. 58:3). Jeremiah seems to picture the saved from among the Gentile nations by referring to their parents as natural liars, and quotes them as saying: “Surely our fathers have INHERITED lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.” You will notice that these liars lie with ease. They do not seem to be bothered with thinking up lies; lies flow from their lips with such freedom, ease, and speed until one is made to wonder. Liars of this class are becoming so common that many of them feel elated over the fact and often boast of how they can lie. One should avoid lying or rid himself of such practices before he forms a habit of lying, if he is at all accustomed to lying, or he will eventually become an “Habitual Liar.” What an awful habit to form, and it is one of the hardest habits to conquer.
4. POPULAR LIARS
The most popular liars that the writer knows of are some of our politicians. They make their lying campaign speeches telling all kinds of lies on their opponents and making all kinds of untrue promises as to what they will do if elected to office — and they receive the popular vote of the town, city, county, state or nation. Tell me they are not popular liars. They obtain some of the most honored and popular positions to be held in our cities, counties, states and nation. David says, “Men of HIGH DEGREE are a lie” — are guilty of lying. Surely such men would be classed as popular liars. These popular liars are going to face God some of these days for their lying the same as all others who do not tell the truth. If we only knew it, there might be some liars of this class in some of our churches and holding some high official positions in our denominations and organizations. Those who gain positions in the church or elsewhere and maintain them by lying most assuredly are popular liars, but they are going to lose their popularity one of these days just as Hitler, Mussolini and others have done. It is amazing to see how some liars have risen to such highly honored positions in our towns, states, nations and the world and have exercised so much influence and power among the inhabitants of these places.
5. UNPOPULAR LIARS
An unpopular liar is one for whom no one has much respect. Among this class you will find those who gossip, tattle, backbite, criticize everyone, busybodies (those who meddle in everybody’s business), back-seat drivers, etc. Liars of this kind make a poor showing in all walks of life; but, like all other liars, they too are going to hell for their lying (Rev. 21:8).
6. LIE PEDDLERS
Fortune tellers and tattlers are all “lie peddlers.” These fortune tellers go around selling lies that have been printed for years, and tattlers quite often inform their listeners that they could not vouch for the truth of what they are telling. In other words they generally put the “Lie Label” on what they are peddling by saying, “I am not sure this is true.” Anytime one goes around delivering hearsay news and any of it happens not to be true, they then become “Lie Peddlers.” “Keep thyself pure” and stay out of the “Lie Peddling Business” if you want to go to heaven when you die. See Rev. 21:27.
7. LIE INVENTORS AND FORGERS OF LIES
Some people are quite gifted and talented in the art of lying and forging lies. They are experts in manufacturing lies, not only to tell them themselves, but for others as well. The Psalmist said, “The proud have forged a lie against me.” He meant by this that they had made one up and told it. Job accused his supposed-to-be friends of being liars of this class. “Ye are all FORGERS of lies,” he said (Job. 13:4). Some lie inventors produce such marvelous lies that we are amazed about them, just as we were concerning the invention of the radio, airplane, automobile, etc.
8. UNREASONABLE LIARS
Liars of this kind tell things for the truth that could not have possibly happened. They go beyond all boundaries of reason in their lying and almost everyone, even children, know that they are not telling the truth. There are more liars in this class than one would think, due to the fact that a continual practice or habit of lying finally affects one’s mind and causes him to become weak-minded. He becomes such a fool until he believes that everyone accepts his unreasonable lying as the truth. He may even get to the place he thinks he is telling the truth when he is lying. A person can tell a lie over and over until it WILL BECOME a truth in HIS MIND. Jeremiah says, “A sword is upon the liars, and they shall DOTE” — become weak-minded, silly, simple, etc. If you do not want to finish your days upon this earth as a lunatic or spend a vacation in some asylum, you had better not give yourself to lying. There is no question about it, lying has landed many a poor soul in some asylum and finally in bell. Solomon says, “A false witness (who is always a liar) shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.” He is going to be punished here and hereafter (Gal. 6:7,8). It was reported several times that the noted liar, Hitler, was about to CRACK UP mentally, and likely he was.
9. LOVERS OF LIES
It is rather shocking to think of one loving lies. However, this is certainly the case with many people today, and of past ages, too. There is a bad sense in which one can love the person who tells lies, if he loves him for his lying regardless of the fact that a Christian should love the souls of all men and pray and hope for them to be saved (1 Tim. 2:1-4).
The message to the Apostle John from Jesus, as found in Rev. 22:15, states: “For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever LOVETH and maketh a lie.” Most assuredly you will understand by this quotation that “Lovers of Lies” are not to be admitted into heaven or the celestial city, and that the Lord has so classed many liars. This classification of liars will include those folk who like to read these so-called “True Story Magazines and Books,” which are not true, and ALL fiction books and literature. Those who are not lovers of truth as contained and found in the Holy Scriptures and various religious books and publications generally have a great love for this trashy, ungodly, untruthful, soul-damning and defiling fictitious literature. If one only had the eye and knowledge of God to segregate this class of liars from among the inhabitants of the earth, he might be surprised at the vast number of people he would find guilty of LOVING LIES.
Jesus is seeking a people who love truth and nothing but the truth. They are the only people whom He wants to be associated with for the ceaseless ages of eternity, for He is nothing but truth Himself (John 16:6; 1:17). So it is a case of Truth searching FOR TRUTH and truth loving people. How will Jesus be able to classify you and me on that “great day?” Will we be lovers of lies or lovers of truth and “the Truth” — Jesus? You have something here for thought or meditation, and to help you govern the selection of your reading material and conversations to which you should listen or with which you fall in love.
Some folk like to listen to others tell lies as well as some folk like to read them. The writer remembers how that a number of boys and men in the community where he was reared would gather around a certain liar almost every Sunday morning at church, before time for Sunday School to begin, and amuse themselves by listening to that young man tell lies. He was one of those liars who had lied until he had become silly and almost a half-wit. Supposed-to-be Christians and men of intelligence would laugh at and revel in his lying. All who took part and amused themselves with his lying would have been classified as “Lovers of Lies” if the Lord had come at that time, though they were attendants of Sunday School and church. So some lovers of lies are to be found among the regular attendants of church services. They certainly are not Christians and lovers of truth as they should be. So, my dear reader, you had better be careful and never fall in love with anything but the truth and the God of Truth — Jesus Christ (St. John 14:6 and II Cor. 5:19). If you don’t you will be classified as a “Lover of Lies” on that final reckoning day and be assigned to the burning pit.
10. LIE INSTRUCTORS
This class of liars are those who teach others how to lie or instruct them to lie. Many lawyers, foremen, parents and some preachers are to be classed as lie instructors. Abraham was bordering on this when he instructed his wife, Sarah, to tell the Egyptians that she was his sister (Gen. 20:12). Abraham came near losing his wife twice over having her to feign the truth. This might have led to Sarah’s personally lying to the Lord, as He stood or sat under a tree near their tent. She laughed when the Lord told Abraham He was going to bless them with a son in their old age, and then denied it when the Lord asked her husband why she had laughed. See Gen.18:1-4, 10-15.
A certain preacher called at the home of one of his members, and a child came to the door and informed him: “Mother said tell you she was not at home.” He thereby discovered that he had a lie instructor in his church. What do you think of her as an altar worker or teacher for a Sunday School class? She would have made a poor one if they were not desirous to train children and adults to lie. The writer wonders if some liars of this kind have not worked their way into our altar services where people were seeking a know-so experience with God and a thorough cleansing from all their sins. Such people often instruct the seeker to get up and say he is saved or has received the Baptism of the Holy Ghost when he never has spoken a word in other tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance. Some folk go to the altar to get fixed up for heaven arid liars of this sort prepare them to go to hell, by instructing seekers to lie. Such liars not only send themselves to hell but they sidetrack honest seekers; and if they never get lined up later, to hell they go as a consequence of being misinformed by some lie instructor. Habakkuk speaks of “teachers of lies” and inquires of the profit of such actions. Isaiah says, “The prophet that teacheth lies, he is the TAIL.” The devil gets his “tail” around him and drags him down to hell like he did about one-third of the angels of heaven one time. See Rev. 12:3,9,4.
There is a lot of this lie instructing going on these days. One has to watch or they will have him lying so easily — all you have to do is just pass a lie. A certain tire dealer instructed the writer once if he would tell the Rationing Board Supervisor certain things he could obtain the two tires immediately; but he could not follow the lie instructor’s advice and keep in shape for the place he had started to — heaven (Rev. 21:27). Advice and instructions that will help you make it to heaven are to be appreciated; but this lying advice and instruction is to be refused and disregarded (Psa. 97:10 and Amos 5:15).
II. PULPIT LIARS
The preacher who employs psychology in order to get his people to respond in their giving, to cast their vote for him, to attend church regularly, to “oust” some member, etc. is a liar of this class. When preachers falsely claim to be led of the Lord to do certain things or to preach certain messages, they then become liars. Then, when they preach to suit their congregations, contrary to sound doctrine as taught and given in the Word of God, in order to keep receiving their contributions, they lie. Paul referred to preachers of this class in 1Tim. 4:1-3 and 2Tim. 4:1-4. The Lord had this to say concerning such ministers: “Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord” (Zech. 13:3). “Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests (ministers) have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law” — by their lying.
Don’t be too discouraged over the fact that there are “pulpit liars” in the church today. They had them in or among the church folk soon after it was ushered in at Pentecost. The message to the church at Ephesus admitted: “Thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them (to be) LIARS.” See Rev. 2:1,2. This is one of the devil’s schemes to destroy the church; but his tactics, though they appear to be very effective at times, have failed and the church keeps rolling on regardless of his lying inside or out of the church. Truth and right must win and will win. The gates of hell, with all its lying, cannot prevail against the church to defeat, permanently disgrace, or exterminate it (Matt. 16:18). If you are in the Lord’s church, stay in it and if you are not in it, get in it to stay; for the Lord will “oust” all liars, and, some day in the near future, bind and put the “Father of Lies” in the bottomless pit, along with all other wicked people whom he has deceived with his lying wonders. Remember that all ministers who lie belong to the devil and do not represent God’s church. They are false prophets among God’s sheep.
CHAPTER 4
REASONS WHY ONE SHOULD NOT LIE
LYING DEFILES AND DESTROYS
Lying defiles and destroys one’s veracity and reputation to the extent that it makes him an unfit subject for earth and heaven. We read in Rev. 21:27, “There shall in NO WISE enter into it (the New Jerusalem) anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie.” Again we have the words of Jesus: “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness (some more lying), blasphemies: these are the things which defile a man (Matt. 15:19,20). The person who gets into Cod’s church and abides there, and who will eventually make it to heaven, must speak the truth from his heart. See Psalms 15:1-5.
LYING DISQUALIFIES ONE FOR ALL RESPONSIBLE POSITIONS
In order for a person to be responsible and trustworthy, he must necessarily be truthful. As the title of our paragraph states, lying disqualifies one for all responsible positions, in or out of the church. If lying produced no other results than this one, from a spiritual viewpoint, it would be sufficient to rob one of all honor and rewards here and hereafter. Lot not anyone think that he will gain any favors with God by lying. He will rather lose all he has gained, if he has anything to lose. A pastor or leader in the church who will promote one to a responsible position, whom he knows to be untruthful (guilty of lying), is a fool, and he will reap his foolish decision. In fact, lying DEMOTES one in God’s sight, and the same should be true with us unless one repents and forsakes such practices. Lying puts one on that downward march to ruin, destruction and eternal punishment.
My friend, if you are guilty of lying in any form, your face is not set heavenward, but is turned toward that awful pit where there is weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth. Let me plead with you to repent of this sin and all others and obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in order that you might be saved from that horrible pit. See Luke 13:5; 2 Pet. 3:9; Mk.16:15,16 and Acts 2:37,38.
LYING IS DECEPTIVE AND MISLEADING
If you do not want to be guilty of leading some one astray or be the cause of some one missing heaven, you had better not lie in any manner. Even to lie about there being a Santa Claus might cause some child to be deceived to the extent he would not believe that there is a God, or that the Child Jesus was ever born into the world as the Bible informs us. It is an awful thing to deceive or mislead anyone. The blood of such people will be on the guilty one’s hands when he stands before the judgment bar of God as surely as he does not repent and obtain forgiveness.
The awfulness of lying is that it often misleads good people, honest-hearted people, people with a desire to do God’s will, and puts them on the wrong road to success and heaven. Read the story of the “Man of God” in the 13th chapter of I Kings and see how a lying prophet (preacher) caused him to disobey God and lose his life, which is typical of us losing our souls. The man referred to in the foregoing chapter certainly must have been a wonderful man of God. His name is not given, but he is referred to FIFTEEN times by this most worthy title: “The man of God.” Just think of it, a man like this deceived and misled by a lie. There was a cause for this terrible tragedy though, on the part of the “Man of God.” He had been plainly and definitely informed by the Lord concerning what he must do, and he should not have listened to or obeyed the false prophet. You and I should measure our lives to the standard given in God’s Holy Writ, if we want to make our calling and election sure. What men say about it may sound good and easy, but man did not have anything to do with the mapping out of the plan of salvation, neither can he change it. There is “ONE Lord, ONE faith, (and) ONE Baptism” (Eph. 5:4). He, who endeavors to get to heaven or to get others there in a different way to what God has planned, is going to make a mess of things and land himself and his followers in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone.
IT CAUSES MANY TO LOSE THEIR NATURAL LIVES
This was true with the “Man of God” we have just been writing about. The lying prophet did not only get him out of the will and favor of God; but he wound up in the path of the lion which slew him. The lion in that story represents the devil who will get us if we follow lying fables and preachers who do not correctly divide the “Word of Truth.” See 1 Pet. 5:8.
Then we have the case of Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, whose lives were taken by the Holy Ghost because of their lying to Peter and the apostles concerning an offering they were giving to the church. See Acts 5:1-11 for the whole story. This should almost make the hair stand up on the heads of people who lie in any manner, especially should this be true of those who have once known God and have been filled with the Holy Ghost, as Ananias and his wife were.
King Ahab is another one in the long list of those who have lost their lives by obeying lying preachers and prophets. Read the complete story as given in 1 Kings 22:2-38 and note the difference in the predictions of Micaiah, the true prophet of the Lord, and the lying prophets of Ahab. Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, came near losing his life in this battle with the Syrians, and many soldiers undoubtedly did; because he and Ahab followed the instructions of those “lying prophets.”
About the worst tragedy recorded in the Bible leads back to a lie told by David to a priest at Nob, by the name of Ahimelech, when he was fleeing from Saul. He told Ahimelech that he was on an errand for Saul, when the truth was almost the reverse. David was only lying to him to obtain a sword and something to eat. He later found out, to his astonishment, that his lying had occasioned the death of Ahimelech, eighty-four of the priests of his family and all the inhabitants of Nob, the CITY where the priest lived. No history gives any exact information as to the size of Nob; but since it is called a city, we conclude that several thousand people must have lost their lives over this one lie that David told. It is bad enough for one to lose his own life and soul for lying, but when it comes to one’s lying causing the death of such a great number of holy men of God and innocent men, women, and children, who possibly never knew or thought of David telling the priest a lie, it is an awful thing to think about. It seems that the Spirit of God in me wants to cry out to the world: “Stop that lying, mankind, before you destroy yourself and all the inhabitants of the earth!” Many a person has gone to an untimely grave because of some lie being told either by himself or by someone else.
I trust that those who read this book have not occasioned the death of any one by lying, and that you never will; also that you will not be instrumental in causing anyone to lose his soul by misrepresenting the true plan of salvation. Above all things that one presents or recommends to a person he should be certain and positive about the correctness of his representation of the gospel of Jesus Christ or the plan of salvation. Be sure you understand it, and better still, be a partaker of it yourself, before you try to present it to someone else (2Tim.2:6).
LYING MAKES ONE ABOMINABLE BEFORE GOD
“These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are AN ABOMINATION unto Him: a proud look, A LYING TONGUE, and hands that shed innocent blood.” -Solomon. God does not want to behold or look upon things that are an abomination in His sight. In fact He hates such things. This means that He hates a lying tongue; but through His abundant mercy He will forgive and save such a person, if he will repent and forsake such practices. Rev. 21:27 assures us that no liar will ever get inside the pearly gates of the New Jerusalem. When it is summed up, we can see that God does not watch over professed Christians who lie, neither to protect, heal nor save them. They are roaming around free and open to the attacks of Satan, who is always on the alert to devour such people.
LYING IS CONTAGIOUS
Lying is something to be feared, for it is very contagious, Listen to Satan, or anyone possessed by his lying spirit for a few moments, and he will have you lying. Tell lies and you will soon have a host of converts or followers. Parents, foremen, officials, teachers, preachers, etc., who lie need not be surprised to find their children, employees, students, converts, etc., lying too. The whole world needs to be inoculated against this damnable and contagious sin, the sin of lying. We shall later give you God’s remedy and serum, which is the only thing that will inoculate one against lying. It is a sure remedy and never fails. It will stop the spreading of lying both in one’s own soul and in the soul and lives of others. Some people hate to take it, like many who draw back from the smallpox vaccination, but in the end it pays.
GOD HATES LYING
Can you see from this paragraph title that it is an awful thing to be guilty of lying? God is not even obligated to chasten one of His children who will lie. Proof of this is seen in the case of Ananias and his wife. Remember, God only chastens those whom lie loves. It is good for one’s soul to be chastened of the Lord, if necessary, to keep him from wandering too far away from God (Psa. 119:71,67), and from being lost. If you doubt the fact that God hates lying, just read Prov. 6:16,19. In the sense that God loves a cheerful giver, He hates a liar. Is this not reasonable as well as Scriptural? Surely one needs to repent of such a sin as this if he wants to find favor in God’s sight.
LYING MAKES ONE LIKE THE DEVIL
Why does lying make one like the devil? Simply because the Devil is THE FATHER of lies — the one who begets lies (John 8:44), and as true as he who commits sin is of the Devil (1 John 3:8), he who tells lies is also of the Devil. If you want to be like the Devil and take on his appearance, just let him help you tell a lie. The Devil undoubtedly has many more children than the Lord. A lot of these church members and professors of Christianity, who claim to be God’s children and lie every day, are badly deceived if they believe such stuff themselves. All liars are children of the Devil and to hell they are going, with him, some of these days. See Rev. 21:8 with Matt.25:41.
GOD STANDS AFAR OFF FROM ALL LIARS
This being true, what about the prayers that many people pray who are guilty of lying in some form or other? God is not near enough to them to hear their prayers. Such sin or sins separate one from God by a long way, spiritually speaking. “Remove EAR from me vanity AND LIES,” says Agur (Prov. 30:8). What is true concerning this person’s desires is true of the Lord. He does not want liars around Him or near Him. The only way a liar can draw nigh to God is by humbling himself, confessing his sin or sins, and forsaking them. See Jam. 4:8-10; Prov. 28:13 and Isa. 55:7. One cannot go on sinning and lying and get near enough to God for God to heal, protect or guide him if he never repents. If one is in need of any of these things, he will have to forsake his lying and sinning as God directs and approach Him in an humble manner. The best route is by way of the old-fashioned mourner’s bench, and by crying out to God until the soul finds mercy at God’s holy altar.
CHAPTER 5
SOME QUESTIONS CONCERNING LYING ANSWERED
IS A PERSON EVER JUSTIFIED TO LIE?
The commentator who said, “God’s Word clearly teaches that no lie is ever justified” was one hundred per cent correct, for no lie is ever justified. The “Golden Rule” — “As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luke 6:31) — excludes all lying to our fellowman. Its equivalent in the Old Testament reads: “These are the things that ye SHALL DO; speak ye every man the truth to his neighbor; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates” (Zech. 8:16). No one could love his neighbor as himself and lie to him or about him. The Bible demands that all Christians must love their neighbors (Gal. 5:14). “Shall we continue in sin (lying), that grace may abound? God forbid” (Rem. 6:1,2).
DOES IT EVER PAY TO LIE?
It may appear to some people that it pays to lie, but in the end it never pays. The Apostle Paul informs us, “We can do nothing against the truth;” and Solomon says: “A poor man is better than a liar.” In other words, if a man could lie and thus become rich, it would pay him to be truthful and remain poor. That is what Solomon meant by his statement. Check on all the liars referred to in the Bible and you will not find that a single one gained anything by lying. Jacob managed to get his blind father to pronounce a blessing upon him, which was to have been bestowed upon his elder brother; but he had to leave home at once to keep from being killed by his angered brother, and he never saw his precious mother again, dead or alive.
The writer knows of some lawyers who cheated an uneducated colored man out of about four hundred dollars of mineral rights by lying to him and getting him to sign a deed with one of his sons, who was selling a half interest under the same survey where his father owned minerals. One of these lawyers bought eighty acres of minerals from a man a few days later for four thousand dollars to find out that the man did not own what he claimed to possess. The lawyer bought the minerals without taking time to secure an abstract or check the title, as the man had offered to sell for less than what the minerals in that locality were actually selling for. He thought the man was unaware of the advance in the price, while the man was offering them at a reduced rate so he would pay off before examining the title. Anyway, the case proves that it does not pay to lie, even when money is involved. In exchange for the four hundred dollars of minerals the lawyer obtained by lying to the poor colored man, he lost a thousand for every hundred he had swindled. This is a pretty good answer to our question, “Does It Ever Pay to Lie?” and goes to prove that it never pays to lie.
My father once visited a federal jail and did some personal work among the prisoners, exhorting them to be truthful and confess if they were guilty, assuring them that this was the surest and quickest way out of their troubles. If I remember correctly, there were three persons involved in a certain offense, two women and a man. Two of the prisoners decided to plead guilty while the other one, though she admitted her guilt to my father, refused to plead guilty to the judge or before the court. The judge gave the two who pleaded guilty a suspended sentence and let them go free, while the court convicted the woman who denied her guilt, LIED about the facts in the case, and sent her to a federal penitentiary. God is doing the same thing with sinners today. Those who will plead guilty and acknowledge their sins before Him and man He sets free (1 John 1:9), providing they will go on and fully obey the gospel (Prov. 28:13 with Mark 16:15,16); but He gives those who will not confess a lifetime sentence to be served in the lake of fire. It pays to be honest with man and with God and always tell the truth.
DOES A PERSON EVER HAVE TO LIE?
Some people may think that there are times and circumstances which demand that a person must tell a lie, and the Devil may make things appear thus; but he is lying when he is trying to get anyone to believe that such is necessary or unavoidable. There is never a circumstance or time when one should lie or must lie. Remember that God has promised that He will make a way of escape for us in every trying circumstance (1 Cor. 10:13). The writer heard of a man who confessed of being guilty of a penitentiary offense, in order to get his records cleared up to where God would give him the Holy Ghost. At first he said that he could never afford to confess being guilty of the transgression; but after being assured by his brother that God would undertake for him, he confessed his guilt from the witness chair. When it came time for the judge to charge the jury, he dismissed the case on the grounds that there was no eye witness to the act, other than the man who did the deed, and the court was not willing to convict him otherwise, he said. So, here is another instance that proves that truth always wins and that one never has to lie about anything.
The writer had a personal experience along this line one time. He was renting some apartments, and during the war one was required ‘to file a report within five days. While he was away for some meetings his wife rented an apartment and forgot to make the report to the governmental rent office. When he returned home, he found that it had been fourteen days since the apartment had been rented and no report submitted. The devil suggested to him to report that the tenant had only occupied the place five days as some time had been untaken by the former tenant, but this could not have been the truth. Upon going to the telephone, he called the manager of the Price Administration Office and related the facts to him. The manager instructed him to file it just as it was and that would be all right, because he was away from home at the time the apartment was rented. The writer almost shouted — and possibly should have, because he had proved the old devil to be a liar. If a man wants to tell the truth and purposes to tell nothing but the truth regardless of how it appears to involve him, God will make a way of escape for him — thank the Lord!
Since ALL liars are going to be put in the lake of fire wit the devil, there is never a time when a Christian or anyone else can afford to tell a lie. God makes no allowance in the Bible for a person to lie under any circumstance. See Rev. 21:8, 27.
WHO IS PUBLIC LIAR NUMBER ONE?
Some men have made some outstanding and terrible achievements in the matter of lying; but the devil still holds the highest (if disreputable) title for lying. No one has ever been able to outdo or outwit the devil when it comes to lying. He is the master performer when he gets on the lying stage. The devil was the one who told the first lie. No one ever knew how to lie until the devil started his lying, but he has many imitators or followers today. It seems that almost the whole world has been enticed to duplicate his practice and aft of lying.
HOW DOES THE DEVIL PROMOTE AND ENCOURAGE LYING?
The devil uses several methods to promote lying, and the best one is by getting people possessed with a lying spirit. You may not know that the devil has lying imps that are particularly trained and given to the work of inducing people to lie. Some of them have specialized along this line of inducing people to lie. See 1 Kings 22:19-23. The devil, in some instances, can even induce preachers to lie. Especially is this true if he can manage to get some of his lying spirits into them. One lying devil had a whole host of false prophets lying to Ahab and Jehoshaphat. About all one has to do to become devil-possessed is to yield himself to an evil spirit or to commit unrighteous acts of any kind (Rom. 6:13, 16).
Then one of the devil’s modern methods of encouraging lying is to put on “Lying Contests” and give prizes for the one who tells the WORST or BIGGEST lie. These folk who put on these “Lying Contests” are certainly some of the devil’s most worthy servants, and the Lord is going to let them share the lake of fire with him some of these days, if they continue such practices. See Rev. 21:8 with 1 Tim. 5:22.
The devil also uses a great many “Lie Instructors” and “Forgers of Lies” these days to encourage lying. One has to continually keep on the watch for them. No need of anyone not lying because he does not know how and when to lie. The devil will have some of his educated liars tell them just how it is done or he will even do better than that: he will have one of his lie inventors, “forgers of lies” (Job 13:4), to make up a number of lies and all one has to do is tell them — he doesn’t have to worry himself about trying to even think up or frame a lie. The devil has lies placed around us like dummies, and all one has to do is pick them up and pass them on to someone else.
Since lying is one of the best and most successful methods by which Satan can deceive and damn souls, he certainly keeps himself and all his imps busy with his “lying program.” Be careful or you will be involved before you realize what is happening or what has happened.
WHO IS IT THAT NEVER TELLS THE TRUTH?
Probably you have not thought of it or never have had your attention called to the fact that Satan never tells the truth. He has not been known to tell the truth a single time since his fall or rebellion in heaven, since the day he first sinned. See John 8:44. He likely deceived one-third (Rev. 12:3, 4, 9) of the angels (stars — Rev. 1:20) of heaven by lying to them. Poor spirits, they are consequently chained in total darkness waiting the day of judgment (Jude 6). There is no telling how many people the devil has deceived by lying to them, or doomed by inducing them to lie.
If you have had the devil talk to you, then you should know that he never tells the truth. The writer has always found him to be a liar, He may sometimes tell some half truths; but he always manages to get some lying into any information he gives out. When it comes to doing what he promises, he never keeps any of them. Don’t ever be fool enough to believe anything he tells you. These people, who lie so much until it seems that they never tell the truth, are certainly possessed with some of the devil’s lying spirits and are becoming very much like their father. Jesus had this to say of those who serve the devil: “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He … abode NOT in the truth, for there is NO TRUTH in him (and I am sure that Jesus knew whereof lie spoke). When he speaketh a lie, he (the devil) speaketh of,his own: for he is a liar, and the FATHER (originator) of it.” Be assured by Jesus and myself that the devil never tells the truth.
WHO IS IT THAT NEVER LIES?
The answer to this question might be a threefold one. It can be truthfully said that a faithful witness, a true Christian and God NEVER lie. See Prov. 14:5; 1 John 3:8, 9 and Tit. 1:2. With man there always remains that possibility of him falling away from his steadfastness and then committing some sin or telling a lie; but with God all such is impossible. See Heb. 6:18. This being true, how can anyone ever doubt any of God’s promises or predictions for the future? Some people seem to doubt there being a literal burning hell, when Jesus, who was God manifested in human flesh (Matt. 1:23 and 2 Cor. 5:19), declared to His audience time and again that there was such a place, “where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched” (Mk. 9:42-48 and Matt. 25:41-46).
Then, there are others who want to believe and preach that a person can be saved, during this dispensation of grace, without being born of water and the Spirit. If Jesus spoke the truth to Nicodemus, and He most assuredly did, when He told him he had to be “born again” before he could see or enter the kingdom of God, no one is going to get in otherwise. Brothers and friends, we had just as well face the facts and accept the truth now while we can and declare the same to others. There is a great failing away from this truth and message of the “New Birth,” or the birth that is of water and the Spirit, as God’s plan of entrance into His kingdom. It just cannot be other than Jesus gives it to us in St. John 3:3-7, for we know lie did not lie. Paul says, “Let God be true, but every man a liar;” that is, if either man or God must be doubted. To disbelieve God is to make Him a liar; for John, the beloved, informs us: “He that BELIEVETH NOT God hath (by such an act) made Him a liar” (1 John 5:10). To inform someone you do not believe what they have said is true is just a mild way of telling them they have lied. whom are we going to believe and follow in these days of infidelity and apostasy? Give me Jesus and His teachings and plenty of God’s grace to believe and obey them; for “there is a way (and possibly many ways) which seemeth right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” and eternal damnation. Compare Prov. 14:12.
WHAT IS GOD’S LIE DETECTOR
The Lord has a “Lie Detector” that is more efficient than anything man has ever perfected. While man has perfected a “Lie Detector” that works in many cases, and is quite accurate, God’s never fails and is perfect in its indications and discernments. God’s “Lie Detector” is nothing more or less than the Holy Ghost (1 Cor. 12:8,10). Read Acts 5:1-11 and see how it (lie) revealed Ananias’ and Sapphira’s lying. It revealed to Peter positively and definitely that these two people were lying about the price they had obtained for their property. God’s “Lie Detector” does not only reveal or indicate when a person has lied or is guilty of lying; it also reveals what he has lied about and all the secrets of his heart. See Dan. 2:22, 28, 29, 47.
If God’s ministers of today would walk with Him as they should and live where God could and would reveal things to them, concerning their congregations, they would be feared and respected more by them, even as the people feared Moses, Joshua and the apostles. See Joshua 4:14 and Acts 5:1-11. This was due to the fact that the people knew by what God was revealing to them (Josh. 7:16-26) that they were the true prophets and servants of the Lord. If this was true today, church members and backslidden preachers could not carry on or continue their wicked practices, and at the same time profess to be Christians, without being detected and dealt with. We need to make more use of God’s “Lie Detector,” the “Gift of Discernment,” which reveals every secret of men’s hearts — by the Spirit, in order that the devil’s works might be made manifest and that these lying hypocrites might BE AFRAID to parade their hypocrisy before the church folk and the world.
A minister who does not live close enough to God to know his flock and be able to discern their spiritual conditions need not expect God to put a holy fear upon the people, to the extent that they will consider his advice and instructions prayerfully; also to cause them to be afraid to dishonor, criticize, judge, revile, undermine, boycott and ignore him. A minister can certainly live where he can see the Lord thus working in his behalf; but he must stay humble, VERY prayerful, and spiritual or it will not continue to be his much prized experience.
CHAPTER 6
SOME PUNISHMENTS THAT AWAIT ALL LIARS
1. STRIPPED OF ALL HONOR, REPUTATION, AND SUCCESS
We are informed by the Scriptures that “The prophet that teacheth lies, he is THE TAIL.” The inevitable consequences of lying makes it one of the most serious sins or offenses one can indulge in or commit. Few people realize the seriousness and danger of lying. One never knows what the outcome of one lie may be until it has taken its course and cut down its victims. A lie is sometimes very long lived — it may die or spend itself out very slowly. A person who is stripped of all honor and reputation, and has had a successful career turned into failure and defeat by lying himself or by being lied upon, is in a PITIFUL condition. Such people are often left in such despair until they contemplate committing suicide or actually perform the act. Well, this is just some of the consequences and punishments that await those who tell lies. Read Jer. 23:30-32.
2. LYING CAUSES ONE TO ERR HIMSELF
“Thus saith the Lord; ‘For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof: Because they have despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept His commandments, and THEIR LIES caused them TO ERR”’ (Amos 2:4). Who ever lied that did. not err? Every person that lies errs from the truth, but there is more ways to err than in this manner. To err also means to miss one’s aim, to make a mistake, to go astray morally, to sin, and, as in every case, wander from the truth. when one begins to consider the punishments that await the person who tells lies, he can readily see that such a life or practice never pays off with anything that is good or worthwhile. Well enough, the liar has his payday coming, even if it is sometimes quite delayed (Rom. 2:2-9). The worst err of lying is that it certainly diverts one’s steps from the path of life to that of eternal death and agony. See Rev. 21 :8, 27.
3. LYING CAUSES GOD TO REMOVE ONE’S NAME FROM THE BOOK OF LIFE
God informed Moses, “Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I BLOT OUT of My Book.” If there is any sin that would prompt God to take one’s name off the “Book of Life,” it is the sin of lying; but it is not a question of the degree of sin that is committed — if it is sin, one’s name is removed. See Ex. 32:23 with Psa. 69:27, 28. I suppose that my readers all know what the consequences are of having one’s name removed from the “Rook of Life.” It simply means that one’s right to eternal life has been canceled and that he must spend eternity with the damned in the lake of fire. See Rev. 20:15. There is no chance of being saved for one who dies after God removes his name from the “Book of Life,” unless he gets God to replace it before he dies.
4. GOD’S HAND 15 AGAINST ALL LIARS
This alone is a terrible punishment for lying. If God be against us who can be for us? There is no one who can deliver us out of His hand. The wife may succeed in delivering her child from the hand of her husband, who desires to punish him; but there is no one who could succeed in taking anyone out of the hand of God. Too, this means that everything one may try to do is opposed by the Lord. For proof that God’s hand is against those who lie, we quote: “Therefore thus saith the Lord God: ‘Because ye have spoken vanity (lies), and seen lies (you received them by way of a vision), therefore,. behold (look and see), I AM AGAINST you,’ said the Lord” (Ezk. 13:8). Again we read in Jer. 23:31,32: “Behold, I AM AGAINST the prophets, saith the Lord, that use their tongues, and say, (He saith), behold, I AM AGAINST them that prophesy false dreams … and do tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies.”
5. GOD’S SWORD IS TURNED ON ALL LIARS
Not only do we find that God’s hand is against all those who tell lies; but His sword is unsheathed and turned on them. what an awful and horrible thing to have God turn his sword loose on someone. The Lord cuts to pieces with His sword until there is nothing left of a man. It just simply means ut\er destruction for the physical man. See Rev. 19:11-21; 20:7-9 and Ezk. 38:22. For examples of this kind of punishment, we refer you to Sodom and Gomorrah, the Great Deluge sent on the anti-Deluvians, the one angel destroying 70,000 with God’s sword because David numbered Israel (1 Chron. 21 :1, 2, 14-17), and the angel that killed 185,000 Assyrians in one night before Jerusalem during Hezekiah’s reign. See 2 Chron. 32:21 and 2 Kings 19:35. These incidents show us how destructive God’s sword is and how helpless human beings are when He becomes angry with them. God’s sword is drawn on all liars, and if he has not already struck down some liar, He is in the very act of doing so. Possibly some relative, friend, or Christian, standing in the gap pleading with God for that liar, is why God has not already smitten him. Compare Ex. 32:7-14, 30-34 with Ezk. 22:30. Surely “A sword is upon the liars . . and they shall be dismayed” (Jer. 50:36).
6. LIARS BECOME SILLY, LOSE THEIR WIT, ACT AND TALK FOOLISHLY, AND BECOME WEAK-MINDED
Here we have another list of consequences that are certain to come to the liar, as a matter of punishment for his lying, that many never knew were some of God’s chastisements for this sin. “Habitual Liars” become so simpleminded until they actually believe that their listeners believe their unreasonable lying. They tell things that could not possibly have happened and that even a child, whose mind is on the alert for adventurous things and miraculous events, will not accept as truth. One does not have to continue lying very long before he will become simple minded and silly. If one desires to finish his days upon this earth in this category, and possibly die numbered with the insane, let him keep up that lying or indulge in it continually, and this will be his lot.
To lose one’s wit means that he loses that ability or alertness of mind to suddenly and ingeniously assemble and associate ideas and words which are out of the ordinary. In its final stage, it means the loss of the reasoning power and faculty of the mind or senses. A person could go so far along this line until he could scarcely, if at all, comprehend his need of salvation or figure out in any case what would be the best thing for him to do. He would be stripped of all that power and ability to reason out matters and make a good decision. when the devil once has a person well on his way, floating down his lying stream toward the lake of fire, the person seldom has enough mind left to plan his escape or appropriate the means God has provided for his salvation. Possibly someone is beginning to wonder where the writer has obtained all his information, and if it is Scriptural. Quoting from Jer. 50:36, we read: “A sword is upon the liars; and they SHALL DOTE” — become silly, simpleminded, lose their wit, act and talk foolishly, etc. Then statistics and observation will back us up in this definition. The person whom you find telling unreasonable lies will be found to be quite simple minded and not very witty, if any at all. He will also likely be found to talk and act very foolishly and possibly be fickle-minded. People who want to be wise and have a reputation for wit and wisdom had better tell the truth and shun lying all the time. We are informed that to fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and there is more truth in this statement than poetry. Fear God and you will not lie. why should one not fear God and quit lying or refrain from lying if not already guilty, in the face of these punishments that await the liar?
May God cause all of us to quake and tremble as this message and the Holy Spirit brings us before the judgment seat of Christ where we can now judge ourselves, and not be judged later (1 Cor. 11:31). We can now judge ourselves and plead guilty — send our sins of lying, and all other kind, on ahead of us to the judgment, and not have them trailing in behind us when we have to stand before that “Great white Throne Judgment Bar of God,” on that final judgment day. Remember, “A false witness (one who swears lies) shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies SHALL NOT ESCAPE.” My friend, the things we have been telling you about in this chapter concerning the punishment that awaits all liars are certain to come upon them. It is vouched for by God’s eternal Word which shall stand forever, even when and after heaven and earth have passed into oblivion passed totally out of our memory.
“O God of heaven and earth, who shall deliver and save us from this lying age and generation? We are wretched and undone without you; yea, we are helpless creatures and without you the devil will in some way or another lead us off into this damnable sin. Be our Deliverer and Saviour, we pray. Yea, fill us with that “Spirit of truth” (John 16:13), the Holy Ghost (Compare John 14:17 and 26), and so inoculate us until there will be nothing but the truth in us. Then I know that we will not tell any lies. Amen.”
7.GOD STOPS ALL LIARS FROM WITNESSING FOR HIM
A liar cannot be a witness for the Lord. All liars are the devil’s witnesses and he must be proud of them. Who could be proud of a liar but the devil? If anyone should be proud of a liar, he would be a fool. David says, “The mouth of them that speak lies SHALL BE STOPPED.” It is a very easy matter for God to stop the mouths of His people from witnessing for Him when they begin lying. The control is in His hand and all He has to do is switch off the inspiration or anointing, as we frequently speak of it. The liar may go on talking or preaching but he is no more God’s witness. No one is a real witness of the Lord who is not inspired or anointed of the Holy Spirit to speak. Our words and sermons must be inspired or given of the Lord in order for our witnessing to be of Him. No more anointed singing, testifying, preaching, teaching, shouting or worship for the liar. If the anointing is gone and one realizes the Lord has departed from him, as he did from King Saul, he will do well to look around and see if that old lying spirit has not switched the currant off. One may lie and act a hypocrite; but that does not at all class him among God’s true witnesses. He is a wolf among the sheep, a well without water, clouds without rain, and a terrible offender in God’s sight.
8. LIARS CANNOT ABIDE IN GOD’S HOUSE, NEITHER IN HIS SIGHT
“He that worketh deceit (and one has to almost lie in every case to deceive anyone) SHALL NOT dwell within My house (church): he that telleth lies SHALL NOT tarry in My sight” (Psa. 101:7). God’s house is not one any more that can be built with mortal hands. It is a spiritual building (See Eph. 2:19-21) and, therefore, God can put one out of His building though he still remains in some church or organization. There is a day coming when God is going to cast all liars out of His sight, just as He cast the children of Israel and Judah out of His sight, in days of yore (Jer. 7:15; 15:1). This might not appear to be a very bad or sore punishment to some now, but wait until they experience it. To be cast out of God’s sight does not mean necessarily that one is where God cannot see him; but that he is where he cannot see God or even get a glimpse of Him, His presence or His power, in any form or manner.
We are sometimes relieved of our distress over the loss of loved ones, who have been placed out of our sight beneath the sod of some cemetery, by viewing one of their pictures. There will not likely be any comforting pictures of the crucified Christ hanging on the walls of Hell for one to behold. They will be deprived of every vision and likeness of our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ — especially will this be true following the “Great white Throne Judgment.” You, like Paul and other Christians, may have beheld the Lord and His glory in some vision of the night; but if you turn away from Him by lying, you will soon be where you will never see that wonderful and sympathetic face again. Remember, the Lord has said: “He that telleth lies shall not tarry in My sight,” and you may as well expect this if you lie and die guilty of this sin.
9. FINALLY, HELL!
We have listed, in this chapter, a great many punishments that await all liars though not nearly all of them. There are none of the punishments we have dealt with prior to this paragraph that will or can equal hell, that burning lake of fire which is filled with brimstone and produces an unending experience of death, known as the “second death.” when it comes to explaining the tortures of that place with pen or tongue, it is beyond the English vocabulary to supply us with words to describe it — it is just hell! and more of hell, and hell that has no end to it. When one wants to speak of the terribleness of something that he cannot find words to express how awful it is, he just simply says, “It was hell.”
In chapter two we dealt with about eighty-three forms of lying and there are surely other ways a person can lie. Surely hell, that indescribable place of torment, must have enlarged her mouth to receive all these multitudes and millions of liars who have been pouring into it for ages past and up to the present time. God told Isaiah, or informed us through this prophet, that He had enlarged hell so much that it was beyond measure (Isa. 5:14). So hell is going to be large enough to accommodate all liars, we can be assured of that, and that all liars are going there. See Rev. 21:8 and Prov. 19:5.
Surely the readers of this book should be ready by this time to consider God’s remedy and inoculation for the sin of lying, after having read of the various punishments and consequences that awaits the liar. So we now pass with you to the final chapter of this book for the much needed and prized information. Let me plead with you to give the following chapter your most prayerful consideration for your own eternal welfare.
CHAPTER 7
GOD’S REMEDY AND INOCULATION FOR LYING
THE WORD OF GOD
The Word of God is certainly to be considered and resorted to if one desires and hopes to free himself from all lying and he truthful in every action and statement. Jesus informed His disciples that they had been cleansed through the Word which He had spoken unto them (John 15:3). Then the Psalmist said, “Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might NOT sin against Thee.” So there is no question but that there is a cleansing element and an inoculation against lying and all other sins in the Word of God.
A good knowledge of the Scriptures concerning the various punishments and consequences of lying should make any God fearing person seek the Lord for a greater filling of the Spirit of Truth. Too, when one reads and finds that God has barricaded the New Jerusalem and heaven against all liars (Rev. 21:27), and that no one but he who speaks the truth in his heart (Psa. 15:1, 2) is going to DWELL in God’s holy hill (high heaven) and ABIDE in His house (church), he is certainly made to see that one needs to be kept by the power of God at all times and places.
Jesus made use of the Word of God to defeat Satan during one of the arch enemy’s worst attacks upon Him. What power of resistance He wielded when He said: “It is written!” If the Word of God proved so helpful to our Lord during His sojourn and days of testing here on this earth, it certainly should be read and adhered to, especially by all of God’s children. It will certainly help cleanse one from all untruthfulness and. play a great part in inoculating him against all lying; “For the Word of God is QUICK and POWERFUL” (”Full of life and power.” Weymouth). Heb. 4:12. Read Psa. 1:1-6 and Josh. 1:1-9 and be further enlightened concerning the power and consequences of the written Word, which is assured to those who will constantly meditate upon it, believe it (Heb. 11:6), and obey it.
THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH
“Howbeit when He, the Spirit of TRUTH, is come, He will guide you into ALL truth” (John 16:13).
“But ye shall receive power, AFTER that the Holy Ghost is come upon you” (Acts 1:8), to tell the truth. See 1 John 2:27.
There are TWO predominating and controlling spirits in the world, besides our own human spirit, that we have to do or deal with. One of these spirits predominates to establish truth and righteousness in one’s life and conduct; but the other tends to lead man in the other direction, and the evil spirit, known as Satan and the devil, is an outright lying spirit. As we have already explained in chapter five, he never tells the truth. If he gets control and possesses one in any degree, he certainly injects his lying spirit into him. One must stay free from all of Satan’s influence and control or he will lie in spite of himself. The human spirit is of a neutral nature. It is easily influenced by either of these predominating spirits of good and evil. Therefore, one should see to it that his own spirit is influenced and controlled only by the “Spirit of Truth,” if he desires to always be truthful.
There is no need of man that demands one to be a recipient of the Holy Ghost any more than the one we are now dealing with. Some people, and many of them professed Christians, do not see the need of their seeking God for the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and being possessors of this experience today. It is a matter of impossibility for one to always be as truthful as he should be without it. The human spirit is not capable of guarding itself to this extent, for it was not created in that capacity. God has created us as dependent beings, and not at all independent. Jesus frankly warned His disciples that without Him they could do NOTHING (John 15:5). The Holy Ghost can be received today, with the evidence of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance the same as it was received at Pentecost; “For the promise is unto YOU (Peter’s audience on the day of Pentecost), and to YOUR CHILDREN! and to ALL that are AFAR off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” See Acts 2:1-4, 37-39; 19:1-6. Between ten and fifteen million people, scattered all over the world and in every nation, have this experience and keeping power in their lives today, as a witness that it is for “ALL that are afar off,” as Peter said.
We shall deal further with this point at the close of this chapter, especially as pertaining to those who have received their baptism in the Holy Ghost.
FAITH THAT APPROPRIATES
One cannot appropriate the promises of God unless he believes God meant them for Him as an individual. “Faith WITHOUT works is dead, … being alone,” says James, the brother of our Lord. Then Paul informs us, “He that cometh to God MUST believe that He is (that there is a God and that He now lives or exists), and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Jesus also informs us, that “all things are possible to him that believeth.” The faith that appropriates is the faith that goes into action-does something about the problem confronted or involved. Our next paragraph will show you and explain what faith in action is, at least in part.
PRAYING WITHOUT CEASING
Just as one cannot obtain things from God without faith, he does not receive them without asking God for them (Matt. 7:7, 8), and that day by day. “Ye have not, because ye ask not” (James 4:2). We cannot receive a lifetime supply of spiritual food, power, grace, etc., by praying one prayer, any more than one can eat enough, naturally speaking, to sustain himself indefinitely. This is where “praying without ceasing” comes in. Our spiritual needs must be a matter of daily prayer. “Though our outward man perish, yet the INWARD man is renewed DAY BY DAY.” Right here is the secret of why many Christians grow weak spiritually and lose out with God — fail to stay victorious in their daily living for God. They do not “continue in prayer, and watch in prayer with thanksgiving,” as Paul exhorted the Colossians to do. The model prayer given by our Lord instructs us to pray: “Give us THIS day (not some future day or year) our DAILY bread.” God has spiritual power and soul vitamins conditioned about like the manna He served to the children of Israel in the Wilderness, for those forty years. If they gathered a week’s or month’s supply and kept it for over one day, excepting the Sabbath day, it bred worms and stank. Some lazy Israelites would have preferred gathering enough in one day to have lasted them for many days; but God would not have it that way. The same is true with many well meaning Christians of today. They would like to obtain enough soul-food and power during one prayer to last them indefinitely. God could not afford to arrange things thus; for there would be too much idleness among His people; and an idle soul is soon meddling and into various kinds of mischief.
To “pray without ceasing” does not necessarily mean that one must pray for twenty-four hours a day; but that he must pray daily and continually renew or repeat his petitions to the Lord. Prayer must be a daily routine for every Christian if he expects to obtain the needed grace from the Lord for each day. One who conducts family worship and prayer once a day, or who sees that he gets alone with God in the secret place of prayer every day, prays without ceasing, and you can make this application to all kinds of prayer.
A PURPOSED HEART
God assures one that he can obtain the things that he desires if he will seek for them with all his heart. Some people are not daily concerned about spiritual matters and their soul’s need. If we want to obtain God’s favor and help, we must first let Him see that we have a WILL and PURPOSE of heart to do and accomplish certain things. Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king’s wine and meats, and God saw to it that Daniel did not have to drink the wine or eat the king’s meat. A purposed heart goes a long way in influencing God to grant our petitions, don’t ever forget this. God is not out to waste His time and power upon people who have no purpose of heart. Such a person is like a ship without a rudder or helm — there is no telling which way he may drift or turn. The man who never purposes in his heart to seek God and get right with His Maker will die lost — God will never save such a person. If He did, He would be saving him against his own will. We are free moral agents with the power of choice granted unto us by the Lord, and God would contradict His creative plans and actions if He did things for us against our will. This should help you to more thoroughly understand why a purposed heart, concerning telling the truth, is so essential if one wants God to give him grace to always he one hundred percent truthful.
A few quotations from the pen of David will probably add some more emphasis to this thought and paragraph concerning the need of a purposed heart, in the matter of being truthful, or of obtaining grace from God to help one be truthful, “I am PURPOSED that my mouth shall not transgress” (tell lies, tattle, backbite, judge, criticize, etc.). “I said (David speaking), I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not (lie not) with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.” David was going his limit as for purposing not to lie or say things he should not speak. -He later learned to petition God’s help and assistance in the matter, and I am sure God undertook for him. We find him uttering the following words after he had failed to carry out the purposes of his heart, by his own strength and wit: “Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; KEEP the door of my lips.” Don’t overlook the need of petitioning God for assistance along this line, though you desire and purpose to be truthful.
CONFESS AND CORRECT ALL ERRORS, FALSE STATEMENTS, ETC.
This is something that we almost have to force the natural man to do, especially at times when the circumstances are not so inviting. Solomon gives us this admonition concerning our faults and sins: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso CONFESSETH and FORSAKETH them shall have (or obtain) mercy” (forgiveness). Don’t say you never lied or that you have always been truthful, and, thereby, endeavor to cover up your untruthfulness and contradict God’s Word. “If we say we have not sinned (lied at some time or other — remembering that any untruth is a lie), we make Him a liar” — contradict the Bible (1 John 1:10). John, the beloved, also has this to say about confessing our sins and lying: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (lying and untruthfulness included), and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness” (lying).
Incorrect or false statements are charged against us as a lie, even when not premeditated or willfully uttered until we confess them. See Lev. 5:17 and Num. 15:27-29. So save yourselves, in this manner, from this untoward generation of which there are not many people who tell the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, all the time. Reread the paragraphs concerning “Premeditated Lying” and “Unintentional Lying” given in chapter two on “Various Forms of Lying,” in connection with this one, and you will better understand why we have to confess sins that we did not intend to commit. Sin of this nature has to be cared for the same as that mud, stain and grease that you get on your natural garments by accident or due to carelessness. Such stains and soiled garments must be cleaned the same as those soiled from wear and perspiration. So is it with our souls. If sin has marred it, there must be an application of the blood before it can be removed, and God demands that we call His attention to these special needs the same as the cleaner does. If you just put a suit or dress in for a general dry cleaning that has some stain and unwashable spots on it without calling the cleaners attention to it, you cannot blame him if the dress or suit is returned with those spots still showing. God wants us to put our finger right on the spots (confess exactly and definitely) we desire to be removed from our soul. Too many Christians go in for a “Dry Cleaning” spiritually when they need an overall washing with “Fullers soap” (Mal. 3:2), applied with plenty of water in the name of Jesus Christ (Read Col. 3:17; Acts 4:12; 2:38; 22:16 and 1 Jno. 5:8), or by partaking of the Lord’s supper worthily if they have already been baptized in water. See Heb. 6:1-3; 1 Cor. 10:16 and Matt. 26:27, 28.
There are too many “Dry Cleaning Establishments” (churches, if you please) in the land today recommending a cleansing for the soul OTHER than REPENTANCE (See Luke 13:5; Acts 2:37,38; 3:19; 17:30 and 2 Peter 3:9), which includes the confessing of one’s sins to God and whoever might he personally wronged or affected thereby, and that EXCLUDE “the WATER AND BLOOD BATH” which can only be obtained by being immersed or baptized in water in the name of Jesus Christ. The water and the blood are included in the “New Birth” the same as the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Compare St. John 3:3-7 with I John 5:8.
Water baptism in the titles, “Father, Son and Holy Ghost” does not remit or wash away one’s sins. It is like washing clothes in water without putting any soap, lye, bleach or bluing in it. One may rub, boil, and rinse all he pleases, but the dirt and stain will not all come out. How careless and indifferent some people are when it comes to seeking cleansing for the soul. The Scriptures plainly and definitely inform us that, “Without shedding of blood (there) is no remission” of sin and that “Repentance and remission of sins should he preached in HIS NAME” (the name of Jesus Christ — Luke 24:46, 47). See also Acts 2:37, 38; 10:43; and John 20:31. Remember, Jesus has informed us that he who tries to get in some way other than what He has planned will not make it any more than a thief would. Compare John 1(1:1 and 14:6. Therefore, confess your sins, if you desire forgiveness and cleansing from them, and be buried in the watery grave by baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, if you have not thus been baptized.
LIVE A SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE
We now come to the final paragraphs of this chapter and the whole book. We have been studying the remedy that will rid one of sin and lying in the foregoing paragraphs of this chapter, and now we come to the PERMANENT INOCULATION against sin and lying. “Greater is He (The Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit) that is IN you, than he (the devil or one of his evil spirits) that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). There is nothing so important to our being truthful as being filled and staying filled with the Holy Ghost or the Spirit of truth. See 1 John 2:27 and St. John 16:14. The watch that David could only have BEFORE his mouth (Psa. 141:3), we can now have IN our souls (St. John 14:16-20,26; 15:26), which is nothing less than the Holy Ghost that is evidenced by the speaking with tongues as He enters Into our very soul and body. See Acts 2:1-4; 10:44-46; 19:1-6 and Isa. 28:11, 12 with Mk. 16:17.
This Holy Ghost, which is the power and Spirit of God within us, can and will keep us from all evil and sin (Acts 1:8; Jude 20 and 1 Peter 1:1-10) and “is able to keep you from falling, and to present you FAULTLESS before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.” — Jude. If one will not thus inoculate himself against lying, then he will “fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken” by Satan and his lying spirit, as Isaiah has prophesied (Isa. 28:11-13), and in the final he will land In hell (Rev. 21:8). General Booth’s prediction concerning twentieth century Christianity is coming true. He said, in part: “I consider that the chief danger that confronts the coming century will be, religion WITHOUT the Holy Ghost,” and there is plenty of this kind today.
It is one thing to be filled or get filled with the Spirit and it is another thing to KEEP filled. Many are filled with the Holy Ghost and do not KEEP filled with it. One must KEEP inoculated with the Spirit by STAYING filled with it, as Paul exhorts in Ephesians 5:18. It requires as much or more to keep filled with the Holy Ghost as it does to obtain it. All the expenses of operating an automobile are not dispensed with when one purchases the ear. In fact the operating expenses begin after he buys and begins to use or operate the car. It costs a person some of his time and a great deal of devotion to God and His cause in order to STAY filled with the Spirit. One does not sleep out his salvation — it is worked out with much fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12). There has to be a great deal of praying in the Holy Ghost (Jude 20), anointed and inspired praying, in order for one to stay Spirit FILLED and inoculated against lying and all forms of sin. The Holy Ghost fills one’s soul and keeps the devil, and all lying and evil spirits, out of him, just as the filling keeps the germs out of one’s tooth and preserves it (1 King 4:4).
Some people, who attain unto a Spirit-filled life, fool around and use up their supply without seeking for the refilling (Acts 4:24-31) often enough, and become more sinful and untruthful than they have ever been (2 Pet. 2:20). But this is not a fault of the Holy Ghost, it is a fault of their own. If there is no gasoline in the tank of a car, there is no power there to make it go. The same is true with a Christian without the Holy Ghost.
May we bow our heads and join in prayer with Jude as we close this message: “Now unto Him (Jesus) that is able to KEEP YOU from falling, and to present YOU FAULTLESS before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God OUR SAVIOUR, be glory (for all the good accomplished by this message or little book) and majesty, dominion and power (in your life and mine), both NOW and EVER.” Amen!
