Lying Lips

“The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.“ 1 John 2:4

Are you a liar? Hmmm…..

Do you claim to know Christ, but yet you fail to do what He tells us to do? Well, do you?

If we inspect our lives, we can always find times and ways in which we fall short of God’s commands. Let’s face it, we’re part of a sinful, fallen world. Some of those times and ways are more obvious than others. I know that there are plenty of ways that I fall short. And God knows that. So what does God do about our failures? He gives us a way to be forgiven – through repentance. Through the truth. Through Christ. That requires that we see those sinful things as sin, though. And that we really do want to be closer to God, and that we really do want to be close to Him, and be His child.

But what if we claim to be a child of God, one of Christ’s redeemed, but yet we fail to obey God, and continue to insist that our own way is better than God’s way? What if we engage in sin and celebrate that sin rather than repent from it, because, after all, we “know better” or are more “tolerant” than what the Bible teaches? That sounds like a very harsh thing to say, but we know that some do take that path. When we thumb our nose at God, despite having paid lip service to being “saved”, we demonstrate to God that we never really accepted the gift of salvation. We see ourselves as smarter than God, more in tune with the world than God, and yes, better than God. We’ve seen all too often those who claim Christ because it is a way for them to gain favor with others who value their faith, but who, in the end, never put that claim into practice in their lives. Perhaps it’s a family member who wants to make someone happy, or to at least get someone off of their back. Perhaps it’s  a pastor who once thought they felt God’s call on their life, but who never really wanted anything more than to have others look up to them, or to be like them, or to just make money, or to “get away” with bad behaviors because claiming Christ would cause others to trust them – and they lead their flock away from God’s truth as they perpetrate their own sins. Perhaps it is a politician who claims that they know Christ, but who knows that such claim is blatantly false, and does everything that they can to promote the very things that are evil in God’s sight – like abortion, gay marriage, stealing inheritances, and persecuting Christians – so that they can hold on to their own power.

We must be vigilant and keep our eyes open for these wolves in sheep’s clothing. We must guard our hearts and minds from these liars, and stay steeped in God’s word so that we don’t go down that same path of destruction.

Lord, we thank you for your word that tells us so plainly what you expect from us, and what is important to you. Thank you for reminding us that we can’t just pay lip service to loving you, and that we demonstrate the true content of our hearts by and through our actions. Be with each of us, Lord, every day, to guide us in our walk with you, so that we don’t stumble and fall away from you. Turn the hearts of liars, so that they may know your truth and seek repentance for their sins. Lord, bless us and give us wisdom, and strengthen us as we go out into the world today and every day. Help us to recognize and avoid the lying lips around us, and help us to boldly speak your truth and to stand for that truth. Thank you, Lord, your blessing and truth. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Originally posted on ProChristianWoman.